I tried my damnedest to keep up with Mortal Kombat: Legacy, but I tuned out along with many other fans when it ditched its one thinly interesting element of “realism” to cheaply visualize the mystical backstories of some characters. That said, even with a steep fall-off in viewership after the first episode, the web series has still rocked nearly 50 million views since it began in mid-April. After many months of foreplay (and one flopped 3D concert film from the director later) Warner Brothers has finally made the dubious decision to greenlight a franchise reboot helmed by Kevin Tancharoen.
I say dubious because the guy can’t go one interview (with the LA Times) without dropping the triumvirate of genre reboot buzzwords: “realistic” “gritty/edgy” and “Nolan.”
To be fair, the interviewer brought up Nolan, but Tancharoen doesn’t hesitate to credit Nolan for bringing the almighty realism to “these types of films” and affirming that “[his] sensibilities lean more toward realism as opposed to the more mythological stuff that Mortal Kombat automatically has. You can expect more of that instinct in the feature version. It will be more realistic and gritty than the last two movies, but also a very big story.”
I actually happen to think the first Mortal Kombat film struck a perfect tone that was just enough straightforward summer-movie confidence mixed with just enough DTV martial arts cheesiness to not disappear totally up its own ass. That said, even that moderately successful interpretation was very of its time and something different needs to be done with a Mortal Kombat movie made today. Even aside from the cheap effects and limited filmmaking of the web series that I can attribute to limited resources though, I don’t see this new sensibility or instinct for shallow cleverness empowering this franchise on the big screen.
Anybody out there stick with the web series and feel different? Any ideas on who could have brought this universe to life again?
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(Catching up with this via Dark Horizons)
6 comments
Thought the Mortal Kombat Rebirth short/Teaser thingy was kind of cool.
the Web Series was terrible. I tuned out after two episodes.
I stuck with the web series, but feel no differently. I don’t see how he can, with a straight face, claim to eschew the “mythological stuff.” Many of the webisodes featured just that, and they were done with terrible, terrible animated sequences.
Frankly, I feel a great MK movie could exist if they simply leave the backstory to every character the hell out of it and focus on tight, brutal and badass fights the series became famous for. The powers and the myth can and should exist in the periphery. “Oh, that man pulls his off his face flesh and breathes fire.” That doesn’t need a fucking explanation. It just needs to be.
He needs to embrace its fantastical roots, regardless of his (ugh) “gritty” or “realistic” approach. Keep the intertwining backstories but, most importantly, keep it self-contained as the first story and not as a commercial for a yet-approved trilogy. And make it R this time.
I’d love an all out epic, with using the MK4 storyline of the war with Shinnok. Let the 1st one be an Enter the Dragon rip off and build to the final battle with Shinnok in the 3rd film. 2nd would be the MK II tournament. Skip that invasion stuff.
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I don’t think anyone was exactly clamoring for a new MK franchise. It really does need to be rated R though to gain any sort of respect. On a seperate note, anybody out there remember or fondly recall the cheesy live action TV series?
I want to see Nicolas Refn Winding direct a Mortal Kombat movie. Tell me you don’t.
TELL ME YOU DON’T!!!!
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