Mortal Kombat (2021)

[Wildcat]

I finally saw this. I have the Blu Ray but had not gotten to it. Have not read or watched reviews cause I wanted to see it first. Thought it was great.

It exceeded my expectations. I was surprised to see Kabal and Nitara. She didn’t appear until Deadly Alliance I think. She’s doesn’t do much but they used a lot from the games. In good way.

I guess Shang Tsungs “henchmen” could have been almost anyone but everything was well put together is what I mean.

I remember people said the trailers looked generic but it’s definitely not once you see it. Having gore this time was nice but glad it was not overboard. All the special effects looked good but Goro’s cgi could have been a little better.

The Cole argument is stupid. It adds to the rivalry of Scorpion and Sub-Zero. Off the top of my head I can’t remember how the games tell it but do people genuinely think they purposely made Cole to replace Johnny Cage to be Woke? I feel silly even typing this.

Some game characters are actually copies/related. Why can’t Scorpion’s son be a main character? It’s not strictly about him. Once he he meets Sonya it really becomes about MK I think. It’s not “The Cole Show”.

[Sumac]

Originally Posted by Wildcat

The Cole argument is stupid. It adds to the rivalry of Scorpion and Sub-Zero. Off the top of my head I can’t remember how the games tell it but do people genuinely think they purposely made Cole to replace Johnny Cage to be Woke? I feel silly even typing this.

You are about to feel even stupider, since it is exactly what someone from people making this movie had said.

You are welcome!

[Coola Yagami]

Originally Posted by Wildcat

The Cole argument is stupid. It adds to the rivalry of Scorpion and Sub-Zero. Off the top of my head I can’t remember how the games tell it but do people genuinely think they purposely made Cole to replace Johnny Cage to be Woke? I feel silly even typing this.

Some game characters are actually copies/related. Why can’t Scorpion’s son be a main character? It’s not strictly about him. Once he he meets Sonya it really becomes about MK I think. It’s not “The Cole Show”.

Cole was the main character, it's pretty much the Cole show. Most of the plot and the immediate danger (them going after his family) revolves around him.

Also yeah, the actual director and such said a more PC-version of 'too many white people in this, we need another non-white person in there, Johnny Cage just doesn't fit here, cause white.'

Obviously no problem having a white guy be an asshole like Kano, but having a white guy be likeable like Johnny Cage? What are you, crazy???? Trust me, if they could get away with somehow making Shao Kahn white, cause main villain, they would.

And who's to say Johnny Cage will even be white in the sequel......

[AquaParade]

I don't think that Cole was made to replace Johnny Cage, because it's not like Cage was Scorpions descendant, but like Coola said, the producers were saying some goofy stuff about Johnny Cage being white or something.

I didn't hate the film, but I didn't think it was very good. I still prefer the first MK movie, which is disappointing to say, because there is a lot of room to improve. I'm looking forward to them trying again though. I love this universe.

I do think Johnny Cage will be white in this universe, for what it's worth. There has been so much fan outcry for the character, that serving up a faithful version looks like an easy slam-dunk.

I really hope there are some big changes in the sequel though. The world they've created is hard to buy into. It's straight up goofy the way they try to explain the powers. I still think they should do something more akin to that youtube video that went viral around a decade ago. This just felt like a cartoon.

[IMJ]

Originally Posted by AquaParade

I've never gotten upset with someone for not seeing my post. That's a snazzy move.

Upset is not what it is when I point out "Dromerisms". It's more like - getting a laugh with a head shake at the way this place has aggregated people.

But it's also a total Dromer mentality to assume that "upset" is what that post was.

Napolean Dynamites.

[IMJ]

Originally Posted by Wildcat

The Cole argument is stupid. It adds to the rivalry of Scorpion and Sub-Zero. Off the top of my head I can’t remember how the games tell it but do people genuinely think they purposely made Cole to replace Johnny Cage to be Woke? I feel silly even typing this.

In a Den of Geek Interview the Director of the movie is either an idiot or lying when he says:

Originally Posted by Simon McQuoid

The character serves as a device to introduce the world to a new audience. According to McQuoid, Young's role is “so anyone who's not a Mortal Kombat scholar or doesn't have a PhD in Mortal Kombat like a lot of people do, they'll be able to enjoy it as well.”

If he's an idiot, then that's because if someone wasn't familiar with Mortal Kombat, then they would also not be familiar with any of the characters and therefore adding a new character would make no difference at all because every existing character would be new by the perception of that viewer. The Director is an idiot.

Instead, if he is lying then the clearest assumption was to reduce the role of a white character (Johnny Cage) to go with a woke choice instead which fits the racism of current times.

[Sumac]

I feel like it was their idea of "sitting on two chairs": they introduce new character into MK lore, leaving a mark on a series and they pander to SJWs.

Its not like MK11 pandered enough in certain aspects.

[AquaParade]

Originally Posted by IMJ

Upset is not what it is when I point out "Dromerisms". It's more like - getting a laugh with a head shake at the way this place has aggregated people.

But it's also a total Dromer mentality to assume that "upset" is what that post was.

Napolean Dynamites.

It came off as overly sensitive whining but maybe that wasn't your intention.


Anyway, sorry I missed your post. Great minds think alike.

[Coola Yagami]

It's just dumb. Compared to the others and despite being a movie star, Johnny Cage was always kinda like the everyman that asks the questions and is confused by the MK world. He was usually the one guy acting like 'wait so we have to fight in a tournament to save the world and this involves 4-armed monsters and evil sorcerers, wut?" There didn't need to be a Scorpion successor, just bring in Scorpion himself, you know, like in the ****in games.

Unlike most fighting games, MK has a good story, just ****ing adapt it right.

That would be like a Fatal Fury movie and they add cyborgs and time travel when the story of Geese killing the Bogards adopted father as kids, the kids go their separate ways and trained and come back to their hometown as adults to enter the tournament, while meeting Joe along the way, and kill Geese isn't enough story for them.

[Wildcat]

Read the Den of Geek link and through most of this.
https://boundingintocomics.com/2021/...cage-comments/

So they specifically wanted an Asian’s story (not white person). Whether it’s “Woke” is another thing.

I know how the comments come off but it make sense for a Scorpion/Sub-Zero story too. Pretty much any MK character could be the base of a movie.

I still do not think it lessens the movie or that’s it’s all about Cole. He’s the main character but once he meets Sonya it’s more about MK.

In the original Liu Kang wants to avenge his brother but that’s not really it’s focus. Once they meet on the boat it separates into just MK with him getting the most important fight. Cole doesn’t even defeat Sub-Zero on his own with Scorpion doing most of it.

So if Johnny Cage has a huge part in the sequel like they’re implying what does that mean? They only did it because there was backlash for the first?

[Leo656]

A completely made-up and FAKE MK character, whose most defining trait throughout the entire first 3/4s of the movie is "sucks at fighting", got to single-handedly defeat and kill Prince Goro, the undefeated and defending Champion, because the plot said so.

I liked most of the movie just fine, but if THAT sh*t doesn't get your blood boiling, then I'm sorry but you're not allowed to have opinions about Mortal Kombat. If you need to be told WHY that was complete, total, unforgivable bullsh*t, then you don't get it and need to quietly step aside so the big kids can talk. It's that simple.

No, "They went ahead and told us at the end of the movie that all the dead characters will be revived for the sequel anyway" does NOT excuse it. Don't even start with that.

I think the movie got right more than it did wrong. I do. But what they got wrong, they got very, VERY wrong.

[Wildcat]

I didn’t even say anything about bringing back dead characters.

I understand not likely a mostly generic new character but Goro was taken out pretty easily in the old one. He just got more screen time before that.

Should Johnny Cage have been the main character or are people just upset he was not included?

This wanted to do a Scorpion and Sub-Zero thing. Sure it does not mean they needed to make up someone new. It could have gone a different way. That was still the standpoint for the story though.

[Leo656]

I know you didn't, but I've seen people mention it elsewhere and it was only a matter of time before someone here tried it. "Like, it doesn't matter, maaaaaaan, they're gonna bring Goro back in the next one anyway!" Bullsh*t. It totally matters. Goro hadn't lost a fight in 500 years and this made-up f*cking rando gets a kill-shot on him after being a pathetic loser for the whole movie up until then. Bad storytelling, bad decision, bad everything. The fact they're gonna magically un-kill him for the next movie doesn't undo what they already did, nor does it make it acceptable. It wasn't.

I know you didn't mention it. But someone was going to and I like to cut that kind of bullsh*t off well in advance as much as possible. Saves time. I scold them in advance so I don't have to later.

[Wildcat]

Well my only problem with Cole is he’s not that “cool” of an MK character but they might improve him. Maybe he trains Johnny Cage since he’s an actor and helps him gain his video game abilities.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by IMJ

Instead, if he is lying then the clearest assumption was to reduce the role of a white character (Johnny Cage) to go with a woke choice instead which fits the racism of current times.

Yeah. We're left with "TPTB are morons and did not behave logically in this way" or "Best not have a straight white lead. Yikes!"

[IMJ]

Originally Posted by Wildcat

I didn’t even say anything about bringing back dead characters.

I understand not likely a mostly generic new character but Goro was taken out pretty easily in the old one. He just got more screen time before that.

Should Johnny Cage have been the main character or are people just upset he was not included?

This wanted to do a Scorpion and Sub-Zero thing. Sure it does not mean they needed to make up someone new. It could have gone a different way. That was still the standpoint for the story though.

-sigh-

Man I don't think anyone cares if Johnny Cage wasn't the "main character". It has nothing to do with that. Instead it's a simple three fold problem that has nothing to do with personal-fan-desire.

-It's first the foolish or manipulative concept to add a new, story-centered character to a rebooted I.P. with decades of lore to draw on.
-But second, it was done at the expense of another already existing character. adding insult to injury to provide a pedestrian rationale ('this helps new people get on board") which is illustrated as complete bull $#!( simply by the short logical outline I mentioned above.
-And lastly, when you consider the rampant recent racism and outbursts against white males in pop culture that character manipulation now suddenly seems like "sign of the times agenda".

Johnny Cage was never the star of the series to begin with anyway. But in theory the whole Cole thing was dumb and only the most obtuse people would deny that it was agenda-laden. The could've omitted any character to use Cole and it still would've been dumb, but when you have that much social smoke of nonsense it becomes clear that you have an identity politics structure-fire in this MK movie.

Even the question "should Cage have been the STAARRRRR?" is a form of gaslighting which tries to draw an answer that ignores the simple truth of "Cole's inclusion". It's simple - the coward, $#!(bag movie makers substituted a white guy character for a woke character and most likely they did it disingenuously only to avoid more social criticisms from simps on Twitter who ruin ticket sales.

It's really that simple.

[AquaParade]

I'd like to see them start from scratch. Not likely, so I'm hoping for a soft-reboot approach. Maybe push the clock forward five years to justify some of the changes.

What works fine in the games, tastes like ass in the movies. Outworld looked ridiculous and it's fighters felt and looked like cosplay. Being faithful to the source material isn't enough.
Also, the way they explained the powers was ridiculous. First movie did it better by not even trying. A little mystery is okay. An explanation is okay too, but not the way they handled it.

Cole sucked and there is definitely some "white man=bad" going around behind the scenes, but he is still the least of the film's problems, unfortunately. The lack of tension, the cosplay designs, and the goofy acting are far more damaging.

I think the first movie set the tone much better, all things considered. They should lean harder in that direction.

I don't think they should give up the fantasy elements by any means, but they should pull back hard on them. Less is going to be more. The world should feel believable, with the fantasy elements sprinkled in. Take things back to the street, in a sense.

[IMJ]

Originally Posted by AquaParade

I'd like to see them start from scratch. Not likely, so I'm hoping for a soft-reboot approach. Maybe push the clock forward five years to justify some of the changes.

What works fine in the games, tastes like ass in the movies. Outworld looked ridiculous and it's fighters felt and looked like cosplay. Being faithful to the source material isn't enough.
Also, the way they explained the powers was ridiculous. First movie did it better by not even trying. A little mystery is okay. An explanation is okay too, but not the way they handled it.

Cole sucked and there is definitely some "white man=bad" going around behind the scenes, but he is still the least of the film's problems, unfortunately. The lack of tension, the cosplay designs, and the goofy acting are far more damaging.

I think the first movie set the tone much better, all things considered. They should lean harder in that direction.

I don't think they should give up the fantasy elements by any means, but they should pull back hard on them. Less is going to be more. The world should feel believable, with the fantasy elements sprinkled in. Take things back to the street, in a sense.

You know what, man? Now that you said this I had this epiphany. Remember "From Dusk Til Dawn" and how that arguably played out like two different movies in one?

Imagine a Mortal Kombat flick that is sold in marketing as 100% a street fighting "tournament" drama (i.e. BLoodsport) and carries itself that way narratively like a personal drama and not a cartoon-movie.

And then right at the last act, after spending the whole movie without a hint of magic, or "laser power", or monsters, the couple remaining characters are dropped into a dungeon sort of resembling the original video game level with Goro and there he is revealed and everyone is literally like "WTF is THAT?" but it sells harder because for literally an hour and 45 minutes of the movie it was a gritty "Fight Club" style flick with ZERO magic or anything like that. And when Goro shows up it's filmed like a horror flick and his facial structure is sort of like the Bat/vampire people from 30 days of Nights but "Goro".

I mean obviously we aren't going to suss this out on the Technodrome forums where it would ever happen in Hollywood, but that would be an honest-to-God new presentation for Mortal Kombat. Sort of making the "special" aspects of it "special again" instead of the norm.

Mortal Kombat filmed like "The Midnight Meat Train".

[Sumac]

Interesting concept, but wouldn't work for many reasons:

- someone would had spoiled the reveal anyway;
- this is MK movie and everyone would've expected reveal anyway;
- there would be enormous backlash, if they even pretended to play MK as a serious grounded tournament, look no further than reaction to MK Rebirth (which I liked) and that was just a concept;

[IMJ]

Originally Posted by Sumac

Interesting concept, but wouldn't work for many reasons:

- someone would had spoiled the reveal anyway;
- this is MK movie and everyone would've expected reveal anyway;
- there would be enormous backlash, if they even pretended to play MK as a serious grounded tournament, look no further than reaction to MK Rebirth (which I liked) and that was just a concept;

Oh no no no, they wouldn't have to keep it from the audience. Everyone KNEW going into Dusk Til Dawn from the trailers that it was a vampire movie. But the paradigm shift was still effective.... Midnight Meat Train did it well as well.

So the audience could go in knowing this, but it would still set the presentation and atmosphere for the narrative shift in a more 'special' way I think.

On another note it's crazy that those Mortal Kombat online shorts that string into a movie are still better MK material than anything Hollywood has ever pumped out....