Mortal Kombat producer hints the reboot movie will have gory "X-Ray" effects

A film reboot of the popular Mortal Kombat video games will hit theaters next year, and it might be the movie that finally brings Mortal Kombat's unique brand of ultra-violence to the big screen.

Without anyone noticing, one of the film's producers has been dropping hints on Twitter that the movie will (maybe) contain some homages to the new games, notably the gruesome "X-Ray" effects that reveal fighters' bones breaking, internal bleeding, and other moments of utter savagery.

In a handful of tweets dating back to January, producer Todd Garner has playfully "answered" fan inquiries to Mortal Kombat. On January 23, a fan asked Garner if the film will have "x-rays, fatal blows, crushing blows" in "the new Mortal Kombat movie?" Garner responded, "Well they aren’t dancing..."

In another tweet on February 2, a fan asked Garner, "Is the new #MortalKombatMovie going to focus on practical effects, CGI, or an amalgamation of the two?"

Garner responded, "These actors are also bad ass martial artists. Don’t need much CGI... unless..."

Unless what, Todd Garner? While we can safely assume that the actors of Mortal Kombat can't throw fireballs or generate ice walls on their own on camera, it's just as reasonable to think Garner is hinting Mortal Kombat will have the games' devastating X-Ray effects, also known as "Fatal Blows" and "Crushing Blows." (Or, as Mortal Kombat spells it, "Krushing Blows.")

Since the 2011 reboot game Mortal Kombat, the series has featured a special mechanic where players can dish out extra damage and trigger a brief cinematic moment. Called "X-Ray Moves" in Mortal Kombat and in the 2015 sequel Mortal Kombat X, the mechanic takes advantage of the higher technical horsepower found in modern consoles (as opposed to the old arcades) to reveal the true brutality of Mortal Kombat, with bones crushed to bits and internal appendages getting smushed.

In 2019's Mortal Kombat 11, the "X-Ray" was replaced with two new variations: "Krushing Blows," which function similarly, and "Fatal Blows," which can only happen once and when the attacker's health has depleted past 30%.

Fans won't know much about Mortal Kombat until Warner Bros. is prepared to release things like trailers and first-look reveals. Garner himself said that the filmmakers are gunning for an element of surprise, telling a fan on February 9: "If I told you then there wouldn’t be surprises... and everyone loves surprises. You know how I know, because every day someone asks me to spoil the surprise and I surprise them by... not."

Scheduled to hit theaters over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend in 2021, Mortal Kombat from director Simon McQuoid is a new feature film adaptation of the popular fighting game franchise. The film's cast includes Ludi Lin (Power Rangers) as Liu Kang, Jessica McNamee (The Meg) as Sonya Blade, Joe Taslim (The Raid: Redemption) as Sub-Zero, Mechad Brooks (Supergirl) as Jax, Tadnobu Asano (Thor) as Raiden, and Hiroyuki Sanada (Avengers: Endgame) as Scorpion. Lewis Tan (Into the Badlands) will appear in a yet undisclosed role — but we can't wait to see him punch Scorpion's skull into smithereens.

Mortal Kombat will chop its way into theaters on January 15, 2021.