Though it may look like a mess of blood and gore, theMortal Kombatfranchise is a big dumb martial arts epic that drags in inspiration from all over the world. The story is ostensibly about a fighting tournament, but the fine details unfold into a war between realms and deities. The franchise will be enjoying a new film adaptation, and it has a chance to capture that massive scale.
On the big screen,Mortal Kombatis a mixed bag. The original 1995 film has become something of a cult classic after a questionable early reception,but its 1997 sequelis universally despised. The 2021 reboot went straight for the throat with the series' trademark blood and gore, but it also felt the need to introduce some unwanted elements for the sake of the generic structure.
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Give Shao Kahn his Grand Entrance
The 2021Mortal Kombatmovie certainly had a lot of villains, but none of them were particularly compelling. Shang Tsung, despite the best efforts of prolific Singaporean star Chin Han, is a fairly boring archetypal villain. His minions, Kabal, Mileena, Nitara, and Reiko, are all fun to watch in fight scenes, but they lack any sense of personality. They’re all just specialized murderers who barely speak. Shao Kahn is the ultimate villain of the franchise, and though he’s teased in the 2021 film, he hasn’t appeared yet. So long as they have the right star behind him and the appropriate level of atmosphere,Shao Kahn can be a threaton the level of Thanos. He’s entertaining, threatening, powerful, and often funny. If they get Shao Kahn right and put Shang Tsung in the scheming vizier role, the new villain will immediately elevate the upcoming sequel over the 2021 reboot.
Make Johnny Cage the Star
Among the many confusing choices made by the 2021Mortal Kombatmovie, none stands out more than its protagonist. Cole Young, the washed-up MMA fighter who turns out to be Hanzo Hasashi’s great-great-grandson, does not feel like aMortal Kombatcharacter. Perhaps worse, he feels like a very badMortal Kombatcharacter, most notably thecanonically dead PS2-era nobodyKobra. Lewis Tan gets some credit for trying, but no one wants to see his character’s boring generic Hollywood journey. The producers were evidently convinced that people would be happier to see aMortal Kombatmovie as long as they made up a new guy to be the main character. They were wrong. Johnny Cage is the perfect main character for this entry. If they want to play with the mainline tournament story, they should put Cage up front and let his bizarre backstory take the stage.
Put a Mortal Kombat Tournament in This One
Perhaps an outside-the-box suggestion, but thenameMortal Kombatisn’tjust a fun thing to shout. It’s a fighting tournament that determines the fate of the two realms that take part. Both alternate dimensions pick their strongest warriors, and if one realm bests the other 10 times in a row, they effectively conquer all of their lands. The 2021 film takes place before the 10th tournament between Earthrealm and Outworld. Instead of fighting in a tournament, the film depicts Shang Tsung’s efforts to assassinate all of Earth’s mightiest heroes before the proper fights start. The wizard fails, leaving many of his warriors in pieces. The follow-up has the freedom to introduce the tournament as a plot point. This will elevate the stakes, change the structure, and allow for a ton ofnew characters to pop up. With the tournament in effect, the sequel can start introducing new realms and dealing with new stories. It’s the inflection point that can lead to any number of new worlds in future films.
Start Hopping Realms
Mortal Kombatstories areat their best when they’re hopping all over the place, discovering fantastical new realities, and meeting all the cool murderers who live there. By necessity, the first film spends 90% of its time on Earth. Most of the film takes place in a secretive mountain enclave where the heroes learn to master their unique powers. There are a couple of sparse cutaways to Outworld, but the rest of the film is squarely on familiar ground. The sequel has the benefit of having most of its main elements established, so they can start getting weird. Take a page out of Marvel’s book. The franchise needs to expand. Afull-fledgedMortal Kombatfranchisepiece should feel more likeGame of Thronesthan anything else.
DoScorpion’s RevengeInstead
To be honest, Scorpion is the flagship character of theMortal Kombatfranchise. He’s Ed Boon’s favorite, he’s on the box of most of the games, andhis iconic shouts arethe go-to soundbite of the franchise. Beyond all of that, Hiroyuki Sanada’s portrayal of Hanzo Hasashi is the best part of the 2021 film. The feature is bookended by two beautiful scenes, the opening in which Hanzo and his family are butchered by Sub-Zero, and the end in which Scorpion claims vengeance.
As most fans know, Scorpion claims his vengeance on the first Sub-Zero, Bi-Han. Han later returns as Noob Saibot and the mantle is claimed by his little brother Kuai Liang. Scorpion later discovers that the evil wizard Quan Chi orchestrated every stage of the scheme to acquire Hanzo’s service as an immortal revenant assassin.Scorpion’s quest for vengeance, the revelation of Quan Chi’s betrayal, his new mission in life, and his eventual reconciliation with the new Sub-Zero would make a perfect film. If the sequel’s screenwriter Jeremy Slater wants to ditch the original plot, this would be the ideal new direction for the sequel.
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