Mortal Kombat (2021)

[IMJ]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

They did create kind of an unnecessary layer. Liu Kang traveling around the world getting the band together would have been just as fine. You could still have Shang Tsung trying to undermine his search and Rayden coming in with the save at times to hit basically the same plot points and all.

I mean they could've had practically the exact same story as this one even simply by stating that Cole was actually Scorpion reincarnated or something like that. It still would've been weird, but if they were set on the script it could've been almost identical to what they filmed.

But instead they created a Non-white lead with.... I dunno.... lmao....tin armor powers. And, I'm not kidding, for a second at the very end I thought he was going to say that he was going to Hollywood to be an actor under the pseudonym "Johnny Cage" or something, but then they scrolled to the poster with the nonsense reveal. Hopefully they will wipe Cole out in the beginning of the sequel similarly to how they wiped Cage out in the beginning of the original MKII movie and then we can get on without the nonsense add-ons.

Again, I thought it was a fun movie and it got me excited about Mortal Kombat again probably for the first time since MK4 dropped in arcades. But I point these things out because it's too obvious to not address, you know?

[sdp]

#coleyoungDLC is trending on twitter

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

and Rayden

Raiden

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by sdp

Raiden

[IMJ]

Originally Posted by sdp

#coleyoungDLC is trending on twitter

https://giffiles.alphacoders.com/104/104398.gif



Raiden

I mean I think it's a foregone conclusion that they will add that character to the upcoming games or via DLC. Isn't that kind of obvious to everyone? I'm sure there are people out there who will feel successful that some grass roots fan-campaign will "bring him to the games", but again isn't it obvious that they probably had those designs and character maps most likely ready to go once they decided on it for the movie?

I mean this is the game series that has been adding random third party characters to their games for years now. Don't think for a minute that they weren't going to do a reverse campaign for the Hollywood addition of Cole.

[Andrew NDB]

Of course. They added Robocop and Rambo... pretty sure they're going to add the brand new main character from their reboot movie. It'd be weirder if they didn't.

[ChosenOne]

I'm gonna come out and say it: Cole's wife is a more effective and less bland fighter than Cole himself. She took an axe to friggin' Goro! How badass is that?!

Also, raise your hand if you, like me, will be hearing Kano's voice in your head from now on when you read our very own Leo656's posts!

[Andrew NDB]

I kind of always hear Rowdy Roddy Piper's voice when I see Leo's posts.

[Sumac]

Originally Posted by Leo656

I confess that I've never understood this paradox. The former and the latter, to me, are natural enemies that simply can't be reconciled. I sincerely don't understand "so bad it's good" or any variant thereof.

But then, I've often been accused of being one who takes things too seriously.

Exactly. No need to take tings so seriously. Like, for example Batman & Robin. Its a complete crap. But it is fun crap, that can be watched with brains turned off and taking jabs at stupidity of it all. No amount of salt about its existence would erase it, so might as well just enjoy it for the crap it is. That is my philosophy.

That is unless we talk about total crap, like MK Annihilation.

Originally Posted by IMJ

-the tattoo thing as a "chosen fighter". That sort of "pre-destination" is great in Star Wars (which suffered in it's absence) but not for Mortal Kombat

Canon flirted with this idea, like this whole "descendants of Great Kung Lao" thing and Johnny Cage being from lineage bred to fight gods.

[IMJ]

Originally Posted by Sumac

Canon flirted with this idea, like this whole "descendants of Great Kung Lao" thing and Johnny Cage being from lineage bred to fight gods.

Yeah the original flick did the Liu Kang "chosen one" thing, but that's certainly better than a magically tranferring tattoo to convey Pre-destination, man.

And what's this bred to fight God's thing with Johnny Cage? Specifically what are you talking about - I have.... like... no memory of that at all whatsoever!

EDIT: Okay I just looked it up. I guess that Johnny Cage thing was from a 2011 game retcon. I fell out of the whole MK fandom after MK4 basically 100%. In between that and this new movie I'd say the only Mortal Kombat franchise stuff I picked up were those sort of pretty good fan films that Michael Jai White did. The ones with the amazing Sektor and Cyrax fights....

[ChosenOne]

Originally Posted by Sumac

That is unless we talk about total crap, like MK Annihilation.

Hey, now, Brian Thompson's Shao Kahn made that movie.

Originally Posted by IMJ

Yeah the original flick did the Liu Kang "chosen one" thing,

Oh, did it? I didn't notice.

[IMJ]

Originally Posted by ChosenOne

Hey, now, Brian Thompson's Shao Kahn made that movie.



Oh, did it? I didn't notice.

[Leo656]

Originally Posted by Sumac

ELike, for example Batman & Robin. Its a complete crap. But it is fun crap, that can be watched with brains turned off and taking jabs at stupidity of it all.

I physically cannot do this with anything. My brain never got the "Shut Yourself Off" DLC pack. I'm not saying this to be an "elitist" or anything, merely explaining. "Just shut down and enjoy" is not a "skill" everyone has in them.

With things like "Batman & Robin", I'd literally rather shoot myself. OR, more reasonably, just watch a good movie instead.

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

https://i.ibb.co/YhmZh2M/hqdefault.jpg

"Raiden" is the correct and original spelling. "Rayden" was a misprint by Acclaim for the home console conversions (which regrettably carried over into the first movie). It's always been "Raiden" in the original arcade games and all of the newer games and materials beginning with MK4. The console port of "Mortal Kombat Trilogy" was the last game to carry the misprinted name.

Just because it was a mistake made more than once doesn't mean it's something to perpetuate any further, especially now that it's been corrected
"officially". To wit: The Turtle's name was "Michaelangelo" for a long time, too, but that was a mistake. Someone can easily pull up an issue of TMNTA, or a screenshot of one of the old video games, and say "See? It's Michaelangelo, NOT Michelangelo!" But they'd still be incorrect.

It's Raiden. Deal with it!

Originally Posted by ChosenOne

Also, raise your hand if you, like me, will be hearing Kano's voice in your head from now on when you read our very own Leo656's posts!

Oh, this sounds good. I can't wait to see this thing, now.

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

I kind of always hear Rowdy Roddy Piper's voice when I see Leo's posts.

That's acceptable! That or Nash, obviously. Although he says "f*ck" a lot more than I do. More than anyone on Earth, really.

Probably watch the movie tomorrow, now that I'm less sick.

[sdp]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

[AquaParade]

I get the "so bad, it's good" thing to an extent. Like, it can be fascinating to watch the terrible decisions that were made. It's almost like drama - "they did what??"

For me, that's not the same thing as when people say "just turn off your brain and enjoy it" in regards to a blockbuster like Kong vs Godzilla or Tranaformers.
Hell no, I can't just turn off my brain, enjoy and "stuff my face with popcorn" as some like to put it. A dumb plot doesn't compel me to snack and even if it did, it'd be no excuse.

[Leo656]

Yeah, when things go off the rails the way they did with GvK, I just get bored and can't wait for the movie to hurry up and be done.

At a certain point not even the Big Fights in that movie were enough to truly hold my interest. It was more like "Alright, this is cool, but Jesus, I don't feel like it's worth all that other crap just to get here."

At the opening credits I was like "Yeah!", and then 30 minutes in I was like "Sigh...", and then after an hour I was like "I'd rather be playing a video game, I hope this is almost over."

I can't even remember the last time I went into something fully-hard and fell out of love so quickly. The disappointment is gonna linger forever, though. It's rare that I have such a bad time watching a movie so there's no way I can forget about it. Thus why I'm still talking about it. But in my defense, YOU brought it up.

Hopefully my MK experience won't be more of the same.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by AquaParade

I get the "so bad, it's good" thing to an extent.

I never really subscribe to that. MK (2021) is "competently made, average to above average in what it is with the constraints it faced and 'good' to 'very good' in the genre of video game adaptions."

[Leo656]

I mean, "Meet the Feebles" is an entertaining disaster. So maybe I do get it. But I'd certainly not want to watch that thing more than once every 10 or 15 years.

Maybe less "So bad it's good" and more "You simply have to see this to believe it even exists."

[AquaParade]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

I never really subscribe to that. MK (2021) is "competently made, average to above average in what it is with the constraints it faced and 'good' to 'very good' in the genre of video game adaptions."

I'm not saying Mortal Kombat falls into that category for me. Just generally speaking.

I think MK 2021 is a good effort. There are some bright spots, and they made the effort to be authentic as well as hiring some credible martial artists.
Story is big poo-poo though.

The action still lacks a sense of danger, despite the level of violence. Something about fights in "The Raid" leave you on the edge of the seat, breathless, and cringing for whoever seems to be losing control of the fight.

Mortal Kombat needs to find a way to capture that tension. Whether it is by making us care for the characters or some other way of upping the stakes, I'm not sure.

[Sumac]

Originally Posted by IMJ

And what's this bred to fight God's thing with Johnny Cage? Specifically what are you talking about - I have.... like... no memory of that at all whatsoever!

It was mentioned in MK (2011) for the first time to justify his abilities and use it as a crutch to explain why his daughter can beat up an Elder God without training her whole life.

Originally Posted by IMJ

In between that and this new movie I'd say the only Mortal Kombat franchise stuff I picked up were those sort of pretty good fan films that Michael Jai White did. The ones with the amazing Sektor and Cyrax fights....

They were official web-series, not fan films, though.
Though it easy to think otherwise, especially with a second season.

[IMJ]

Originally Posted by Sumac

They were official web-series, not fan films, though.
Though it easy to think otherwise, especially with a second season.

They were good man! In some ways better than this new movie... in some.

Honestly though - so far I don't think anything in MK on film beats the original flick's Liu Kang vs Reptile fight. The musical cues, the energy, Reptile just in relentless flow all while Juno Reactor just pumps that whole scene up audibly. That fight had only two detractors - the quick cut on Reptiles face where he was dizzy and then instantly stands up straight was ridiculous, and then once again the Hollywood-physics-of-awfulness when Reptile is spinning in circles as he flies out the hole in the wall when he is defeated.

But if you take away those two terrible detractors, that fight could be studied as a textbook for how to throw elbows, hands, kicks in a flow furry of just beating the $#!( out of someone....