On first watch of the trailer, I expected that Johnny Cage would be the centerpiece, capitalizing on Karl Urban s name. While the usual formulaic approach and a bit of convoluted and disjointed script, it did pay homage to the previous film (though not the video game). I did appreciate that they gave mostly equal balance to the different characters, though it lacked backstories to everyone but Cage.We expect the acting to be fun and not deep (except for Cage), which we expected. The special effects were decent, though a few things could have been better. I like the choice of actors, though Urban is a bit too old for the role; instead of many being young and inexperienced, they went with an older, more seasoned cast which gave the characters more weight. Only the Johnny Cage gave notice to the advanced age. Liu Kang s fire special effects were really overdone, but the rest of the movie was not drowning in special effects. Overall, it was a decent film, with a thin plot, okay acting, but a generally fun time. As for the negative, I would say the disjointed script that didn t really refresh any previous plot points was a bit confusing and took away from the experience.Highlights: I liked the choice of an older cast instead of a bunch of 20-somethings that didn t add gravitas to the characters.Lowlights: A couple of SFX misses, confusing subplots, and no resolution for Cage s special abilities.Acting: 5/10Special FX: 5/10Writing: 3/10Directing/Cinematography: 7/10Editing: 6/10Overall Entertainment: 6/10