Is Mortal Kombat Becoming A Violent Crime Drama? (Please Say Yes) — Updated

As a Mortal Kombat fan, I personally think that's one of the stupidest things I've ever seen.

As a Mortal Kombat fan, I personally think that's one of the most awesome things I've ever seen.

Honestly though, I expected the man in the shadows to end up being Sub-Zero or Liu Kang.

I've heard from a reliable source that this was directed by Kevin Tancharoen, a talented young director whose most recent film (Fame) is not indicative of his actual skills behind the camera (this mini-movie should be proof of that)…he's using this to pitch his take on a new MK franchise…at least that's what I've heard…..

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Hilarious!

Well they said nothing could be worse than the first Street Fighter film, and then the Chun-li movie proved them wrong.

People said the same about Mortal Kombat 2… I guess they've been proven wrong too.

Scorpion hell Yeah!

@orbulas:

Oy. Have you ever heard of allowing in a little suspension of disbelief for the purposes of allowing yourself to be ENTERTAINED? You have to give Kevin Tancharoen credit… this is an interesting take on the franchise. Completely different than anything they've done with it before. I was a fan of the Mortal Kombat series, and I like seeing these characters resurrected and still portrayed loyally to their video game counterparts while also offering some grounding in reality. My only complaint is that Johnny Cage gets killed. He was one of my favorite characters from the game series. It also seems odd that Liu Kang isn't the hero of the film. Or doesn't seem to be… he may figure in some other way.

I just shot this link to my little brother and for what it's worth, we think it's bad@$$.

I dig this. I haven't cared for the series since the second game but this might bring me back.

Personally I think it'd make an interesting change, it might not be true to the game but #2 sucked and anyone who says otherwise needs to give their heads a shake.

Well, you saw him headless. Maybe they'll discover it was a stunt double, since he's in the movie biz. Or maybe Shang Tsung will resurrect him with voodoo magic and he'll be a zombie, like in Deception. Or they'll throw a plot twist and we'll find that he faked his death and he's working with Baraka.

I never cared for the character, really. In the game, his only strength was that he didn't have any incredible weaknesses; he was just a balanced character good for new players to get used to the controls. In the story, he never really fit in. He was like seeing Tom Cruise handing out religious pamphlets at a death metal concert.

Is there a problem with making it more like the game? Do all the movies have to go for the more realistic quality? Sigh…. Looking like another flop like G.I. Joe…

Johnny Cage is dead… NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…!!! Sniff…

It has some dumb elements but it could work.

A fresh take on an already stale franchise? Nice. All you people complaining are more hilarious than any flaws in this video. What the hell else was the MK franchise doing besides, oh I don't know, lying dorment! This video > both Street Fighters and both Mortal Kombats combined.

Ha. Yeah. This is gonna make that Chun Li movie look as good as part of one of the actual games. Heck. These are fighting games. There's not much plot to them, but what little there is holds the story in place and creates some good fights and amazing looking characters. How can you get something so simple so wrong?! You actually have to put a good deal of effort to destroy and distort something this badly.

First, they are NOT making this into a film…yet. As another poster said before, this is a pitch made by a director that wants to show what he can with this franchise to WB.

And second, I do not like the fact that it is rooted in reality instead of the fantasy setting and characters we know. The first MK movie was to me a very fun movie. Especially Johnny Cage who was a great funny character.

I'd rather see a new, big budget MK, with all the weird fantasy stuff and a smart-ass Johnny Cage! BUT let's forget I know about MK for a minute and look at that short film with virgin eyes. I like it. It's kinda silly and taking itself way too seriously with some over dramatic acting from Michael Jai White but nonetheless, this has potential. If the director gets the job, I hope he changes some things like the death of Johnny Cage and makes him fun again, though. Even a draker movie could use some humor!

It doesnt matter how different a movie is to source material (be it a comic, a game or another movie) cause you can always just go `this is how things happened in an alternative/what if?/elseworlds' universe. Why make a movie with the same plot as a game we've all already played? I know what happened in THAT story; why pay good money to see the same story? If someone can write a good alternate version of events, Im fine with that. Im not sure if this is that `good alternate version', but I dont care that its not the same as the game.

A lot of whiners in here about it not being mystical/magical enough or whatever. If that's what you want, just watch the original. Isn't the point of a reboot to put a new take on it? What would be the point if they're just gonna do the same thing over again? “Second verse, same as the first!”
Nope, this new take excites me. It's ridiculously campy and creepy enough to invoke memories of the original two games, while giving it enough spin to make it stand out from the first two movies. Mass murderer with a rare and deadly disease that should have killed him not long after child birth? Crazy plastic surgeon martial artist? Scorpion is an international assassin hired to kill these psychopaths? I mean SCORPION is the “good guy?” Good call in my opinion. I'm looking forward to it already.

Holy christ, there are some jaded people out there. This looks fun. Dumb, but fun. If you don't like it, don't see it. This isn't even official yet and you're ready to piss out the little flame that's been lit under it. Face facts; it's really well made piece of footage. Mortal Kombat was always dopily OTT, yet this is a lovingly crafted vision of what could be.

Oh, and to the “star power” mockers; who are you? I've never heard of you

I feel it will be a great movie. It would be great if they turn Lui into a monk who becomes blood thirsty after a battle with one of the killers. I wonder if they will use jsut the basic caracters or if they will use other ones like reptile or smoke? Will we see jax get a metal arm for something or see the start of it where his arm gets damaged?

Looks utterly pathetic. What is this “Law and Order-Mortal Kombat?”

Facebook for the movie:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=127746020…

I can just imagine the people complaining about the lack of fantasy in this short film trying to read Superman: Red Son and having a fit because it features a Russian Superman.

This is a different take on the mythos, and it appeared to be far more respectful of the source material than anything short of the first movie.

It is full of little nods to the original games, with the Sub Zero brothers, Johnny Cage dying, even the fact that it plays like a cliche crime thriller lifted straight from any procedural crime show, in the same way the original game was just a cliche kung fu movie plot lifted straight from Enter the Dragon.

Mortal Kombat never had a good story, it just had a fun story. And this short film gives the impression that the director understands that, even if some of the more closed minded internet voices don't.

This looks terrible. I like Moratal Kombat for the Ninjas and monsters and supernatural elements not some realistic crime drama nonsense. And they killed off Johnny Cage…AGAIN. WTF do people have against him? And the main character is scorpion? fucking scorpion? I could have forgiven them if it was sub-zero, that guy is badass, but scorpion. I hope this tanks.

Well then ur obviously not a MK fan

What most people don't seem to understand is that this isn't “your mortal kombat” , it's an interpretation of the franchise that the people who made this trailer thought would sell to today's audience. Hollywood is convinced the only way to sell any action movie is to make it darker and more realistic than the source material that's what's working for them. In short, they aren't trying to placate video game fans.