Mortal Kombat (2021)

[ZariusTwo]

Originally Posted by Leo656

I don't get it. It sounds like you're saying you wanted it to be bad. Why?

I didn't want a 'bad' film, but I don't mind that it is one either. There's still a lot to love even if I would change everything about it. I feel it captures the spirit of the 90s MK movies with a bit of a 2000s era cinema blend.

It's atrocious, but fun.

[Leo656]

Originally Posted by ZariusTwo

It's atrocious, but fun.

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.

[ZariusTwo]

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.

It might have something to do with the side of you that dabbles in performance art, which wrestling is a good percentage of.

I wouldn't say you're 'too serious', it's method precision.

[ZariusTwo]

Seen it all now. Started off with breakneck pacing, nothing could breath, then it settled a bit, before rushing quickly to a conclusion. Movie was far too short and a story of it's calibre demanded more

To me, it came across as "Order now and get the first 90 minutes free" and you're expecting the rest with the full purchase.

Spoiler:

I also thought Cole would be Scorpion. Then I thought Sub Zero would straight up murder his family...why'd he keep them alive? Shang says death is just a portal, so I guess that means he'll revive everyone killed here. No emphasis was put on why Johnny Cage was so important at the end.

Kabal and Kano were the scene-stealers, every line was OTT atrocious, but they probably had a blast saying every line

[TigerClaw]

Originally Posted by ZariusTwo

Seen it all now. Started off with breakneck pacing, nothing could breath, then it settled a bit, before rushing quickly to a conclusion. Movie was far too short and a story of it's calibre demanded more

To me, it came across as "Order now and get the first 90 minutes free" and you're expecting the rest with the full purchase.

Spoiler:

I also thought Cole would be Scorpion. Then I thought Sub Zero would straight up murder his family...why'd he keep them alive? Shang says death is just a portal, so I guess that means he'll revive everyone killed here. No emphasis was put on why Johnny Cage was so important at the end.

Kabal and Kano were the scene-stealers, every line was OTT atrocious, but they probably had a blast saying every line

That also means that the next movie

Spoiler:

Bi-Han becomes Noob Saibot, and hopefully the other Sub-Zero shows up

[Leo656]

Originally Posted by ZariusTwo

Seen it all now. Started off with breakneck pacing, nothing could breath, then it settled a bit, before rushing quickly to a conclusion. Movie was far too short and a story of it's calibre demanded more

To me, it came across as "Order now and get the first 90 minutes free" and you're expecting the rest with the full purchase.

Spoiler:

I also thought Cole would be Scorpion. Then I thought Sub Zero would straight up murder his family...why'd he keep them alive? Shang says death is just a portal, so I guess that means he'll revive everyone killed here. No emphasis was put on why Johnny Cage was so important at the end.

Kabal and Kano were the scene-stealers, every line was OTT atrocious, but they probably had a blast saying every line

So how long HAVE you been a Samurai, Cameron...?

I can't believe I've been posting over there for months and you never even said hello. You jackass.

[DarkFell]

Soo.. The Netflix Kombat series is a semi-dud, is it?

Here's the kicker for me: Mortal Kombat was brutal, gory, but also (blink and you'll miss it), goofy. It had the most ridiculous moves and fatalities, but, the former games made them work because the creators have a fondness for fighting games, but with some silliness added in so that the person that isn't a skilled player can still have a laugh when their fighter gets a fatality performed on them.

* I say former games because I haven't played the new games yet. However, I watched the Friendship Compilation for MK 10 and got a few good laughs from that.*

Somebody that we didn't know much about, understood a few things about the game franchise, what the fans liked, 'effing something. That's why some of us liked the mid-90's movie despite the cheesiness that was also present within a few scenes.

Why can a few directors and scriptwriters today understand that?

[sdp]

Cole Young will be added to the game canon roster, NRS already has a boner over anything Scorpion. So adding the main character of a big budget movie who is also related to scorpion? DLC for MK11 or MK12 but Cole is in.

[Leo656]

No sh*t, Sherlock. The only reason Cole even exists is so that the guy who wrote the movie can get a royalty check every time a new game comes out from now on.

[ZariusTwo]

Originally Posted by Leo656

So how long HAVE you been a Samurai, Cameron...?

I can't believe I've been posting over there for months and you never even said hello. You jackass.

ROFL, sorry mate, I'd been meaning to for ages but He-Man.org is a sod to navigate at the worst of times these days.

[CyberCubed]

I think Cole might get a costume skin for Scorpion, but I don't think he'll become a full character on his own.

[IMJ]

This movie was like.... really good C-Level horrible movie material.

Hated
-the addition of Cole. Not that he was a bad character, per se; but there are always negative associations with "Hollywood additions" to existing properties. Cole was unnecessary.
-anytime at all they added that horrible kind of "movie acrobatics" like when Sonja returns with that exaggerated and nonsense flip-spin-land maneuver before she fires her energy rings. Terrible.
-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

Loved
-that they put Cabal in the flick - that was a surprise to me. He was one of my favorite fighters in the original MK3 - especially after update #2 to that game.
-that Scorpion looked like a corpse with the mask off
-that they actually put Kung Lao's table saw fatality in the movie. That was a complete surprise
-that Jax was a legit, no-grey-area good guy

In some ways, the original Mortal Kombat flick is still a better movie. In some ways this one was a better movie. They are both about equal, although I do love how in 2021, Outworld looked like a real-time world and not a set dressing.

[CyberCubed]

One thing this movie did really well is all the game accurate moves. Liu Kang's sweep, Sub-zero and Scorpions attacks and fighting style, Liu's fireball, the fatalities, etc.

It really was great to see all these videogame attacks in a live-action movie. This is something the 1995 movie didn't really do outside a few small scenes.

[ZariusTwo]

Originally Posted by IMJ

-that they put Cabal in the flick - that was a surprise to me. He was one of my favorite fighters in the original MK3 - especially after update #2 to that game.

Also helped, with the few lines he had, he complimented Kano perfectly. Whole movie should have just been those two at times.

[IMJ]

Originally Posted by ZariusTwo

Also helped, with the few lines he had, he complimented Kano perfectly. Whole movie should have just been those two at times.

Yeah I was surprised at how doofy Kano was a great anti-hero character for a while. Personality wise, this Kano was better, but the Kano from the original MK flick was a legit badass.

Honestly I used to be a HUGE Mortal Kombat guy in High School - the license plates to my car said "Toasty" on them - for those of you here old enough to remember. I still have those plates in my garage.

I'll probably watch the first Mortal Kombat tonight.

[ZariusTwo]

An opening weekend success

https://deadline.com/2021/04/mortal-...le-1234742886/

[CyberCubed]

I think a proper sequel with Johnny Cage, an actual tournament, the "good" Sub-zero joining the cast and expanded roles for everyone else would go over well. I actually hope they get to make a sequel.

[IMJ]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

I think a proper sequel with Johnny Cage, an actual tournament, the "good" Sub-zero joining the cast and expanded roles for everyone else would go over well. I actually hope they get to make a sequel.

Maybe by that time it will be okay again to have a heroic white male lead again. Because make no mistake about it - that is why they created the non-white Cole character.

[CyberCubed]

I mean Cole doesn't even look that Asian to me despite the actor in real life. He's eyes aren't Asian enough to me, not like Scorpion, Sub-zero's or Liu Kang's. He doesn't seem non-white to me.

[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.