MovieChat Forums > Mortal Kombat (1995) Discussion > It is an enterntaining movie, but it is ...

It is an enterntaining movie, but it is also hilariously anti-feminist

posted 11 years ago by Jutlander
32 replies | jump to latest

Meet the character of Sonya Blade: One of the three main characters of the movie and one of only two female characters in the entire movie.

She is strong, tough, righteous, and independent. She looks good, but it is clear that the way she looks is not a primary concern. She appears from the get-go as a feminist rolemodel if there ever was one.

We see Sonya Blade in exactly one fight; against Kano. Kano is not just one of the few non-overtly supernatural villians, he is also sterotypically masculine in a very crude way. Sonya beats him - in a perhaps a little too sexualized manner, but let us not get into that.

Then things start to turn silly for our strong female protagonist:

First, Sonya argues that it would be foolish to fight the four-armed monstrosity. They might get hurt. Instead, a man gets to do the job.

Then Sonya is taken hostage by Shang Tsung and is instantly reduced to a damsel in distress. She refuses to fight Shang Tsung, which is good as Rayden flat-out states that Sonya has no chance of winning. This leaves it to her two male counterparts to save her. When they find her, she has been dressed up as a modern Princess Leia sexy slavegirl, and gone is her ponytail.

It is hinted that the only reason that Sonya is even at the tournament is because Shang Tsung willed her to be because he finds her attractive. He is also responsible for her fighting Kano, and he explicitly wants Kano not to hurt her. It is clear that Shang Tsung wanted Sonya to win over Kano.

Basically, the apparently strong and independent woman was not strong or significant enough to get into the tournament on her own, but since Shang Tsung wanted a bride, he manipulated events so that she would (paying Kano to be there, luring Sonya in, and then sacrificing Kano whom he knew to be inferior to Sonya - but not without making sure that he would not actually hurt her).

Sonya is rescued by the men, and peace is restored. In the final scene her slavegirl outfit has been replaced with something more modest, but the hair is still feminine and sexy (in a 1995 way).

[–] Riding_With_The_Valkyries 11 years ago

Well fuqq feminism.

If you say "my cocaine" aloud, you're also saying "Michael Caine" in his own voice

[–] Jutlander 11 years ago

Well, you, sir, are obviously a true scholar and a gentleman.

[–] Riding_With_The_Valkyries 11 years ago

Also an acrobat

If you say "my cocaine" aloud, you're also saying "Michael Caine" in his own voice

[–] Getalis 9 years ago

Well fuqq feminism.

^ This. ^

[–] 9 years ago

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[–] the_ka-tet_of_one 11 years ago

While you bring up some decent points, I think you're interpreting it this way, it is not what they wrote/intended to say. The movie is NOT anti-feminist.

[–] Sapphire-Blue 11 years ago

I agree w/ previous poster.

Seriously, that's all you get out of the movie?? Something tells me you didn't even play the MK game...

Here's to looking at you, kid.

[–] Jutlander 11 years ago

Do you also agree with the part that I made some decent points?

And no, it is not the only thing I get out of the movie. It is a fun movie, and I loved it back in 1996 when I first saw it on VHS. I still like it, but it amuses me how dated it is.

As for playing the game, I have only played the first one a little bit at a friend's house and at the sports center where I used to work. I have played the third one extensively and completed it.

[–] Jutlander 11 years ago

I did not say that it is intentionally anti-feminist, but the movie's portrayal of women would (if the movie had been made in 2012) be considered subversive to feminist values.

The movie is dated, and while that is natural for a movie that is almost twenty years old, I find it funny.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] Jutlander 11 years ago

The difference is that the movie does not pretend to portray the black characters as having agency the same way that it portrays the female character as being strong.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] 11 years ago

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[–] CountJonnie 11 years ago

Wow,

You actually thought Mortal Kombat was the right movie for this subject?
Last time I checked, it was a movie based on a video game.

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Suggestions?

[–] MagicUser197 11 years ago

The reason Shang Tsung wanted Sonya unharmed by Kano is because he wanted to challenge her for the final fight knowing he can't lose against her. She was easy prey and would have guaranteed the final win Outworld needed to merge the realms and take over.

[–] bud380 11 years ago

So, according to your logic, any movie where a strong female character is defeated becomes automatically anti-feminist? Or that because the female isn't the strongest, most capable fighter (even though science has proven that physically females are inferior to males, having less muscle mass, thinner bone density, and certain smaller organs such as the Heart, Lungs, ect), it's automatically sexist?

This kind of a bull *beep* argument comes up way too often without any reason. It's like if I called Pocahonta's misandryist because a woman was the "wisest" and more "understanding" of all the characters in the film, who also came to the rescue of both sides in the film, the indians and the pilgrims.

The only reason you found something is because you were looking for it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJeX6F-Q63I

Take a nice long look at this video and don't bring this stupid *beep* up again please.

First response was right, "fuqq" feminism, or at least the modern day representation of it, as it's currently filled with nothing but a bunch of men-hating liberal idiots who think that as long as women aren't getting a superior treatment over men, it's sexism. *beep* you, that's all I have to say to those people, just because a character HAPPENS to be female and HAPPENS to be defeated, and HAPPENS to have certain traits of feminity, that is no reason at all to assume it's sexist, or at the very least "anti-feminist".

Feminism has become almost something of a joke recently and Sin City has proven that you can have negative portrayals of women and not have it be anti-feminist or sexist.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] jrtomasso 10 years ago

Thank you! I couldn't have said it better myself.

[–] WarmSemenCannon 10 years ago

You guys know that feminism means seeing men and women equally right? And any woman that thinks it should mean they deserve higher treatment is not a real feminist.

I totally agree with the OP. It had always seemed a bit un-even that Sonya only got the one fight scene...

Reading trivia I found she originally had two (Sonya would fight and defeat Jade), in the script, and Reptile was added in later. So 2 fights each - that would have been more "fair" I think, not even in a feminist way, just as a viewer it's cooler if each main character gets a decent couple of action scenes each. Adding the fight scene with Reptile was a good idea though, Lui Kang needed the extra experience and the film more action.

That piece of trivia makes me think that the writer, and the director before cutting the scene had all intentions of making Sonya an equal fighter to Cage, but not to Lui Cang, because Lui Cang is the hero. But with Sonya and Cage on equal footing I don't think the film would be sexist, it was just be saying Lui Kang is particularly strong.

But the scene was cut, and that along with Sonya's role as damsel-in-distress in the end results in the film appearing sexist - and it's the final result that counts, the director should know this! I'd expect the film was made again today and made well Sonya would have more fights and/or Kitana would do something cool too. Too bad when they get their fights it's in ANNIHILATION....

I don't think the director INTENDED to be sexist, but if he looked at the plot and did some thinking he would realize it was. Either that or he figured most of the audience would be male, and feminism was less popular amongst males 9 years ago.

People saying that the OP is looking into this too much are stupid because that's what films are made for - to be looked at and analyzed. I believe you can never analyze a film too much. Telling people not to analyze a film is like telling them not to think!

[–] user-24723 8 years ago

johnny cage only got one fight. You lot are full of it!

[–] leegary1982 10 years ago

but he did hurt her, he punched her in the face twice and gave her a beastly kick to the stomach, hope she can have babies after that. Yet she still recovered quickly and killed him , that's why you don't hit ladies ! LOL

[–] 10 years ago

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