Mortal Kombat (2021)

[Psyren]

So, this came out (theaters and HBO Max). Thoughts?


Pros: I liked some of the visuals, particularly Bi-Han's use of ice. The movie's explanation for all the special moves was... serviceable. Kano was easily the best character and there were a few funny lines. It also really leaned into the gore which is what you want out of a schlocky movie with its roots in Bloodsport and B horror movies.

Cons: ...well, everything else. It was awful. It's a toss-up for me whether this was worse than MK Annihilation, and that's never a situation you want your reboot to be in. The plot, the other characters, the pacing, all of it was just a mess.

It's clearly setting up a sequel, one where the actual MK will happen presumably, and I don't think it will ever get one (nor should it).

[Blackhawk748]

So, this came out (theaters and HBO Max). Thoughts?


Pros: I liked some of the visuals, particularly Bi-Han's use of ice. The movie's explanation for all the special moves was... serviceable. Kano was easily the best character and there were a few funny lines. It also really leaned into the gore which is what you want out of a schlocky movie with its roots in Bloodsport and B horror movies.

Cons: ...well, everything else. It was awful. It's a toss-up for me whether this was worse than MK Annihilation, and that's never a situation you want your reboot to be in. The plot, the other characters, the pacing, all of it was just a mess.

It's clearly setting up a sequel, one where the actual MK will happen presumably, and I don't think it will ever get one (nor should it).



I disagree with you entirely on your Cons. I thought it was great. The fights were awesome, the characters were fun, the pace was quick and the plot did what it needed to do.

Its Mortal Kombat, the plot isn't gonna be much.

[Magic_Hat]

Please tell me there's a part in the film where some weirdo randomly appears from the side of the screen, says "TOASTY!" and disappears from the same screen side they appeared. If not, 0/10! Worst (video game) movie of all time! :P

[Blackhawk748]

Please tell me there's a part in the film where some weirdo randomly appears from the side of the screen, says "TOASTY!" and disappears from the same screen side they appeared. If not, 0/10! Worst (video game) movie of all time! :P

Sadly no. Willing to bet someone does it in the Commentary though

[Magic_Hat]

Sadly no. Willing to bet someone does it in the Commentary though

>:(

Well I think it's clear what we have to do now: someone with a good camera and green screen is gonna have to do a fan edit. I mean, I would but sadly I lack the technology.

[Saintheart]

I'm just stopping by here to confirm that, yes, Australians do say U ****en Beauty, and we're immensely proud of our new favourite son. We are elated to have an actor working in such a noble work of art that we didn't have to steal from Elon Musk's Zombie Apocalypse Option New Zealand. We haven't had someone who so absolutely captures the reality of the average Australian since Paul Hogan in Crocodile Dundee.

[Traab]

OI! What about Steve Irwin? You telling me he wasnt raw unfiltered australia? He even liked the drop bears!

[Starbuck_II]

My favs in the new movie: (not really a spoiler)
Kano, Sub Zero, Lightning boy (Kung Lao, he mostly stuck to his hat), and Jax.

[Gnoman]

This movie was cheesy, kind of stupid, and fundamentally plotless.

Exactly what you want in a Mortal Kombat movie, and I enjoyed it a great deal.

[HolyDraconus]

So, this came out (theaters and HBO Max). Thoughts?


Pros: I liked some of the visuals, particularly Bi-Han's use of ice. The movie's explanation for all the special moves was... serviceable. Kano was easily the best character and there were a few funny lines. It also really leaned into the gore which is what you want out of a schlocky movie with its roots in Bloodsport and B horror movies.

Cons: ...well, everything else. It was awful. It's a toss-up for me whether this was worse than MK Annihilation, and that's never a situation you want your reboot to be in. The plot, the other characters, the pacing, all of it was just a mess.

It's clearly setting up a sequel, one where the actual MK will happen presumably, and I don't think it will ever get one (nor should it).


My experience as well

[Saintheart]

OI! What about Steve Irwin? You telling me he wasnt raw unfiltered australia? He even liked the drop bears!

Have to appreciate a bloke who made a career out of annoying dangerous animals. Dunno about his choices in clothes, but the Stubbies passed muster at least. Too bad the stingray got a flawless victory.

[Traab]

Have to appreciate a bloke who made a career out of annoying dangerous animals. Dunno about his choices in clothes, but the Stubbies passed muster at least. Too bad the stingray got a flawless victory.

I didnt even know you COULD reverse a Friendship victory like that!

[Talakeal]

Had some good bits, but overall was just stupid.

Big problems:

1: I know this term is thrown around a lot these days, but Cole really comes across as a Mary Sue.

2: Goro is supposed to be the Outworld champion and the ringer for the tournament, sending him out with the assassins only to die like a punk makes no sense either in or out of character.

3: At the point where Raiden is teleporting his enemies into ambushes, he starts to look more villainous than the villains. Why even keep up the pretense pf honorable kombat at that point? Why not just wait until the bad guys are in the bathtub and then teleport them in-front of a firing squad?

[Kyberwulf]

It seemed to me like a bad syfy movie

[Starbuck_II]

Had some good bits, but overall was just stupid.

Big problems:

1: I know this term is thrown around a lot these days, but Cole really comes across as a Mary Sue.

2: Goro is supposed to be the Outworld champion and the ringer for the tournament, sending him out with the assassins only to die like a punk makes no sense either in or out of character.

3: At the point where Raiden is teleporting his enemies into ambushes, he starts to look more villainous than the villains. Why even keep up the pretense pf honorable kombat at that point? Why not just wait until the bad guys are in the bathtub and then teleport them in-front of a firing squad?

The enemy cheated first is his reasoning.

[Kyberwulf]

Yeah. That and this movie seems more like a prequel then a movie about the mortal kombat as a contest

[Gnoman]

3: At the point where Raiden is teleporting his enemies into ambushes, he starts to look more villainous than the villains. Why even keep up the pretense pf honorable kombat at that point? Why not just wait until the bad guys are in the bathtub and then teleport them in-front of a firing squad?

"We're less trained, less prepared, and they cheat. So we need to start cheating." is the explicit battle plan. He's still sending everybody into a one-on-one fight instead of swarming the way the bad guys did, so he's cheating less.

[Mordar]

My experience as well


It seemed to me like a bad syfy movie

Given that James Wan is one of my favorite non-actor movie people (and strangely I don't like the whole Saw thing), I had *MUCH* higher hopes for this. Didn't expect anything Oscar worthy, but expected something as good as an Expendables movie at least.

No part of this outside the opening sequence and Kano was enjoyable for me.

- M

[Talakeal]

"We're less trained, less prepared, and they cheat. So we need to start cheating." is the explicit battle plan. He's still sending everybody into a one-on-one fight instead of swarming the way the bad guys did, so he's cheating less.

Except he is sending them into unfamiliar territory which is explicitly deadly to them. Also, Sonya shoots Milena in the back while she is fighting someone else and their plan is to bum rush Sub-Zero with the entire group, so not one on one either.

Although really, the plot made no sense from the get go. Shang Tsung was trying to keep it a secret from Raiden, then stopped caring and even started killing people himself, and Raiden still didn't personally intervene.

Just, really dumb and inconsistent all around.

The acting, fight choreography, and special effects were pretty good though!

[Blackhawk748]

Raiden very, very rarely ever gets directly involved and he doesn't consider moving people around getting directly involved. WHen Shang Tsung saws that the Elder Gods are lazy, he isn't kidding.

They are pretty useless and in several different timelines, either Quan Chi, Shang Tsung, or Shao Khan cheat and nothing happens to stop them, but then they get all pissy at Raiden for getting more involved.

[Saintheart]

I didnt even know you COULD reverse a Friendship victory like that!

Back, back, up, down, back, back, left, and hit the "Crikey" button.

[Giggling Ghast]

Watched it tonight for my birthday, hobbitses.

So the writing was pretty bad and some of the cameos were lame ducks. (Man, Reiko was literally just a dude with a hammer, and not even a particularly impressive dude with a hammer.)

But the fights were decent and the gore was just perfecto. Plus, there were a lot of little shoutouts to the MK lore, like Kano trying to steal Shinnok’s amulet. The Arcana thing was kinda cool.

I dunno about Cole Young, though. I mean, his presence is justified by him being Hanzo’s descendant, but I dunno what they’re going to do with him if they bring him back, because the dude is so blaaaaaaaaaand.


Cons: ...well, everything else. It was awful. It's a toss-up for me whether this was worse than MK Annihilation

Oh, good Lord no. Annihilation was so bad it hurt my soul.

[Giggling Ghast]

Except he is sending them into unfamiliar territory which is explicitly deadly to them.

Uh, that’s implicitly not the case. He teleported Kano to Sonya’s base and she was able to use the terrain to beat him, including that garden gnome he spit on.

Also, Liu Kang was basically able to defeat Kabal thanks to the oily sand.

[Talakeal]

Uh, that’s implicitly not the case. He teleported Kano to Sonya’s base and she was able to use the terrain to beat him, including that garden gnome he spit on.

Also, Liu Kang was basically able to defeat Kabal thanks to the oily sand.

It doesn’t seem like we are disagreeing.

I am saying Raiden transported his enemies into fights that they weren’t prepared for and where the earth realm warriors were able to use the terrain against them.


Honestly though, all the plans were stupid. Using Sub-zero and Kabal to assassinate earth realm warriors is a clever way to cheat without breaking any rules, but once Mileena and Shang-Tsung got in on the action they should have been hit by the biggest lightning blast in the history of lightning, nobody is going to fault Raiden for protecting Earth from Outworld invaders. And throwing Goro away like that is just idiotic.

[Yourt19]

For me, it`s just another bad movie about a video game.

[Blackhawk748]

It doesn’t seem like we are disagreeing.

I am saying Raiden transported his enemies into fights that they weren’t prepared for and where the earth realm warriors were able to use the terrain against them.


Honestly though, all the plans were stupid. Using Sub-zero and Kabal to assassinate earth realm warriors is a clever way to cheat without breaking any rules, but once Mileena and Shang-Tsung got in on the action they should have been hit by the biggest lightning blast in the history of lightning, nobody is going to fault Raiden for protecting Earth from Outworld invaders. And throwing Goro away like that is just idiotic.

Considering Shang Tsung's statement later, I'm pretty sure he can rez them. Maybe he has a deal with Quan Chi or something.

And I agree about the Lightning Bolt, except I also know how the Elder Gods have been in literally every game. Raiden would get yelled at.

Yes, the guy who was following all the rules up to that one moment, would get yelled at. They are that useless.

[Traab]

Considering Shang Tsung's statement later, I'm pretty sure he can rez them. Maybe he has a deal with Quan Chi or something.

And I agree about the Lightning Bolt, except I also know how the Elder Gods have been in literally every game. Raiden would get yelled at.

Yes, the guy who was following all the rules up to that one moment, would get yelled at. They are that useless.

I swear it sounds like one of those relatable workplace or school scenarios where you are the quiet hard working rule abiding student, meanwhile the trouble making jerks are having a ball ignoring whatever rules they want. The instant you step out of line, even if only to avoid them doing something to you, and suddenly the bosses/teachers fall on you like a ton of bricks.

[JoshL]

It was what I expected, good and bad. The fights were fun to watch. The gore was over the top. The dialogue was terrible and the plot was...well, there, I guess.

The biggest pro was watching someone cheese a fight using only sweep kicks, thereby making it the most accurate video game movie ever made.

The biggest con was the soundtrack being standard score, rather than the industrial metal of the old movies. I mean, no reason for them to do the same thing, but that was the only thing that worked about the old films, why not play with those ideas? And I'm feeling a lack of good soundtracks these days anyway (not scores, lots of amazing scores, this one was, well, okay)

[Gallowglass]

The biggest pro was watching someone cheese a fight using only sweep kicks, thereby making it the most accurate video game movie ever made.


*golf clap* bravo! bravo!

I actually enjoyed the movie as a popcorn eating way to spend a couple hours on a sunday afternoon on HBO MAX. Certainly wasn't high art, but I found it inoffensive.

Plus, Jimmy Olsen with enormous guns and a dad-stache was hilarious.

I haven't played enough versions of Mortal Kombat to really get everything. I knew Sonya and Jimmy Olsen robot arms and Scorpion and Sub Zero and Goro and Raiden and Kato... didn't know the guy with the buzzsaw hat, the winged demon girl, the guy in the iron lung or hammer-time. So I wasn't really go in with an in-depth knowledge.

[Giggling Ghast]

The Elder Gods in the games have always been the epitome of useless deities. Outworld constantly circumvents the rules of Mortal Kombat and they do basically nothing.

In fact, MK9 ends with Raiden just letting Shao Kahn win in order to force the Elder Gods’ intervention.


It doesn’t seem like we are disagreeing.

I am saying Raiden transported his enemies into fights that they weren’t prepared for and where the earth realm warriors were able to use the terrain against them.

Ooooh, I thought you were saying the opposite. My apologies.

[Blackhawk748]

I swear it sounds like one of those relatable workplace or school scenarios where you are the quiet hard working rule abiding student, meanwhile the trouble making jerks are having a ball ignoring whatever rules they want. The instant you step out of line, even if only to avoid them doing something to you, and suddenly the bosses/teachers fall on you like a ton of bricks.

That's fairly accurate to how they've always been portrayed. We aren't supposed to like them, and we don't.


*golf clap* bravo! bravo!

I actually enjoyed the movie as a popcorn eating way to spend a couple hours on a sunday afternoon on HBO MAX. Certainly wasn't high art, but I found it inoffensive.

Plus, Jimmy Olsen with enormous guns and a dad-stache was hilarious.

I haven't played enough versions of Mortal Kombat to really get everything. I knew Sonya and Jimmy Olsen robot arms and Scorpion and Sub Zero and Goro and Raiden and Kato... didn't know the guy with the buzzsaw hat, the winged demon girl, the guy in the iron lung or hammer-time. So I wasn't really go in with an in-depth knowledge.

Pretty sure that was the goal. Its just supposed to be this over the top, funny and silly movie that has good fight sequences and a plot that does nothing more than enable said fight sequences.

Honestly, the plot felt just like a Mortal Kombat game plot.

[Dire_Flumph]

Pretty sure that was the goal. Its just supposed to be this over the top, funny and silly movie that has good fight sequences and a plot that does nothing more than enable said fight sequences.

Finally got around to this last night, and yes. Fun fights, ridiculous, colorful characters. I heard a lot of bad reviews over the weekend and I'm not sure why expectations were so much higher than this. But then I've never been a fan of the original movie and the only time I think I was ever interested in a Mortal Kombat story was MK9, so I'm hardly a superfan.

The only baffling part was Cole, who I was sure would be a decoy protagonist that would become fatality fodder halfway through. They had a perfectly good Liu Kang, Sonya and Jax here, any of those guys could have been the focus.



Honestly, the plot felt just like a Mortal Kombat game plot.

Oh, it was a lot better than MK11's plot. And certainly a lot less dead filler than Godzilla vs Kong.

[Blackhawk748]

Finally got around to this last night, and yes. Fun fights, ridiculous, colorful characters. I heard a lot of bad reviews over the weekend and I'm not sure why expectations were so much higher than this. But then I've never been a fan of the original movie and the only time I think I was ever interested in a Mortal Kombat story was MK9, so I'm hardly a superfan.

The only baffling part was Cole, who I was sure would be a decoy protagonist that would become fatality fodder halfway through. They had a perfectly good Liu Kang, Sonya and Jax here, any of those guys could have been the focus.

Pretty sure it was for Exposition stuff, though


Flipping Scorpion and Sub Zero around was something I didn't see coming and it kinda does give Cole a reason to be there, if only to give decent character stuff for the next movie.



Oh, it was a lot better than MK11's plot. And certainly a lot less dead filler than Godzilla vs Kong.

Last one I played was 10, and I've been more or less happy with all the MK plots from Deadly Alliance through MK 10 so....

[Giggling Ghast]

According to one of the writers, a new character was insisted upon by the studio.

Mind you, the same writer says they used Cole for the purpose of delivering exposition to so that other established characters wouldn’t have to act in unusual ways ... and then they didn’t bother to explain very much.

https://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/mortal-kombat-screenwriter-cole-youngs-inclusion-studiomandated/amp/

[Psyren]

According to one of the writers, a new character was insisted upon by the studio.

Mind you, the same writer says they used Cole for the purpose of delivering exposition to so that other established characters wouldn’t have to act in unusual ways ... and then they didn’t bother to explain very much.

https://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/mortal-kombat-screenwriter-cole-youngs-inclusion-studiomandated/amp/



The only baffling part was Cole, who I was sure would be a decoy protagonist that would become fatality fodder halfway through. They had a perfectly good Liu Kang, Sonya and Jax here, any of those guys could have been the focus.


"Cole Young" could have worked without being a blank audience-insert fanfiction character. My original theory going into this:

I'm betting that at some point he was supposed to be Kuai Liang (they even sound sort of similar: Cole Young = Kuail Yang), aka the Good Sub-Zero from MK3 onward, reworked into a descendant rather than a younger brother, unaware of his lineage and therefore needing to have everything explained to him (and by proxy the audience). Especially given that they got a Chinese actor to play him, fitting the Lin Kuei canonically.

And given how powerful Lin Kuei abilities are in this continuity - as established by Bi-Han completely wiping out the Shirai Ryu in the prologue, needing multiple fighters to take him on in the modern era, and effectively being Shang Tsung's Dragon (moreso than Goro of all people, something even the original movie and cartoon got right) - it would have also helped to explain how Cole could 1v1 and kill off freaking Goro like he did, if he was doing the ice stuff they already established to be way more powerful than it is in the games. And Cole being a Lin Kuei would have set up some nice internal conflict whereby he is tempted/seduced back to his clan by his ancestor in a Vader/Luke sort of way.

But no, he's a descendant of Scorpion, which is utterly pointless because Scorpion himself just shows up anyway - because of course he does, you literally can't have a MK movie without Scorpion. Sigh.


Pretty sure it was for Exposition stuff, though


Flipping Scorpion and Sub Zero around was something I didn't see coming and it kinda does give Cole a reason to be there, if only to give decent character stuff for the next movie.



What do you mean "flipping?" Bi-Han was always an irredeemably evil jerk, that was one of the few bits they played straight / got right.

***

In any event - as he often does, MovieBob summed up most of my issues with this one:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxnTms0dvkA

[JadedDM]

Here's a question: My knowledge of the Mortal Kombat series is limited to the two old movies and the first two games; I haven't watched/played either in years. How much, if at all, will this hinder me if I watch this? I know that the games' storyline gets super convoluted and complicated later on, but I haven't kept up on it at all.

[Talakeal]

Here's a question: My knowledge of the Mortal Kombat series is limited to the two old movies and the first two games; I haven't watched/played either in years. How much, if at all, will this hinder me if I watch this? I know that the games' storyline gets super convoluted and complicated later on, but I haven't kept up on it at all.

Not at all. Its a prequel that plays loose with canon.

[Blackhawk748]

What do you mean "flipping?" Bi-Han was always an irredeemably evil jerk, that was one of the few bits they played straight / got right.


He doesn't work for Shang Tsung though, that was always Scorpion. So their roles in that sense got flipped.


Here's a question: My knowledge of the Mortal Kombat series is limited to the two old movies and the first two games; I haven't watched/played either in years. How much, if at all, will this hinder me if I watch this? I know that the games' storyline gets super convoluted and complicated later on, but I haven't kept up on it at all.

It shouldn't. The movie is about awesome fight sequences with recognizable characters. Pretty much everyone, barring like 3 people, are from the first two games so you'll recognize them.

Other than that? You should be fine.

[Psyren]

He doesn't work for Shang Tsung though, that was always Scorpion. So their roles in that sense got flipped.

He never worked for Shang Tsung, that was Quan Chi even in the original game timeline (MK1 - MK8). Quan Chi basically played their clans against one another, but the first three games didn't get into that beyond "they're ninja from rival clans, fight!"

Scorpion had nothing to do with Shang Tsung beyond the latter being the host for the first tournament. Sub-Zero was there to kill Tsung, and Scorpion was there independently to kill Sub-Zero.


Here's a question: My knowledge of the Mortal Kombat series is limited to the two old movies and the first two games; I haven't watched/played either in years. How much, if at all, will this hinder me if I watch this? I know that the games' storyline gets super convoluted and complicated later on, but I haven't kept up on it at all.

Nah, don't worry about it. In fact, MK9-10-11 themselves threw out all the other games' canon anyway, and it's heavily implied at the end of 11 that they're throwing it all out the window once more. Even if you did internalize the games' very, very convoluted mythology up to this point, it's all set to change yet again, and the movie uses very little of it anyway.

[Psyren]

Actually, in MK9, Bi-Han and the other Lin Kuei participated in the Mortal Kombat tournament at the behest of Shang Tsung. Then Bi-Han was killed by Scorpion and was turned into Noob Saibot by Quan Chi, who had also created Scorpion.

Yeah that's the new timeline. Note that in both cases, Scorpion had nothing really to do with Tsung, which was my point, and which stands.

So original timeline, Sub-Zero was sent to kill Tsung (probably by Quan Chi, though this was likely a retcon or fleshing out of the unnamed "enemies" he had from the brief MK1 epilogue.)
New timeline, Tsung brought in the Lin Kuei to help kill earthrealm's defenders and stack the deck for the tournament, though SZ could of course have been a double-agent for QC anyway.

In both old and new timeline, Scorpion found out about SZ's involvement in the tournament, and entered to get his revenge - likely egged on by Quan Chi in both cases.



Of course, at the end of MK11, the entire timeline has been reset, so all of that no longer matters.

I made this exact point too.

[Tyndmyr]

Eh, the film knows exactly what it is, and does a decent job of delivering it. If you wanted a martial arts movie of sorts with all the bombastic style of the franchise it's named after...that's what you're getting.

The main character is a bit bland and forgettable*, but Kano does a pretty fantastic job. Overall, pretty fun watch.

If you're expecting a complex, well thought out plot, well...That's like going into the next Fast and Furious movie expecting realism. Both are just gonna embrace that sort of over the top style.

I don't know MK lore super well, it's mostly at the level of "hey, I recognize that guy. Yup, he's acting about right." That said, decent setup for Scorpion. I expected that to be more generic, but hey, it mostly works.

*I realize he has a name, and I'm supposed to care about it, but feh.

[Kyberwulf]

Huh. I didn't like keno. I thought he had that stupid marvel "quippy" things thats been so pervasive in comic book and video game movies. I blame the whole MCU movies for this.

[Psyren]

Wanting a "complex plot" is a strawman, I agree it would be silly to go in wanting that. And I find this particular dismissal pretty ironic given that the setup here with birthmarked chosen ones who can steal each others' chosen one status and Raiden unable to intervene except all the ways he can intervene and Tsung unable to pre-empt the tournament except all the ways he can pre-empt the tournament is actually more complex than anything from the first few games anyway :smalltongue: Not to mention they are by all indications borrowing the nobody-really-dies schtick from MK10, which is going to need even more explanation if this thing ever gets a sequel, at least if they care about tension/stakes at all.

Kano was indeed fun. But man oh man did they utterly waste Liu Kang and Mileena. And I have yet to meet more than handful of people who care about "Cole Young."

[Tyndmyr]

I mean, I'll certainly grant that it makes the elder gods seem...fairly lazy, sure. And there certainly wasn't any actual tournament, just an awful lot of fights. I presume that there's some shameless sequel bait in there, and they're gonna have the actual tournament be the next movie.

I wonder how the stolen mark interacts with someone coming back from the dead? I mean, in theory, doesn't the possibility of a resurrection allow more and more people to be marked?

[Psyren]

I mean, I'll certainly grant that it makes the elder gods seem...fairly lazy, sure. And there certainly wasn't any actual tournament, just an awful lot of fights. I presume that there's some shameless sequel bait in there, and they're gonna have the actual tournament be the next movie.

I wonder how the stolen mark interacts with someone coming back from the dead? I mean, in theory, doesn't the possibility of a resurrection allow more and more people to be marked?

Given that (if they have an iota of sense) they'll bring Kano back, and they made the laser eye thing his "mutation" or whatever instead of technology, they're gonna have to figure out some way for the "dead" fighters to keep their powers even after said powers were stolen. Somehow. And then figure out what that means if they're killed a second time.

[Tyndmyr]

Yeah. Scorpion, after all, gave up his mark, yes? Though that was through bloodline, not being killed, and the specifics are certainly hazy.

I would be shocked if Kano doesn't come back, though. He's just fun enough to watch that it'd be insane to toss him out.

[Blackhawk748]

They said you needed the Mark to get your power, not to maintain them. Plus he'll be rezzed, most likely by Quan Chi in a Deadly Alliance style deal with Tsung, so it would be in both of their interest to make sure he's got all of his abilities.

[Gnoman]

Note that all the damage Kano took in the film is confined to a very specific part of his face. Note also that Kano from MK1 has a very specific part of his face covered by a steel plate.

[Lemmy]

By the Elder Gods... This movie is awful...

Sub-Zero is cool (no pun intended)... The first 2~3 minutes are great... And that's about it.

Instead of Johnny Cage we get effing' "Cole Young"! For idiotic reasons too... Seriously... I can't put in words how much it annoys me that they left Johnny Cage out and decided to focus on "Cole Young".

..And freaking Kano is the only vaguely entertaining character.

Action scenes are meh... Special effects range from bad to mediocre. Character selection is bad. The casting is bad. The acting is awful. The writing is boring.

What a waste of time...

[Psyren]

The other thing I hated in this movie was Shang Tsung. He's many things in the games, but never this... boring.

In the 1995 original, he chewed the scenery to shreds and gave us great memes as a result. He was only slightly behind the Street Fighter movie's Bison.


Note that all the damage Kano took in the film is confined to a very specific part of his face. Note also that Kano from MK1 has a very specific part of his face covered by a steel plate.

Yeah but
Sonya got his mark, which means she killed him by this movie's own rules. Again, he's almost guaranteed to make it back, but they have some explaining to do if they want death to mean anything in the next one (if there IS a next one.)

[Starbuck_II]

Wanting a "complex plot" is a strawman, I agree it would be silly to go in wanting that. And I find this particular dismissal pretty ironic given that the setup here with birthmarked chosen ones who can steal each others' chosen one status and Raiden unable to intervene except all the ways he can intervene and Tsung unable to pre-empt the tournament except all the ways he can pre-empt the tournament is actually more complex than anything from the first few games anyway :smalltongue: Not to mention they are by all indications borrowing the nobody-really-dies schtick from MK10, which is going to need even more explanation if this thing ever gets a sequel, at least if they care about tension/stakes at all.

Kano was indeed fun. But man oh man did they utterly waste Liu Kang and Mileena. And I have yet to meet more than handful of people who care about "Cole Young."

No, Raiden was following rules then realized, he can cheat too without getting in trouble.

I loved steel hat guy and Kano.

[Psyren]

No, Raiden was following rules then realized, he can cheat too without getting in trouble.

Sure, but why stop at being uber and electric fence? If the Elder Gods don't care, and nothing indicates they do, he might as well fight. Nothing stopped Shang from drinking his best fighter before the tournament even started after all.

[dps]

For me, it`s just another bad movie about a video game.

I've developed I pretty good rule of thumb--if a movie is based on a video game, don't both with it until it's on late-night tv and you can't get to sleep.

[Blackhawk748]

Yeah but
Sonya got his mark, which means she killed him by this movie's own rules. Again, he's almost guaranteed to make it back, but they have some explaining to do if they want death to mean anything in the next one (if there IS a next one.)


Death means something for our Protags, because Raiden isn't gonna get to make a deal with Quan Chi, and even if Tsung DOES get his rez, it's a deal with another powerful person, which we all know he doesn't want to do.

So ya, he'll get his rezzes, but I fully expect Quan Chi to backstab him and be the main villain Post Tournament.

[Psyren]

Death means something for our Protags, because Raiden isn't gonna get to make a deal with Quan Chi, and even if Tsung DOES get his rez, it's a deal with another powerful person, which we all know he doesn't want to do.

So ya, he'll get his rezzes, but I fully expect Quan Chi to backstab him and be the main villain Post Tournament.


If we even get a tournament. :smallsigh:

[Talakeal]

Honestly, while the first movie had some missteps, I think that if it had the benefit of an R rating and modern CGI it would be a really good movie.

This movie had worse acting from everyone but kano, lack of a classic score, and a story that is less sensical, less concise, and more divergent from the game.

[Blackhawk748]

If we even get a tournament. :smallsigh:

The writer straight up said they had envisaged a trilogy when writing this. Movie 1 is Pre Tournament, 2 is the Tournament and 3 is Post Tournament.

[Traab]

The writer straight up said they had envisaged a trilogy when writing this. Movie 1 is Pre Tournament, 2 is the Tournament and 3 is Post Tournament.

Yeah but the problem there is if the movie will be projected to make enough to make the next two worth filming.

[Cheesegear]

The writer straight up said they had envisaged a trilogy when writing this. Movie 1 is Pre Tournament, 2 is the Tournament and 3 is Post Tournament.

Potential spoiler alert;

The actor who plays Bi-Han and/or Sub-Zero is contracted for four movies (including the first), if production goes forward.

[Psyren]

Potential spoiler alert;

The actor who plays Bi-Han and/or Sub-Zero is contracted for four movies (including the first), if production goes forward.

That's a non-trivial if. Tom Cruise was contracted for the entire Dark Universe franchise, after all.

[Kitten Champion]

That's a non-trivial if. Tom Cruise was contracted for the entire Dark Universe franchise, after all.

Yeah, it's a common practice in the industry generally. I've seen fans use the meta-knowledge of a television/movie actor's contract as proof positive that this or that character will return from death/being written off, but it's really not a reliable indicator of anything in terms of how - or if - they're going to be used within that production. It's just how actors and studios typically make contracts at the end of the day.

[Traab]

Yeah, it's a common practice in the industry generally. I've seen fans use the meta-knowledge of a television/movie actor's contract as proof positive that this or that character will return from death/being written off, but it's really not a reliable indicator of anything in terms of how - or if - they're going to be used within that production. It's just how actors and studios typically make contracts at the end of the day.

Its kind of like reserving a table ahead of time. If I understand it correctly, its contracting the actor to make sure his schedule is clear for if the next movie happens. It would have sucked if Ian McKellen did the first two lotr movies but then was busy working on another project for the third. Yes that sort of thing does happen where actors get replaced (hi rhodey and bruce banner) for various reasons, but its generally to be avoided when possible.

[Talakeal]

Yeah, it's a common practice in the industry generally. I've seen fans use the meta-knowledge of a television/movie actor's contract as proof positive that this or that character will return from death/being written off, but it's really not a reliable indicator of anything in terms of how - or if - they're going to be used within that production. It's just how actors and studios typically make contracts at the end of the day.

The entire cast of Rogue One was also contracted for sequels .

[Blackhawk748]

Yeah but the problem there is if the movie will be projected to make enough to make the next two worth filming.

I think it made enough to warrant a number two, but number three is up in the air.

[Starbuck_II]

The entire cast of Rogue One was also contracted for sequels .

But didn't they die?

[Psyren]

But didn't they die?

thatsthejoke.jpeg

[Bohandas]

I haven't seen this yet. Tell me, did the soundtrack manage to work in any of the songs from the Mortal Kombat album by The Immortals like they did in the last movie?

[Talakeal]

I haven't seen this yet. Tell me, did the soundtrack manage to work in any of the songs from the Mortal Kombat album by The Immortals like they did in the last movie?

Unfortunately no.

They do play the main Mortal Kombat theme at one point, but it is a new version rather than the classic industrial / techno.

[Blackhawk748]

Unfortunately no.

They do play the main Mortal Kombat theme at one point, but it is a new version rather than the classic industrial / techno.

And while I like the new one, I was hoping that at least the credits song would be the one we all know.

[Starbuck_II]

thatsthejoke.jpeg

Although, maybe in a flashback?
Like the sequel of Rogue One is Rogue Two doing another Special Ops.

Like maybe the new group new some of old ones.

[Psyren]

Pitch Meetings just summed up a LOT of my problems with this movie very efficiently:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=157_gef0P10

[Corsair14]

I found it entertaining but it had some major lore issues. 1st scene was flipping awesome but the rest was kind of a let down from it and some things very very much "wait, didn't he die a few scenes ago?"

Goro and Kung Lau were wasted characters. These guys are amazing, the biggest champions of their respective worlds and these fights are going to be amazing...… and they are chumped out. We spent millions on special effects for this character so she is going to be a bada$$, and shes dead. We are running out of ideas, lets just have a bad guy whose entire personality is "RAHHH!" and he carries a hammer.

Compared to the 1st MK the acting was much better. Not near as stony with goofy facial expressions or as forced. Fight scenes were ok and better than the original in most cases. Special effects were on par with the original despite there being 25 years of tech advancement. Could be more my preference for practical effects than CG effects. As horrible an actress as she was in MK1 I do miss Bridgette Wilson as Sonya despite this new actress looking closer to the original game actress(who is 50 something now and still looks amazing)

Story was far better in the original as was the sound track.

If my sources can be believed, Sub-zero actor was signed for a 5 movie contract so whoever said this felt like a prequal might be on to something.

"I'm Lu Kang, I am searching the world for champions and I found you."-"Wait, you found us? We have been hiking in this desert for days to get to this temple that we already knew the location of." "Yeah but I found you, my mission is complete, Raiden never said I had to go past the front door."--"But we found you."-- "No No, don't get carried away in the details of a silly plot line, I have found you thus I have accomplished my god given mission. Lets go eat so we can taunt the Aussie at the dinner table."-- "Who is preparing the food?"--"Once again, silly details, obviously the catering company."

[Psyren]

Goro was indeed wasted. I don't mind Nitara getting offed (because why else would you have freaking Nitara in a MK movie but to die messily) but they clearly killed Goro off because keeping him around was too expensive for such a cheap production. All the money went to Goro and Sub-Zero, and Raiden really got the short end of the stick.

[J-H]

Yes that sort of thing does happen where actors get replaced (hi rhodey and bruce banner) for various reasons, but its generally to be avoided when possible.

Wait... well... now, 8 or 10 years later I understand why the Rhodey character suddenly looked like he had a bout with cancer or something in the later movies (lost weight, drawn/skinny face, no hair).

[PoeticallyPsyco]

I don't know why they didn't just make Scorpion the main character. He's probably the easiest to fit into a heroic narrative (which they did anyway for the movie) what with the murdered family and quest for revenge, and from there it would be relatively easy to expand into the lore more gradually, since Scorpion wouldn't need to know more than "Oh, Sub-Zero is in this tournament, you say?".

[Psyren]

I don't know why they didn't just make Scorpion the main character. He's probably the easiest to fit into a heroic narrative (which they did anyway for the movie) what with the murdered family and quest for revenge, and from there it would be relatively easy to expand into the lore more gradually, since Scorpion wouldn't need to know more than "Oh, Sub-Zero is in this tournament, you say?".

Exactly. Focus the story around Scorpion, and you have a character with universally sympathetic motivations, and who has neither has any experience with this new modern era nor knows anything about the tournament - perfect audience stand-in. Plus he's already known by the audience to be a badass fighter, so you can skip straight to unlocking his hell powers (I would ditch the goofy arcana thing entirely and just have Sonya and Jax use Special Forces sci-fi tech like they do in the games.)

[Giggling Ghast]

I'll note there is actually an animated movie called Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge. It basically tells the story of the first tournament but largely from Scorpion's perspective. I've joked that it should have been called "MK Legends: Scorpion Does Everything," and you'll see why if you watch the movie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1vccr3yWBU

It's actually fairly decent, though it seriously under-uses Sub-Zero and Kano ... which is kind of the opposite of what happened in the live-action movie.

I’ll note that Bob Chipman gave it a 6/10 and the live action MK a 3/10.

[dehro]

Back, back, up, down, back, back, left, and hit the "Crikey" button.
that sounds like a lifehack.