There will be violence
New cinematic take on Mortal Kombat carries on video game's brutal legacy
Mortal Kombat has made a name for itself by letting gamers indulge in brutal, no-holds-barred battles. So, it comes as no surprise that the blood splatter fans have been dispensing virtually since the video game's debut nearly 30 years ago had to stay intact for a new movie reboot.
“The DNA of Mortal Kombat is made up of several key ingredients, and the brutality is one of those,” says director Simon Mcquoid. “But what I loved about that was it allowed us to bring an authenticity to the way the fights play out. I think smart, cinematic, beautiful and epic can fit with brutality.”
“We went up to the edge. In fact, we probably peered over it,” producer Todd Garner adds with a grin in a separate conversation. “In the first 13 minutes of the movie someone gets speared in the head, someone gets turned to ice, a bunch of people get stabbed, a guy gets cut in half, a guy gets stabbed in the heart, turns to dust and disappears. Those first 13 minutes gives you a hint of what's to come.”
Co-produced by Aquaman director James Wan, this new cinematic take inspired by the fabled video game franchise finds washed-up MMA fighter Cole Young, a new character to this world played by actor Lewis Tan (Wu Assassins, Into the Badlands), drawn into a battle between the evil forces of Outworld and the noble warriors of Earthrealm.
In addition to Cole, the film reintroduces characters familiar to fans, including the villainous Sub-zero (Joe Taslim), Mileena (newcomer Sisi Stringer), Major Jackson (Jax) Briggs (Mehcad Brooks), Sonya Blade (Jessica Mcnamee), Kano (Josh Lawson), Liu Kang (Ludi Lin) and Kung Lao (stuntman Max Huang).
Sub-zero was chosen as one of the film's main antagonists, Mcquoid says, because his “ice powers were very intriguing.”
But Garner says the character is the perfect foil for the heroic and vengeful Scorpion, played by Westworld's Hiroyuki Sanada.
“We wanted to start with a story that was surprising and heartbreaking and unexpected and (prove) that anyone can die in this movie,” he says. “(Sub-zero) has an agenda. He is doing something he believes in. He's not just a mindless villain.”
Mcquoid realizes the legacy of the games — and two previous films — looms large over the new entry, but he says this new Mortal Kombat had to appeal to both longtime devotees and newcomers to the series.
“There was a constant conversation about respecting the fans and understanding the new audience,” he says. “There are certain details that only superfans will know. But I would ask a lot of questions to make sure that in pursuit of a new audience, we weren't pissing off the old fans.”
Garner knows that many eyebrows will be raised by the absence of Johnny Cage, who in the game is a Hollywood action star turned tournament fighter.
But the producer is eyeing this movie revamp as a springboard to a cinematic universe of Mortal Kombat films.
“We didn't have a character we felt strong enough to say, `Here's a Mortal Kombat movie,'” he says. “The thing about the Marvel universe is it can say, `Here's an Iron Man movie, here's a Thor movie.' Mortal Kombat is known for its universe, which is a bit of a challenge.”