Martyn Ford – Movies of the Soul

Vampire Owl: So, it is that time of the year when we fight against them all.

Vampire Bat: We do immortal combat and do not fight mortals.

Vampire Owl: Why should we immortals engage in immortal wars?

Vampire Bat: We have had our immortal war moments in the last few years.

Vampire Owl: But zombies disintegrate, werewolves live and die. Where are the immortals?

Vampire Bat: The shadow demons are immortal, and our fight is with them.

Vampire Owl: They have not reached the realm yet, as far as I know.

Vampire Bat: The tunnels connecting our realm and the shadow world are active.

Vampire Owl: You mean to say that there is activity down there?

Vampire Bat: Yes, vampire scouts are expecting a surprise attack soon.

[Gets a ghee podi masala dosa and three cups of Munnar tea].

What is the movie about? :: Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford) had defeated and killed King Jerrod (Desmond Chiam) as part of the final battle against Edenia, and took Queen Sindel (Ana Thu Nguyen) as his new queen but completely under his control. Later Shao train Jade (Tati Gabrielle) whom he found in a slave pit, and he also has Kitana (Adeline Rudolph) who is the daughter of Jerrod and Sindel by his side, as he also keeps her ready to fight on his side. Many years later, with the tenth Mortal Kombat tournament is about to happen, Quan Chi (Damon Herriman) revives Kung Lao (Max Huang) and Kano (Josh Lawson) as they are in need for more warriors to serve their purpose. While Kung Lao becomes under their control, Kano remains the same, greedy and selfish, not able to be controlled by anyone. Meanwhile, Lord Raiden (Tadanobu Asano) and Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee) approach a former Hollywood star who has lost his roles with his age, Johnny Cage (Karl Urban) to recruit him as their fifth champion alongside Sonya, Liu Kang (Ludi Lin), Jax Briggs (Mehcad Broks) and Cole Young (Lewis Tan).

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: But as he understands that he stands no change against fighting to conquer Earth with superpowers, and knowing that he could just die in the arena with ease, Johnny refuses to participate. Even though he returns to Earth, he is drafted into a battle with Kitana who wins the same with ease, but she does not kill him even though Shao Kahn asks her to. At the same time, Sonya is taken into face Sindel whom she ends up killing after some initial difficulty. Jade discovers that Kitana is working as a spy for Rayden, and captures her with the help of her guards while returning from Earth and presents her to Shao Kahn. Feeling betrayed and angry, he orders for Kitana to be tied up in the centre of the city for everyone to see her as a dishonoured traitor on display with chains stretching her arms and legs. Jade asks her to seek forgiveness from Shao Kahn, but she refuses and chooses to stay in bondage. The resurrected Kung Lao travels through the path in which Kitana journeyed to Earth and wounds Raiden, allowing Quan Chi to take his power into an amulet, which they bind to Shao Kahn.

And what more can happen here as end seems near for Earth and its people? :: This process makes Shao Khan immortal, but Raiden is almost killed in the process. Johny and Sonya are defeated by the attacking fighters who are quick to knock them unconscious, and at the same time, the second round had begun and three fighters were already at the battlegrounds. Liu Kang and Kung Lao face off against each other, and despite the former trying his best to reason with the former to return as Earth’s hero, the fight continues – Liu Kang is forced to kill Kung Leo by throwing him to his own bladed hat. Jax who fights with Jade also finds it easy to defeat her as she stands no chance against his strong mechanical arms, but he spares her life as Kitana had asked for the same earlier when she visited them. Cole fights and almost kills Shao Kahn, but his wounds heal instantly, shocking him. Shao Kahn who calls for the Scorpion blood brutally kills him and throws his body away, keeping the competition between two worlds close. With Shao Kahn being invincible and Raiden on life support, and running out of fighters, can Earth be saved from invasion?

The defence of Mortal Kombat II :: Calling all the attention to himself, Karl Urban steals the show nicely with this one. He had some fine action movies failing despite being so good, most notable one being Dredd, but this stays strong to avoid that fate. He nails this character and it is the one character that stays strong and also brings the fun. The fight choreography has also managed to be better, and it feels so much like a real arena fight, and the gaming nostalgia nicely comes back here. As fans of this one game which kept us so much interested in multiplayer as much as single player with so many options, this nostalgia keeps us interested at all times, as the danger gets ready to unleash itself on our world. There is the violence which stays close to the game, as we feel the shades of those fatalities which seems to be straight out of the game. The new characters and situations also add the epic dark-fantasy scale that can inspire a sequel – the world-building has been top class and more can follow in the franchise.

Positives and negatives :: Those who are looking for full-strength, well-planned scheduled tournament of fights in order would be disappointed. Some characters could have also developed further with better understanding of new worlds and fights occurring in a variety of settings. There could have also been adventurous journeys to serve the purpose. Even though the tournament gets active, there is not much of a fight among the audience or something that is shown continuously as grand battle. The movie’s female leading fighters Jessica McNamee and Adeline Rudolph are just too good too, and their fights are admirable. Jessica would have done nicely to have more fights too, while Scorpion and Sub-Zero not with the best glory might keep people wondering. This happens even when the characters do not undergo that much of a development. There is also no real terrifying character, as the terror is not built that much, as the game might be the scarier and more effective thing compared to the movie as many other gaming adaptations from Hitman to Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Monster Hunter and Doom.

How it finishes :: The movie takes the live-action franchise further forward, delivering a sequel that is sharper in moving through what fans expect from a computer game adaptation. It delivers a thoroughly entertaining spectacle with action that levels up from the predecessor in an even better world. The change of protagonist also seems to have served the movie well, even though one big tournament fight with him would have been nice. The nostalgia that we feel related to this franchise is also really a lot, and we never are never really out of it – I remember traveling so many kilometres to play a version of this game as it could only be played on Pentium IV Processor and above with a GeForce Card. Quan Chi’s double knee stomp was a favourite as he jumps up and keeps on walking on the opponents, then Scorpion and Sub-Zero also remained. We might never have a game based on some of the classic titles like Unreal Tournament and Age of Empires, and so we enjoy what we have, as it has been well-set before us. We might have missed it at the theatres, but the need to watch this one never really left us.

Release date: May 8, 2026
Running time: 116 minutes
Directed by: Simon McQuoid
Starring: Karl Urban, Adeline Rudolph, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Ludi Lin, Mehcad Brooks, Tati Gabrielle, Lewis Tan, Damon Herriman, Chin Han, Tadanobu Asano, Joe Taslim, Hiroyuki Sanada, Martyn Ford

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Vampire Owl: I did not know that this one also had Marvel origins.

Vampire Bat: You know that there are so many of them even in Avengers world.

Vampire Owl: Well, this one is surely better than Captain Marvel.

Vampire Bat: We all love the underdogs as they defeat the powerful.

Vampire Owl: Yes, Captain Marvel is too strong a character to be loved.

Vampire Bat: At least they should give her a Kryptonite to balance things.

Vampire Owl: Yes, they could even charge for the same.

Vampire Bat: You think that Kryptonite is available in markets?

Vampire Owl: I have seen a few in the goblin markets.

Vampire Bat: It is a showpiece meant for display, and is not an original one.

[Gets a chicken biryani and three cups of Darjeeling tea].

What is the movie about? :: Sonja (Matilda Lutz) had some terrible times in her homeland of Hyrkania as a child as she was forced to escape her lands after being attacked by barbarians who massacred most people. This leads to her wandering in the woods while searching for her people while keeping close ties to nature. As she chases a group of poachers who were seen killing wild animals, she comes across their camp which she successfully infiltrates without making any noise. But the emperor who controls the whole area outside forest, Dragan (Robert Sheeshan) arrives at the camp as he looks for a way into the forest and its hidden mysteries. Sonja is found by Dragan’s partner Annisia (Wallis Day), a fierce warrior, and both engage in a sword fight, which ends in Sonja getting knocked out and put in chains. As Dragan finds a map with her, he feels that he can find the other half of a book hidden in the forest among refugees that would grant him ancient scientific knowledge, enabling him to hold unlimited power.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Dragan brings a tied-up Sonja to the open space and tries torturing her to gain information about the forest and what is hidden in there. Sonja, though restrained and helpless, would not give him any useful information, which leads to her being taken to the capital city in a cage. There, she tries to escape, only to have her fully restrained in chains. She is held in a pit meant for warriors who have to fight and win in an arena to gain their freedom. Sonja is set against another warrior Petra (Rhona Mitra) whom she refuses to fight. Annisia asks for her to be killed for disobedience. But Dragan kills Petra as only person is supposed to survive the arena and Sonja has information for him, while the crowd cheered loudly much to Sonja’s dismay. She is locked up in the pit again, but Dragan has planned something bigger. Can she escape the captivity and become free again, while finding her people as she always wanted? Will Annisia get Sonja’s head as she has wished for since their first fight? Will there be peace in the land after a long time?

The defence of Red Sonja :: This movie happens to be a surprise strong entry into a genre which felt like having not future. They have also managed to bring an actress who can act this part so well and perform by blending in – she definitely carried the movie on her soldiers really well with a certain amount of confidence and the ability to handle both action and humour effectively. The movie would remain a fun ride throughout its run as the adventure never cease and so does the entertainment factor. There is nothing like a fantasy adventure with sword fights, saving the world from an evil emperor, magic in the forest, gladiator battles in an arena etc. The visuals that they have managed with the lower budget is very much grand, and seeing the castles, palaces, forests, ruins etc with a touch of magic keeps us interested. Even with the presence of mythical monsters like cyclops and other unnamed creatures, the magical elements are mostly present in a silent manner, keeping it a classic battle with swords while also having a touch of emotions.

Positives and negatives :: The movie could have used a better budget considering the scope and epic level of the whole thing set in a world which is different, huge and created for quite a long-running franchise considering the comics base. The first gladiator battle also ends too soon, even though the grandeur was visible and there to be taken. The emotional ending is beautiful, and there are some fine twists about origin stories, and thankfully, it does not go the Mad Max route without that much of hope. The final moments provide scope for the titular character fighting bigger and more classic battles, and adventures with the possibility of more magic – what better than those stories of saving the world with swords and magic rather than guns and machines? Well, this is also about an underdog coming to the top rather than having an all-powerful hero, even though the final moments of battle were a little bit too predictable. But you know that you are immersed in this world and there is no stopping the same.

The performers of the soul :: Matilda Lutz who plays the titular character leads the way very well, and after we had seen her in horror movies like Rings and A Classic Horror Story, the Italian actress blends into action and adventure very well too. She runs through the action sequences really well and there is a touch of humour around as light-hearted action seems to make an impact too. She seems to have owned the role and is ready for that possible sequel in the form of such action queen that we have all deserved since movies like Underworld and Resident Evil had gone the extra mile with the lady protagonists. Wallis Day whom we know for Infinite has a very strong presence, and scores even with that stone cold look as much as the brutal battles where she excels. Robert Sheehan’s work is something that we will remember for the different portrayal of an emperor. Rhona Mitra’s lady warrior stays strong enough when she is there, but becomes expendable very soon. Michael Bisping and Martyn Ford have strong presences physically around there too.

How it finishes :: As the movie is on Lionsgate Play app, the best option to watch it might be to take a good unlimited Airtel offer and watch it among the collection of OTTs which come with the offer. The Sword and Sorcery genre does have a better stronghold here at a time when fantasy itself was losing steam. This is also pure nostalgia for most of us, also reminding one of Conan the Barbarian in its original mode. There is that imagery of fighting against evil empires as there have always been, and also the proven idea that power corrupts more than anything else. With Matilda Lutz as the next action star, and having a whole world to build a story, let us see how well they can try to make a sequel, for it is a necessity to keep the character alive. Both Marvel and DC seem to have a weak second level of characters for Avengers and Justice with a new age and the only exception is Thunderbolts that remain interesting; it calls for characters like this one.

Release date: 13th August 2025
Running time: 110 minutes
Directed by: M J Bassett
Starring: Matilda Lutz, Wallis Day, Robert Sheehan, Michael Bisping, Martyn Ford, Eliza Matengu, Veronica Ferres, Luke Pasqualino, Katrina Durden, Rhona Mitra, Trevor Eve, Philip Winchester, Ben Radcliffe, Manal El-Feitury, Danica Davis, Kate Nichols, Tony Way