Until recently, video game story writing was considered a low art form. The bar is even lower for fighting games, which often lack any narrative element in gameplay. Since 2011,Mortal Kombathas been seen as the high watermark for the genre. There have already been a few cinematic takes on the franchise, but films likeJiu Jitsuaim for the fighting game standard by borrowing from the classics.
Ed Boon and John Tobias’s iconicMortal Kombatseries doesn’t have the strongest themes, the most original ideas, or the most engaging characters. It’s a quantity-over-quality approach to storytelling. Sure, it’s about a fighting tournament, but the countless tangents, competing factions, and never-ending retcons keep it interesting.
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What isJiu Jitsuabout?
In the dense jungle of Myanmar, there’s an ancient temple. Every six years, a mysterious comet passes overhead, and a hole opens in the temple walls. Through the mysterious voidsteps a mighty alien invadernamed Brax. Brax issues a challenge to the people of Earth. He must fight no less than nine humans. If Earth’s defenders defeat Brax in combat, he’ll retreat through the hole for six more years. If the humans lose, he’ll bring back his entire species and take over the world. Human warriors have successfully defeated the aliens and prolonged their survival for thousands of years. As the latest challenge is issued, celebrated war hero Jake Barnes attempts to flee his duty. Jake falls off a cliff and suffers a head injury, leaving him without memories.
Jake is rescued by a couple while fishing. He winds up in the care of the US Military, who probe him for information he doesn’t have. Suddenly, a martial artist named Keung decimates the soldiers and absconds with Jake. Keung and his cohorts, Harrigan and Carmen, inform Jake of his responsibilities. Jake genuinely can’t remember any aspect of the lore or the aliens, but he discovers that he isas talented a martial artistas they say. Jake meets Wylie, a mysterious older warrior who explains the stakes of Brax’s game. Jake is dragged back to the military base, where he picks up more soldiers willing to join the fight. With the fate of the world on the line, Jake and his allies must find a weakness in the impossibly powerful alien invader and continue the long tradition of sending Brax home.
How isJiu Jitsurelated toMortal Kombat?
Any fan could find similarities between the plot ofJiu Jitsuand thebasic outline ofMortal Kombat. A masked conqueror steps through a portal to challenge the people of Earth to a fighting tournament. Shao Kahn is an infinitely more compelling character than Brax, but they serve the same purpose. The heroes are soldiers and martial artists, just like the Shaolin Monks and Special Forces characters ofMortal Kombat. The main difference is in the genre.Mortal Kombatplays with elements of science fiction, but it’s ultimately mostly a fantasy story.Jiu Jitsuis explicitly about aliens with advanced technology, whileMortal Kombatis mostly about extradimensional warriors with magic. The structure of the film feels near-identical toa badMortal Kombatmovie. It’sMortal Kombatwith no gods to enforce the rules of the tournament and very little personality in the cast.
Jiu Jitsufeels closest to aMortal Kombatfan film that somehow attracted some notable celebrities.Nicolas Cage is the headliner, channeling Obi-Wan Kenobi by way of Jack Sparrow. Tony Jaa shows up to do his usual Muay Thai routines. Character actor Eddie Steeples tries his best in a comic relief role. Action star Frank Grillo is at his weakest in a do-nothing role. Tons of critics compared it to a video game.Jiu Jitsu’s biggest weakness is not going far enough. It didn’t have the money to go as wild asMortal Kombat, especially with Nic Cage’s salary taking around 20% of its budget, but it’s still fun.Jiu Jitsuis dumb disposable schlock with a few entertaining beats. It’s worth the 102 minutes, but it’d probably be better with rounds of fast-paced fighting between cutscenes.
How doesJiu Jitsuend?
The final battle with Brax quickly kills several competitors. Jake, Carmen, Tex, and the two Burmese fishmongers attack Brax at the temple.Jake discovers multiple weaknessesin Brax. His vision is thermal, so he can’t see through fire. He can heal from almost any injury, but the process takes a moment. Jake kills Brax by slashing open his chest with a sword and inserting a pair of hand grenades into the wound as it closes. Brax detonates as Jake kicks his body through the portal. Jake and Carmen start a relationship, and the heroes leave victorious.
Jiu Jitsuis a silly film. The action scenes are far below the standards of the industry, the story is borrowedmostly fromMortal Kombat, and there’s only one actor there who seems to be having a good time. Though there are far better action films out there,Jiu Jitsuis a fun watch. Let it tide fans over as they wait for the nextMortal Kombat.
