Mortal Kombat debuted as a Midway arcade game in 1992 and has since become a cultural phenomenon among the millennial generation. Countless iterations of the video game have been released across various systems from Super Nintendo to Gamecube to Playstation. But its 1995 movie adaptation, while making for horrifying nostalgia, did not do the source material justice.
The YouTube series Mortal Kombat: Legacy did marginally better than the first adaptation, but still wasn’t quite what fans wanted. The MK universe has another chance with the slated 2021 reboot. Here are five things we want to see in it and five we don’t.
WANT TO SEE: Signature Character Moves
At its heart, Mortal Kombat is exactly that: a fight for life. That’s why the characters’ signature moves, while cheesy and outlandish, carry such value among the fans. Sonya Blade’s deadly thighs and Johnny Cage’s split into an uppercut punch come off as absurd but make for incredible visuals to get the audience excited.
Pageantry has always been a vital factor in any fighting culture, like with the wrestlers of Lucha libre. Why not give the people what they want? It just so happens to be an unreasonable flying kick.
DON’T: PG-13 Rating
The point of MK is to be violent. The finishing moves aren’t called fatalities for nothing. Especially in the latest versions of the game for Playstation, the blood and violence are beyond gory; they’re disgusting. But that’s what makes Mortal Kombat such a fan favorite.
To water it down for a palatable rating to appeal to parents takes the fun out of watching opponents fight to the death and walk it off. What would be the point of Scorpion’s classic, “Get over here,” without ripping out a heart?
WANT TO SEE: Focus on Sub-Zero and Scorpion Storylines
Sub-Zero and Scorpion are by far the two most popular and well-known characters of the MK franchise. Their polar opposites rivalry makes fascinating fodder for that story fire. With the Sub-Zero mantle taken by two different characters, Bi Han and Kuai Liang, and the continued search for vengeance against Scorpion, Bi Han’s killer, there is much to work with.
Not to mention it allows the introduction of Noob Saibot, a character included in Mortal Kombat II as a costume swap. There are so many different ways to go with Scorpion and Sub-Zero.
DON’T: Feature Cool Characters for Nothing But a Cameo
Throughout the years the MK video games have introduced countless characters each with unique personalities and capabilities. The original cast continues to captivate the audience’s attention, but additions like Skarlet and D’Vorah have further enhanced the game’s mythology.
The new characters introduced in later iterations of the game offer the reboot writers a chance to delve into rich stories and play with its development in relation to the original source material. To bring in a promising character simply for fanservice without purpose would be a waste.
WANT TO SEE: Female Characters With Sensible Costumes
The audience is ready to see women warriors treated with the same respect as their male counterparts. Characters like Jade, Mileena, and Kitana have always been drawn as Femme Fatales with skimpy costumes and all. Of course, if they were fighting in real life, those costumes wouldn’t work in combat for one second.
They offer no protection and frankly ride up in places that would make it hard to properly perform half the moves they do. The reboot should take inspiration from the original costumes, but make them sensible for a modern audience.
DON’T: Time Travel
The Mortal Kombat 11 video game introduced a time-traveling element to story mode that let players interact with previous versions of the game throughout its history. Instances of sending objects back through time were also featured in MK9.
But for the reboot, it would be best to establish the main timeline first before trying to go full Barry Allen and messing with it. Time travel presents an interesting twist to the Mortal Kombat premise, but the writers would do best to save it for a sequel.
WANT TO SEE: Kitana
The reboot announcements have already established the likes of Mileena and even Nitara, a vampire who first appeared in the Deadly Alliance game and a couple of others, but who hasn’t been a part of the canon from the very start.
Kitana’s casting has yet to be announced for the MK reboot. Her role is crucial to the story as she starts as the adopted daughter of Shao Khan who changes allegiances to the Earthrealm fighters, much like a Gamora and Thanos situation. Fans hope to see her actress announced soon.
DON’T: Kombat Kids
In more recent versions of the game, the stories included Cassie Cage (Sonya and Johnny’s daughter), Kung Jin (younger cousin of Kung Lao), Takeda Takahashi (Kenji’s son) and Jacqui Briggs (Jax’s daughter). For the MK reboot movie, there is no need to include these characters.
The main cast needs to be established before adding on their kids born into this crazy world of an interdimensional fighting tournament. Before there can be a Cassie, there needs to be a Sonya and Johnny relationship to make it happen.
WANT TO SEE: Good Fighting Choreography and Special Effects
It’s safe to say that the 1995 film’s failure was subpar fight sequences and downright dismal graphics. One could argue the limitation of technology in the 90s accounted for terrible visual effects but that is the same era that gave us Jurassic Park with lifelike dinosaurs.
However, standards for visuals what they are today, there’s no excuse for abysmal special effects. The plethora of action flicks seen throughout the last two decades also indicate that genuinely good fight scenes are achievable as well.
DON’T: Shinnok
The villain Shinnok was introduced to the MK world in the 1997 game Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero. Though the Elder God is arguably an inherently cool character, it’s best to stick with the bad guys the fanbase knows and loves best: Shang Tsung and Shao Khan.
For a reboot movie that is reintroducing the franchise to its old audience and hopefully making it known to a new generation, sticking with the classic villains is the smart choice. Shinnok’s appearance in a first reboot film would be too soon.
