The first episode of Warner Brother’s new foray into the web series world has gone online, and Mortal Kombat: Legacy looks… well, kinda boring so far.
Even though it looks sharp enough and there’s nothing particularly groan-worthy about it, the short still disappoints even mild expectations simple because it does almost nothing. It’s even hard to judge if the series is using the proof-of-concept piece as canon, or if it’s jumping off from scratch because so little happens. Either way a mistake has been made, as there is barely an ounce of the fantastic here, nothing interesting or fun that ties this into Mortal Kombat right from the start. Instead, we get pretty standard low-budget action set in a warehouse amid machinery. This thing may as well have been hosted on Vimeo and be a reel for a cinematography student for all the cheesy light-bulb set dressing, knock-off speed-ramping, and egregious slow-mo. The thing that could make this fun is the over-the-top gritty treatment of the inherently cartoony material present in the MK universe, and there’s none of that so far.
The costuming, props, effects, directing, action and acting are all on par with web shorts that have relatively respectable budgets and competent filmmakers behind them, but regardless they are too cheap and thin to excite without some kind of interesting hook. The mere presence of Sonja, Jaxx, and Kano are not enough to elicit interest, considering they’re the most boring characters of the whole gallery. Also, a few “fucks” and some After Effects blood fx do not make the series edgy from the get go.
All of this to say: boring. A tiny sprinkle of budget and a brand name is not enough to set your 12 minutes apart from the whole ocean of internet-based cleverness Warner Brothers. Get some weird characters and interesting shit going but quick, or get lost among all the no-budget fan trailers that at least have something funny or cute to offer. There’s no chance this will ever be a legitimately dark series, or something with literary merit- so step up the krazy, I say.
What do you guys think? Did this get your blood pumping or do you think it’s as flat as I do? Let us know in the comments and on the boards.
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6 comments
the term Milquetoast comes to mind
Don’t you mean milqueTOASTY!
I was quite impressed by the level of fight choreography, acting (particularly from Penikett, who seems like he would give 100% to playing a damned rodeo clown if asked) and directorial skill on display here. They could’ve easily put this whole thing in theaters (it’s gonna be 90-100 minutes total anyway), and the old movies would’ve probably looked pretty lame next to it. Or, well, maybe. That’s just based on the level of effects and action herein. Some of the dialogue is clunky, especially the stuff that White has to deliver. The weakest part is easily Jeri Ryan; she’s miscast and looks a little lost on-screen to me. But that doesn’t mean I’m not impressed, especially as someone who actually still plays these games and still cares about the mythology.
From what I understand, a lot more of the fantasy elements will be introduced as they continue to come out. This is kinda their way of slowly bringing you into the world.
Pretty damn sweet. The cast is fantastic. Very surprising. And the action is solid. And did anyone pay attention to that score? Freakin’ epic. Almost too epic for a 10 minute webseries
The Fight Choreography was the highlight. Everything else was ho-hum. I’d have liked to see a glimpse of the dark fantasy aspect.
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