Mortal Kombat Rebirth [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

Jerthanis

2010-06-08, 08:38 PM

It won't be as good as the 1995 one.

What's up with Mortal Kombat adaptations loving killing off Johnny Cage? Why would they spoil that in the trailer?

I guess the trailer reminded me of the sort of things 13 year olds would doodle in the margins of their school notebooks, which is exactly the type of marketshare Mortal Kombat exists in, so it's to be expected. I guess I just have a lot of affection for the original Mortal Kombat movie and its over-the-top cornball humor scenes. And Christopher Lambert.

The Mortal Kombat that pulls up when you look it up on IMDB schedules it for 2013, so it's entirely possible that the entire trailer was just an elaborate way to drum up awareness, rather than present scenes that will be in the actual movie.

AstralFire

2010-06-08, 08:40 PM

I think the series actually killed off Cage too for a while. Your guess sounds pretty decent - I had similar thoughts, but pretty much dismissed them as wishful thinking.

Yeaaaaaaaah the first one was great. :smallbiggrin: Cornball action, woo!

Brewdude

2010-06-08, 09:10 PM

Way way overuse of the slow mo in the beginning of that short. All it shows is that the director of Max Payne hasn't learned why his movie sucked.

Optimystik

2010-06-08, 10:06 PM

It looks like they're finally introducing weapon combat.
But I'm not a big fan of the "darker and grittier" take, that removes all the supernatural elements.

I hate to be a doomsayer, but isn't this too violent for GITP?

The rule is "must be SFW" and Youtube generally qualifies.

What's up with Mortal Kombat adaptations loving killing off Johnny Cage? Why would they spoil that in the trailer?

As AF said, he was killed in canon - he died in MK2.

The Mortal Kombat that pulls up when you look it up on IMDB schedules it for 2013, so it's entirely possible that the entire trailer was just an elaborate way to drum up awareness, rather than present scenes that will be in the actual movie.

That's an awful lot of expensive special effects for a false trailer. Reptile's makeup alone...

SpiderMew

2010-06-09, 07:21 AM

This was posted at another fourm i go to. Someone had found some tweets that Jeri Ryan made about the short

It's not a game trailer. Actually was made for the director to sell WB on his vision for a reimagined MK film.

More MK FAQs: I did it as a favor to a friend. No idea yet what WB's reaction to it was. And I'm not sure how you can contact WB...

...(cont.) to push them to make it. But you guys are resourceful...! ;-)

AstralFire

2010-06-09, 07:22 AM

So it's proof of concept.

Comet

2010-06-09, 07:28 AM

So it's proof of concept.

Ayup. And it's pretty darn awesome proof at that, I think.
A refreshing take, just the right amount of tongue-in-cheek while still taking the characters seriously. The director obviously has enough confidence to stand behind his ideas, which seems to be kinda rare in game movies.

AstralFire

2010-06-09, 07:29 AM

That makes a lot more sense than spending the effort to make Johnny Cage so cool - taking a cig as he's about to die - and kill him off in a trailer.

Bayar

2010-06-09, 07:49 AM

I'm glad it's not an actual movie trailer. I mean, Scorpion, working (kinda) with the good guys ?

WHAT

SolkaTruesilver

2010-06-09, 07:49 AM

That makes a lot more sense than spending the effort to make Johnny Cage so cool - taking a cig as he's about to die - and kill him off in a trailer.

And anyway, if the movie happens to be successful, you can always make a prequel centering around Cage's story.

I like it. I hope they don't try to cram too many character at once. Just develop a few core ones, make a good story, with good storytelling. Then move on to the next movie, and go through the characters progressively.

Yhea, I'd give that movie the benefit of the doubt. Remove ennough cheesiness so it's a movie you'd like to go see without being a MK fan. Keep ennough so it's somewhat faithful to the game's spirit.

Do not make the movie an action fest with story bits grafted unto it. Make it a story with nice action parts essential to the storytelling.

Hmm.. kinda like Ninja Assassin. I don't remember an action scene which wasn't interesting and part of the storytelling flow. Yhea, Ninja Assassin's feel is perfect for the movie.

SolkaTruesilver

2010-06-09, 07:52 AM

Second Posting: By the way, was I the only one who had a cinematographic fill of "Escape from City 17"?

I wish that movie would be made :smallfrown:

AstralFire

2010-06-09, 08:01 AM

I'm glad it's not an actual movie trailer. I mean, Scorpion, working (kinda) with the good guys ?

WHAT

It's not unprecedented in the games.

SolkaTruesilver

2010-06-09, 08:05 AM

It's not unprecedented in the games.

Nor is it unprecedented in hollywood history that a known bad guy would accept to do the good guy's dirty work.

Optimystik

2010-06-09, 08:39 AM

It's not unprecedented in the games.

It kind of is - the only person he cares about in the games is Sub-Zero Jr. So this movie has him not only as the generic, gritty anti-hero protagonist... but out to kill the second Sub-Zero even though he already killed the first, which is totally against what he did in the games.

In short, they've removed everything that made Scorpion interesting, and boiled him down to that guy from Ninja Assassin with a harpoon in his hand. Lame.

And MK without supernatural is not MK, it's just Blood Sport. Who will Raiden be? Some guy that strapped a car battery to his back? And Shang Tzong is now just your standard Corrupt Mobster Executive... Ugh. I'm hating this more the more I think about it.

SolkaTruesilver

2010-06-09, 08:49 AM

So this movie has him not only as the generic, gritty anti-hero protagonist... but out to kill the second Sub-Zero even though he already killed the first, which is totally against what he did in the games.

In short, they've removed everything that made Scorpion interesting, and boiled him down to that guy from Ninja Assassin with a harpoon in his hand. Lame.

First of all, you completely got it wrong. He killed Sub-Zero's brother, so he actually missed his target.

Second of all, tell me what "made Scorpion interesting", in your word. Seriously, tell me. 'Cause I have a hard time understanding what the original Game's Scoprion had that was THAT much interesting.

Third of all, why the lame reference to Ninja Assassin? There isn't any comparison in motivation, nor contextual background. You literraly pulled that out of a hat.

Optimystik

2010-06-09, 09:07 AM

First of all, you completely got it wrong. He killed Sub-Zero's brother, so he actually missed his target.

That is only "completely wrong," if the brother he killed here in the movie was the good one. If there IS no "good one," then they derailed the good Sub-Zero into being a jerkass, and the only reason he would feel upset about killing "the other Sub-Zero" is because he happens to have a personal grudge against the one that survived.

In short, he is a selfish killer, instead of the wronged warrior/family man from the games.

Second of all, tell me what "made Scorpion interesting", in your word. Seriously, tell me. 'Cause I have a hard time understanding what the original Game's Scoprion had that was THAT much interesting.

Where to begin? This MK seems to have stripped out everything extranormal, so it's a safe bet Scorpion is no longer a revenant. His only thought on having killed "the wrong Sub-Zero" is anger - I didn't see a hint of remorse in that promo. Indeed, he didn't give a damn about anyone besides himself - he was willing to blow off the entire city until he heard he had a target in Tzong's arena.

In short - rebel without a cause. If I need to spell out for you what makes this Scorpion so much more 2-dimensional than his sprite, you haven't played the games enough.

Third of all, why the lame reference to Ninja Assassin? There isn't any comparison in motivation, nor contextual background. You literraly pulled that out of a hat.

He's a Ninja, and he's an Assassin. Was it really that hard a leap to make? :smallconfused:

This time around, that's ALL HE IS. It's the whole reason they want him in the tournament. There's no fate of the universe, no attempt to redeem himself and escape hell, nothing to protect... nothing at all, period.

If there is more to his character than that - which I highly doubt - they did a very poor job of alluding to it.

SolkaTruesilver

2010-06-09, 09:20 AM

That is only "completely wrong," if the brother he killed here in the movie was the good one. If there IS no "good one," then they derailed the good Sub-Zero into being a jerkass, and the only reason he would feel upset about killing "the other Sub-Zero" is because he happens to have a personal grudge against the one that survived.

In short, he is a selfish killer, instead of the wronged warrior/family man from the games.

Where to begin? This MK seems to have stripped out everything extranormal, so it's a safe bet Scorpion is no longer a revenant. His only thought on having killed "the wrong Sub-Zero" is anger - I didn't see a hint of remorse in that promo. Indeed, he didn't give a damn about anyone besides himself - he was willing to blow off the entire city until he heard he had a target in Tzong's arena.

In short - rebel without a cause. If I need to spell out for you what makes this Scorpion so much more 2-dimensional than his sprite, you haven't played the games enough.

He's a Ninja, and he's an Assassin. Was it really that hard a leap to make? :smallconfused:

This time around, that's ALL HE IS. It's the whole reason they want him in the tournament. There's no fate of the universe, no attempt to redeem himself and escape hell, nothing to protect... nothing at all, period.

If there is more to his character than that - which I highly doubt - they did a very poor job of alluding to it.

So.

By taking this trailer, you have effectively decided that what has been show is EVERYTHING that will be shown in the movie? That there aren't gonna be any storytelling addition to Scorpion or Sub-Zero's background? That, starting from this Police scene, it's just gonna be fightfightfight?

That we won't be hearing the reason why this hate exist?

That is quite an assumption you make. One might be inclined to say you pulled it out of your posterior (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AssPull). You seemed to expect deep story-related spoilers in a TRAILER.

comicshorse

2010-06-09, 09:20 AM

Not bad. And nice to see a fight where you can actually tell who is fighting who and not just a messy blur

SolkaTruesilver

2010-06-09, 09:23 AM

He's a Ninja, and he's an Assassin. Was it really that hard a leap to make? :smallconfused:

This time around, that's ALL HE IS. It's the whole reason they want him in the tournament. There's no fate of the universe, no attempt to redeem himself and escape hell, nothing to protect... nothing at all, period.

If there is more to his character than that - which I highly doubt - they did a very poor job of alluding to it.

And I am quite sorry to hear that you reduced Ninja Assassin's character to "He's a Ninja, He's an Assassin". And that anyone being a Ninja/Assassin (which is usually automatic, you should know. Ninja = Assassin/Spies) will always be a poor copy of Ninja Assassin.

Again, you decided that the fact that he's dangerous and a killer and has a grudge against Sub-Zero is the only kind of characterisation we're gonna see of the entire movie. I know I repeat my point, but that is quite an assumption to make.

Specially out of a trailer.

The Glyphstone

2010-06-09, 09:25 AM

And with the shot of his solid-white eyes at the end, I wouldn't rule out spookiness either just yet.

comicshorse

2010-06-09, 09:26 AM

Posted by Optimystik

I didn't see a hint of remorse in that promo. Indeed, he didn't give a damn about anyone besides himself - he was willing to blow off the entire

Maybe but if he is just a ruthless killer why did he allow himself to be arrested ?

kamikasei

2010-06-09, 09:28 AM

Third of all, why the lame reference to Ninja Assassin? There isn't any comparison in motivation, nor contextual background. You literraly pulled that out of a hat.
Wait, what?

Hmm.. kinda like Ninja Assassin. I don't remember an action scene which wasn't interesting and part of the storytelling flow. Yhea, Ninja Assassin's feel is perfect for the movie.
The comparison to Ninja Assassin was the obvious one that I made to and it doesn't bode well for the film.

Octopus Jack

2010-06-09, 09:36 AM

Looks good... all I can really say for now.

SolkaTruesilver

2010-06-09, 09:46 AM

The comparison to Ninja Assassin was the obvious one that I made to and it doesn't bode well for the film.

But the comparison I made wasn't about the characters, but about the general cinematographic feeling the movie has, and the mix between the storytelling and action scenes, which was infinitely superiory achieved compared to the previous Mortal Kombat movies.

rakkoon

2010-06-09, 09:49 AM

I just had en evilgasm. I want to see this movie...a lot!
Saw the first one in the cinema, saw all other movies after that on DVD.
This one looks very cool. I see many options for spookiness and in MK the story is always second. It is supposed to be a cool movie. I just hope they can keep the fight scenes interesting.
And 7 of 9 is always a good choice :smallwink:

Catch

2010-06-09, 10:39 AM

To confirm what's already been intimated, here's a little Kotaku article (http://kotaku.com/5558339/if-this-is-the-next-mortal-kombat-movie-sign-us-up) explaining the details.

Yes, the trailer was created as a pitch to Warner Bros., yes, fans are already whining about a movie not even in pre-production. So, exactly what you'd expect from any adaptation movie. If the trend follows, the movie will be decent with a giant gap left for a sequel, which will kick up interest for the next game, and there will be plenty of merchandising, including with Burger King toys that spurt ketchup-blood when you squeeze 'em.

Sinfonian

2010-06-09, 11:10 AM

I posted this to another forum, but I think what I said can be repeated. Some of what I'd said has already been covered, but meh:

This is apparently not quite a trailer. It was made to generate buzz and to sell the concept of the movie to Warner Brothers Studios, so that they would hopefully back the project. Which explains why there was no prospective release date or website given.

I'm gonna say, having had the experience of watching the two prior Mortal Kombat movies, that the film (if it is made) will be terrible. It is highly likely that the acting will be awful, the plot either nonexistent or nonsensical, overly reliant on special effects, and the fight sequences too silly to be actually entertaining (for example, why doesn't Barakka use his blades earlier in the damn fight?). I don't particularly think that making the characters "real" will be all that entertaining.

However, if the movie does get made, and happens to be somehow good (a nigh-impossibility given that it is a video-game movie) or even passable, I'll watch it because I do remember the early Mortal Kombat games fondly. But I'm not putting any kind of expectations on it.

Edit: Parts of it bothered me enough to bring up the following concerns-
To what degree, if any, would magic and such things exist? I'm fine either way, simply curious as there are some aspects that would be disappointing if done realistically.
Do they plan on actually developing characters, like a real story? Or do they somehow expect people to know the people from the games, despite things obviously being incredibly different?
Why would a theoretically competent law enforcement agency use a world famous martial arts actor for "undercover work"? Steven Seagal wants to know.

SpiderMew

2010-06-09, 11:26 AM

Why would a theoretically competent law enforcement agency use a world famous martial arts actor for "undercover work"? Steven Seagal wants to know.

Simular idocy happens allot. The FBI once had my Drug Addicted father do undercover work for them... thats a long story...
Fact is, that agencies use civilians for undercover stuff quite a bit.

SolkaTruesilver

2010-06-09, 11:31 AM

Fact is, that agencies use civilians for undercover stuff quite a bit.

And it is quite obvious why: you cannot simply plant an agent that no one ever heard about, but seems to have high training in weapon handling.

You need to recruit somebody that already has a step in. That knows about, and know how to behave, and what to expect. A real spymaster is not one who infiltrate locations or organisation, but who can spot somebody from inside his target and subvert him.

Optimystik

2010-06-09, 12:42 PM

That is quite an assumption you make. One might be inclined to say you pulled it out of your posterior (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AssPull). You seemed to expect deep story-related spoilers in a TRAILER.

Uh, no. I expect an inkling that such a deeper story exists.

I saw none in that trailer.

And with the shot of his solid-white eyes at the end, I wouldn't rule out spookiness either just yet.

Please, they turned Reptile into a psycho with a skin disorder. Why would they go that far to excise the supernatural and keep the spawn from hell?

It is highly likely that the acting will be awful, the plot either nonexistent or nonsensical, overly reliant on special effects, and the fight sequences too silly to be actually entertaining (for example, why doesn't Barakka use his blades earlier in the damn fight?). I don't particularly think that making the characters "real" will be all that entertaining.

More to the point, how does a doctor whose entire schtick is grafting scalpels into his arms learn advanced martial arts, such that he is able to fight on par with a black belt WITHOUT relying on said blades?

Grumman

2010-06-10, 12:51 AM

Why would a theoretically competent law enforcement agency use a world famous martial arts actor for "undercover work"?
Because if you're an undercover agent, the important things are that your contact with the police is not noticed, and that your background does not contradict your cover story for doing whatever you're doing, and that your cover story won't get you killed. If Johnny Cage's cover story is "some wanker that thinks being a world famous martial arts actor makes him hot stuff, who is looking for new challenges", actually being a world famous martial arts actor isn't a hinderance.

rakkoon

2010-06-10, 03:21 AM

SpiderMew

2010-06-10, 08:05 AM

Story...in Mortal Kombat?
It's not impossible but that's not really the goal of this type of movies.
I loved "Lost in translation", a movie in which absolutely nothing happened.
I also loved "Blade", a movie with a sucky plot but the most fabulous action scenes ever brought to man.
A MK remake should be in the second category.

No, No movie should have a sucky plot and great action
It should have a Great Plot and Great Action!
Plot and story and the need to care for the characters makes the action that much more dramatic.
I need it all man.

SolkaTruesilver

2010-06-10, 08:20 AM

No, No movie should have a sucky plot and great action
It should have a Great Plot and Great Action!
Plot and story and the need to care for the characters makes the action that much more dramatic.
I need it all man.

Indeed. Amen. The last thing a MK movie needs if uncaring from the viewers.

You have to pick a side. You have to root for one of the fighters beside just their style of fighting. A bad action movie is one where you just look at it and go "meh". It's gonna look good on the moment because of the nice stunts, but you won't have memorable memories.

rakkoon

2010-06-10, 08:42 AM

Now you're just being silly :smallamused:
All time greatest (coolest) action movies ever IMHO were "Chronicles of Riddick" and "Blade". None of which had a serious plot. Several action movies tried using plots but then the fight scenes were not that epic.
Care to give me a movie which has both?

SpiderMew

2010-06-10, 09:00 AM

rakkoon

2010-06-10, 09:10 AM

* Grudgingly admits defeat *

But they're still rare :smallcool:

SpiderMew

2010-06-10, 09:12 AM

* Grudgingly admits defeat *

But they're still rare :smallcool:

They are rare cuz people like you run the studios, the kind of people who would rather have big time action over a good story.

SolkaTruesilver

2010-06-10, 09:35 AM

They are rare cuz people like you run the studios, the kind of people who would rather have big time action over a good story.

Indeed. I think it's all about the problem of complexity of the problem.

Not ennough action. Solution = Throw money at it. Special effects, stuntmen, etc.. = Solved

Bad Writing. Solution = Hire a good writing team. Have a good supervisor who will make sure the story is coherent and the characters are interesting. = Oh my god, we need to make jugement call! But if I make the wrong call, I might lose my job. Can't I just throw money at it?

Which explains why many executives don't want to bother with good story, as it's a very delicate problem that you cannot solve with brute force.

Optimystik

2010-06-10, 10:42 AM

Story...in Mortal Kombat?

The violence made the series popular, true, but shock value alone can only carry a franchise so far.
There were other fighting games with gory finishers, you know - a whole slew of clones, ranging from Killer Instinct and Primal Rage to Brudal Baddle and Clay Fighter and Time Killers and...

Yet MK survived and those did not - because the games were well-made (*ignores MK4*) and people actually cared about the characters. And Mythologies had story and gameplay in spades.

I remember the huge outcry when people found out Sonya wouldn't be in MK2 (until they met Kitana!) and the MASSIVE outcry when Raiden wouldn't be in MK3. You don't see that without some kind of emotional investment in the characters.

So yes, there is story in Mortal Kombat. I will be pleasantly surprised if there is any in this movie.

Also, Blade had a great story, it's just that only the smallest bit of it made it to the movies. Hmm, that sounds familiar...

pita

2010-06-11, 05:16 AM

To what degree, if any, would magic and such things exist? I'm fine either way, simply curious as there are some aspects that would be disappointing if done realistically.
From what I understood: When they enter the world of the tournament, they will have magic, but there isn't any in the real world. So characters like Goro could conceivably be in the movie.

White_North

2010-06-11, 07:02 AM

There's an interview wih the director that was put on as a link on rottentomatoes. Very much worth checking out. The big points made in there were that:

- There will be supernatural. The director wanted a mix of dark'n'gritty gore and action and genuine supernaural stuff. He's even explicitely said that Raiden, for example, will not be a dude with live wires strapped to his arms, as that would be an entirely silly idea. The Reptile/medical condition was made in order to bring certain villains (where applicable) closer to home. Make them more scary by making them more ''believable''. I can get behind that idea.

- He's also explicitely stated that Scorpion is and will remain a villain. The reason why he enters the tournament is because he thought he had killed Sub-Zero when he had, in fact, killed his brother. He killed the wrong target, and the man he hates is still out there. That remains his driving motivation. He's out for revenge, and if the good guys can coast on that for a time, then all the better for them. But he's not ''redeemed'', nor will he become an anti-hero. Still a bad guy.

- The director is obviously a big fan of the games, which I think is a good thing. This isn't something he's doing to make some money. He genuinely wants to show his take on a story that he knows and loves and that concept trailer is something he hopes will tide the studios over. But, based on the interview, he seems to know what he talking about and he also looks like he really wants to give the fans a good story with strong characters, instead of a mindless action-fest. Again, a very good thing.

Overall, I'm really excited about this. A new, dark Mortal Kombat made by a guy who actually cares about the product? Sign me up. If everything actually develops like it's looking right now, then this should be a pretty damn good movie