Mortal Kombat: James Corden Shares His Take on the Iconic Theme Song

The Mortal Kombat reboot movie is now available on HBO Max and in theaters, and it does in fact feature a version of the iconic “Techno Syndrome” song by The Immortals that has largely become synonymous with the franchise ever since it was used in the original 1995 movie. If that doesn’t immediately bring the song to mind, you’ve probably still heard it with its electronic beats punctuated by the names of various characters and a guy yelling “MORTAL KOMBAT” throughout. Well, a new The Late Late Show with James Corden skit makes the claim that it was, in fact, Corden that yelled it on the song.

For the record, the guy yelling “MORTAL KOMBAT” is actually Kyle Watt, and not Corden. The clip of Watt was used in an ad for the video games in the ’90s and subsequently found its way into the song and then the movies. Even so, it’s still amusing to see Corden give a go. It takes a couple of attempts before he nails the right vibe, but, well, it’s pretty good for a talk show skit. It probably helps that Corden is actually a good singer.

Here is the official synopsis for the new Mortal Kombat movie, in case you missed it:

“MMA fighter Cole Young, accustomed to taking a beating for money, is unaware of his heritage—or why Outworld’s Emperor Shang Tsung has sent his best warrior, Sub-Zero, an otherworldly Cryomancer, to hunt Cole down. Fearing for his family’s safety, Cole goes in search of Sonya Blade at the direction of Jax, a Special Forces Major who bears the same strange dragon marking Cole was born with. Soon, he finds himself at the temple of Lord Raiden, an Elder God and the protector of Earthrealm, who grants sanctuary to those who bear the mark. Here, Cole trains with experienced warriors Liu Kang, Kung Lao and rogue mercenary Kano, as he prepares to stand with Earth’s greatest champions against the enemies of Outworld in a high stakes battle for the universe. But will Cole be pushed hard enough to unlock his arcana—the immense power from within his soul—in time to save not only his family, but to stop Outworld once and for all?”

The Mortal Kombat reboot film is now available on both HBO Max and in theaters. The cast includes Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Mehcad Brooks as Jax, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion, Josh Lawson as Kano, Tadanobu Asano as Raiden, Joe Taslim as Sub-Zero, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Sisi Stringer as Mileena, and Lewis Tan as new character Cole Young. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the film right here.

Have you had a chance to see Mortal Kombat yet? What do you think about Corden’s attempt at the theme song? Let us know in the comments, or feel free to reach out and hit me up directly over on Twitter at @rollinbishop to talk about all things gaming!