Sub-Zero's cryokenesis borders on Story-Breaker Power just based on what he does in the first trailer. Freezing a shotgun and its in-flight pellets - i.e. holding the muzzle by his bare hand as the shotgun fires and flash-freezing them effortlessly, creating weapons out of thin air, turning a whole arena frozen, creating a knife from an opponent's bloodnote Which was done only once during his X-Ray attack in Mortal Kombat X, and, in possibly his most horrifically impressive moment, freezing Jax's arms solid before completely shattering them in a spray of blood.
Just to emphasize: during their fight, Sub-Zero cuts Scorpion, causing blood to spray out which Sub-Zero freezes in mid-air and turns into a DAGGER to stab his opponent.
We also get our first look at Hanzo Hasashi (before he became Scorpion) presumably before he finds his family dead, when he senses three enemy Lin Kuei on his property. He ties some rope and a kunai together (said to have been used by his wife for gardening), before singlehandedly taking them out with perfect ease. Flawless Victory indeed.
The trailer showing various fighters using their various signature special moves from the games. Reassuring to fans that the filmmakers are invested in translating the games to film, and carrying the effects off beautifully. Just in the first trailer, we see Kano's laser eye and heart rip Fatality, Jax's Head Crush Fatality and his cybernetic arms, Liu Kang summoning fireballs and a dragon made of flame (based on his Animality), Kung Lao using his hat in battle (though more as a shield), Scorpion making almost excessive use of his kunai (complete with "GET OVER HERE!"), and Sub-Zero's freezing powers pushed to their logical limits.
Kano shows that for all his bluster, he's still one not to be taken lightly when he see him rip out the heart of what looks like a huge monster (presumably Reptile) looming a foot higher than him with ease, complete with a both a badass and funny one-liner "Kano wins, ya' fuckin' beauty!"
The Movie
The film opens with Sub-Zero's massacre of Scorpion's family. After taking out 4 Lin Kuei with his sword, Scorpion quickly improvises his famous weapon from a kunai and rope his wife left in the garden and kills 9 more without a scratch.
Hanzo's debut as Scorpion in the finale, with the klassic Mortal Kombat theme playing over the top, and then him shouting "Get over here!" Then the ensuing fight with Sub-Zero. It's just gloriously and unabashedly Mortal Kombat.
Scorpion's final victory over Sub-Zero, with the finishing blow being his iconic hellfire breath Fatality. All together now: "TOASTY!"
This is an Offscreen Moment of Awesome. Sonya describing how Jax became a champion. He and Sonya were chasing after a fugitive in Brazil that was a champion with the unlocked Arcana. Eventually, Jax gets the better of him and kills him, gaining the dragon mark and becoming a champion in the fugitive's place.
Cole achieving his arcana during his fight against Goro when the beast is attacking Cole’s family.
Sonya spends the movie being treated as less-than because she doesn't have the dragon marking. She finally earns it in spades by taking out Kano in the finale, and getting her own power-up to help Cole take out Mileena.
On a related note, Sonya unlocks her Arcana almost immediately after getting her mark. Kano, Jax, and Cole had to be seriously pushed to discover it. Despite not being an official champion for most of the film, Sonya was clearly paying attention to the lessons, and unlike most everyone else, she actually wants to fight for her world in a tournament called Mortal Kombat.
A minor one that can be overlooked, but Kano unlocking his own Arcana (though he eventually turns the discovery to evil thanks to his greed). Throughout the training for the tournament, Kano continually is humiliated, beaten and taunted by his fellow chosen (not that he doesn't deserve it). When Kung Lao calls him a failure, Kano shows he's had enough of it, reaffirming EXACTLY who he is as the Black Dragon and one of the greatest criminals in the world in an epic "The Reason You Suck" Speech to Liu Kang and Kung Lao for judging him. This culminates in him finally unlocking his Arcana in the form of his eye laser.
Kung Lao gets one at the same time, with only a second of warning, deflecting the eye laser with his hat.
Sonya has a few moments even before she gets her arcana.
Defeating Kano in a fight using nothing but pure skill.
Remember that moment when Kano kills Reptile by ripping out his heart? The only reason he was able to pull that off was because Sonya stabbed a hole in his chest.
Cole's journey from a reluctant, washed-up MMA star throwing fights for chump change to becoming a champion worthy of Earthrealm.
A villainous one for Shang Tsung. He comes close to victory numerous times in the movie, but at the end he points out to Raiden that all he's done is delay Outworld's invasion of Earthrealm, implicitly resurrecting his fallen warriors and promising to bring 'armies' next time.
And Raiden himself counters with his own, showing that he's tolerated Shang Tsung's presence thus far, but when the God of Thunder has finally had enough, he banishes Shang Tsung from Earthrealm with the godly magic equivalent of an Offhand Backhand.
Raiden: He talks too much.
Kung Lao finishing Nitara with his Mortal Kombat X Fatality, topped off with the perfect one-liner: "Flawless Victory".
Liu Kang using his infamous bicycle kick on Kabal, then finishes Kabal off with his klassic dragon fatality.
During their climactic fight, Scorpion manages to wrap Sub-Zero with his chain spear. While locked in close-quarters sword-to-sword combat with him. He then throws Sub-Zero through a frozen wall.
Afterwards, Sub-Zero creates an ice clone to dodge Scorpion's follow-up, causing Scorpion to slice it instead of him.
Despite having taken severe injuries and being outnumbered two to one, Bi-Han refuses to flee and even closes the cage he, Scorpion and Cole are fighting in. Whatever else can be said of him, there is no doubt that Bi-Han is a warrior to very end.
Shang Tsung saying the klassic line: "Your Soul Is Mine!" right before he grabs Kung Lao by the neck and sucks out his soul in a display that's as horrifying as it is awesome. It's a quick scene but Shang Tsung more than earns his stripes as the Big Bad despite not personally attacking any of the heroes until this moment.
The movie ends with Cole going to Hollywood to recruit a new fighter: Johnny Cage.
Sonya versus Kano, round 2. He has supernatural powers manifesting as Eye Beams, she has Special Forces training and prepared battleground. She basically hands him his ass, popping in and out of hatches leading to crawlspaces beneath her mobile home, and at one point deliberately leaves one hatch open just enough to telegraph it to Kano, who spams his laser eye at it, only for Sonya to hurl acetone in his face, disabling his laser for a few crucial seconds to close in and pound him. We already know that when it comes to straight technique, Sonya can curb-stomp Kano no problem, and he's significantly bigger than she is (a major disadvantage in hand-to-hand combat with no weapons).
