Read this movie review to find out if Immortal Combat is worth watching

About Immortal Combat

• Directed by Monroe Robertson
• Written by Ryan Ebert, Jacob David Smith
• Synopsis: “History’s greatest warriors, including Genghis Khan and Joan of Arc, are summoned by a shadowy organization to fight in a battle to the death. The fighters soon plot to turn the tables and dismantle the deadly enterprise from within.”
• Release date: May 1, 2026
• Starring: Sasha Di Capri, Roxanne G.C. Brooks, Eve Fournier, Greg Kriek, Peter Laboy, Ashley Murray, Mila Orion, Dominique Swain, Sasha Di Capri, Jenique Hendrix, Josiah D. Lee, Samuel Selman, Web Crystal, and Arthur Kohn

Watch the trailer below:

Warning: Spoilers for Immortal Combat

What Happens in Immortal Combat (2026)?

If you’re familiar with The Asylum, then you know what you’re getting into. Like American Warships, it’s a knock-off (also called a “mockbuster”) of a popular movie. In this case, it’s a riff on Mortal Kombat II. Except for the title, the movie is completely different.

The movie starts off following Joan of Arc (Eve Fournier) in battle circa 1430. Like every Asylum film, it’s filmed in a random forest location that looks nothing like France. She is surrounded by men in armor awkwardly trying to keep from falling over in the heavy suits and simultaneously trying to swing a sword in the general direction of another guy. After what’s supposed to be a rousing speech for her troops, she’s transported to the future. She meets Aria Wellman (Dominique Swain), who plays the Basil Exposition of the film. She takes her to a room with nine legendary historical warriors. Egyptian Queen Cleopatra (Roxanne G.C. Brooks), British Iceni Queen Boudica (Mila Orion), Mongol leader Genghis Khan (Sasha Di Capri), Peruvian princess-warrior Mama Huaco (Jenique Hendrix), the “Great Unifier” of Japan Oda Nobunaga (Josiah D. Lee), African Zulu king Shaka Zulu (Samuel Selman), and West African leader Queen Hangbe (Web Crystal). It’s a surprisingly ethnic mix.

Aria explains that she’s part of the TCA (Temporal Combat Authority) and they’ve all been transported from the past to fight in a winner-take-all tournament called “Crimson Havok.” In the future, billionaires bet on the contest for entertainment. Besides staying alive, the winner is returned to the past with knowledge of their enemy so they can win the war. Like the far superior Hunger Games, they are taken to a room with every kind of weapon imaginable for training. But instead of grabbing guns, they grab swords and spears.

From there, it turns into a battle royale with the nine trying to kill each other and forming alliances. The video feed, eyepatch-wearing Host (Arthur Kohn) giving play-by-play, desperately trying to make it interesting. It also has WWE-style interstitials for the wealthy patrons featuring the characters and battles (e.g., Cleopatra vs. Shaka Zulu). 

Eventually, we get a new report from the real world showing grey skies and a dystopian world. Supposedly, the entire world depends on the TCA fights for entertainment—huge arenas watching the games while sitting in squalor. 

The fights continue, and Joan of Arc convinces some of them to turn on the gamemakers. The battles continue until Cleopatra uses hemlock to start poisoning the other participants. Like Survivor: Thailand, the game gets increasingly ridiculous and boring. It turns out the warriors killed are regenerated. So that means nothing. Then, in a bizarre twist, it’s revealed that Leon (Greg Kriek) and Gordon (Peter Laboy), the only other two members of the hugely influential TCA, are experimenting. They’re trying to turn the fallen into remote-controlled zombies. They seem to think this is the key to riches, but then why bother with the games?

Somehow the group makes their way into the arena and tries to take it down from the inside. They fail at every turn while the all-powerful TCA fumbles around using drones as security guards.

Finally, Aria gets a Tony Robbins-style motivational speech from Joan and has a change of heart. As she tries to make up for the evil of the games, she sends them all back home to their own time. She uses drones to kill the other two members of the group and destroy the massive TCA Arena system.

A final shot shows Joan of Arc was returned to a city street in modern day. Presumably for Immortal Combat II Electric Boogaloo?

Who are the Main Characters, and How is the Acting?

Like most low-budget movies, the cast is incredibly small. Even though the TCA is supposed to be this global juggernaut, only three people work there. 

Of all the actors, the biggest name is Sasha Di Capri, who plays Attila the Hun. That’s because he’s done some TV and movie roles. On the other hand, our lead role of Joan is played by Eve Fournier in her acting debut. Unfortunately, the entire movie rests on her inexperienced shoulders. She’s supposed to give rousing speeches that sound like President Whitmore from Independence Day. They sound more like President Whitmore from Independence Day: Resurgence. Her Backstage page lists a bunch of college plays, and she acts like a high school production of Macbeth.

By comparison, there’s Roxanne G.C. Brooks who plays Cleopatra. She has a full range of emotions and is so complex that I almost thought she was a villain. But her motivation to save her people is wonderful. 

Everyone else has laughable character motivations with all the enthusiasm of a Fortnite NPC.

Is Immortal Combat (2026) Technically Well Made?

There aren’t a lot of shooting loctions in the film outside of an L.A. County Park and a sound stage. The special effects are decent considering the budget probably tipped the scale at $250,000. Nothing remarkable, but they work. The best SFX are from the drones that fly in and out of the small sets. 

British author-turned-director Monroe Robertson brings the same sensibilities to this action film as he does to his other acting credit, Planetquake (2024). His lead actors do their best, and Robertson may or may not coax better from them. 

The screenplay by Ryan Ebert and Jacob David Smith starts with a good concept but falls apart with contradictions and plot holes. Dialogue like “maybe it’s God’s will or the devil’s artifice. I must believe there’s another way” peppers the movie.

What’s Good and Bad in Immortal Combat (2026)?

It’s genuinely impressive that the movie has such a diverse lineup of warriors. It could have been a bunch of white guys fighting. Instead, they got two black ones, two Asian ones, and half are women. The characters are so obscure that I had to Google who some of them are. 

There are some genuinely compelling concepts in the movie. A dystopian world where the skies are grey, and resources are scarce. A totalitarian government uses games to quell the population. The time travel makes a little sense if you don’t think too hard. 

The problem is The Asylum doesn’t have the budget to make any of it work. They hint at a massive shadowy corporation but can only show three people. The fights are slow, clunky, and boring thanks to poor fight choreography and cheap locations. 

Final Verdict: Should You Watch Immortal Combat (2026)?

Immortal Combat is yet another feeble attempt to trick people into renting the movie on Amazon Prime. The story could have been good, but it’s hampered by a minuscule budget with over-the-top acting. The movie is too forgetable to be immortal, and the combat is more like a playground scuffle.

Overall: Skip Immortal Combat

I’m giving Immortal Combat 1 out of 5 stars. If you don’t feel like 

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