Mortal Kombat *SPOILERS*

[Vakanai]

I don't know who said it earlier in the thread but I really liked the idea of some setup movies leading to the first tournament.

Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Shaolin, Outworld, Black Dragon vs. Earthrealm SDF, Shang Tsung collecting souls, etc. There's a lot that could be done before the whole 'Chosen One' tourney begins.

Oh I agree, you can make some incredible movies leading up to the tournament - but only if these movies exist as more than setup - they have to be a complete story that can stand on its own. This one stands on the prayer for a sequel.

[Surf]

I think you're misunderstanding me - I'm not complaining about sequels, I'm complaining about movies that think they can get away with being crap just to set up better sequels. And that's not Hollywood or the game as usual, not even for just twenty years. It's new. It's nine years old. It's people taking the wrong lesson after the Avengers. Batman v Superman, The Mummy, and now Mortal Kombat. Sequels are nothing new, but films that only exist to promote a future sequel is new, and it's crap. And they rightfully never do that well critically or financially.

I get it but you've connected your opinion of it's merit quite heavy on the fact that you think this was enough to be sequel bait. Again, this practice is older than you realize, the world of entertainment didn't begin with Favreu's first Iron Man. Jaws 2 was a thing and it was truly crap and it got 2 sequels and Michael Caine was in one of them.

I don't know how you delineate a sequels purpose as sequel bait as opposed to any, uhhh, other sequel that's made? Video Game movies travel in that lane so I'm not sure how you get that. The Resident Evil movies bordered on serialization and none of those were as good of an adaptation as this MK was. Relatively speaking.

[BeastieRunner]

I like that too. One thing about the MK Lore is that it's pretty big, arguably bigger than 1 movie can do justice. This ain't Street Fighter 2, with likely more sequels than MK and only the one movie. Also MK has the hitch that combatants DIE, that's part of it lol so that's a hang-up a lot of properties don't have in their adaptations.

More than a couple of the guys I usually agree with tough, have been cooking the shit out of this movie. Yea I'm not there.

Oh I agree, you can make some incredible movies leading up to the tournament - but only if these movies exist as more than setup - they have to be a complete story that can stand on its own. This one stands on the prayer for a sequel.

I wonder if MK would do better as a HBO Max series?

I mean Daredevil had awesome fights, Wu Assassins, etc.

It is the day and age of high-quality streaming shows.

[Vakanai]

I get it but you've connected your opinion of it's merit quite heavy on the fact that you think this was enough to be sequel bait. Again, this practice is older than you realize, the world of entertainment didn't begin with Favreu's first Iron Man. Jaws 2 was a thing and it was truly crap and it got 2 sequels and Michael Caine was in one of them.

I don't know how you delineate a sequels purpose as sequel bait as opposed to any, uhhh, other sequel that's made? Video Game movies travel in that lane so I'm not sure how you get that. The Resident Evil movies bordered on serialization and none of those were as good of an adaptation as this MK was. Relatively speaking.

Again, I don't think you understand me. Jaws wasn't a set up film for Jaws 2. And sequel bait isn't the same as set up. Iron Man wasn't a movie about setting up the Avengers - all the sequel bait happened in an after credits scene. Iron Man 2 though did try to set stuff up in film, and it got flack for it. Avengers didn't do setting up stuff, but Age of Ultron did - guess which movie is regarded as worse? But largely the MCU isn't guilty of set ups, only sequel baiting. Sequel baiting at the end of a movie is perfectly fine. Making an inferior movie because this'll all pay off in a future sequel isn't. Do you understand the difference?

Edit - There's a difference between a movie getting a sequel, a movie baiting a sequel at the end, and a movie being lackluster because it's just setting up a sequel. The first two are fine, the third one sucks!

[Vakanai]

I wonder if MK would do better as a HBO Max series?

I mean Daredevil had awesome fights, Wu Assassins, etc.

It is the day and age of high-quality streaming shows.

I don't think so. Daredevil had good fights - it also didn't have laser beams and ice powers and fireballs. Daredevil is good, but it's a series focused on one hero. Something like MK would work better taking more from the MCU proper than the Netflix Marvel Series - interconnected solo movies leading up to crossovers.

[CosmiComic]

I don't think so. Daredevil had good fights - it also didn't have laser beams and ice powers and fireballs. Daredevil is good, but it's a series focused on one hero. Something like MK would work better taking more from the MCU proper than the Netflix Marvel Series - interconnected solo movies leading up to crossovers.

Maybe more like 6-10 episodes like D+?

[Surf]

Making an inferior movie because



this'll all pay off in a future sequel isn't. Do you understand the difference?

Edit - There's a difference between a movie getting a sequel, a movie baiting a sequel at the end, and a movie being lackluster because it's just setting up a sequel. The first two are fine, the third one sucks!

I get what you're saying, and I I'm veering becuase I don't think the space in-between what you've said is a an actual thing.

No one signed up to work on this day in and day out because it's a given it will be inferior, stop. AND this daily practice will set up a sequel. Those two things don't rock, no one works on something knowing the NEXT one will be the real one. It's worked in reverse, MK 1995 but not the other way.

I wonder if MK would do better as a HBO Max series?

I mean Daredevil had awesome fights, Wu Assassins, etc.

It is the day and age of high-quality streaming shows.

Probably not, especially when Fatalities are a real thing. Or at least a 1 season and done. 13 episodes is a lot of opportunity to take characters out. Not a whole lot of people are gonna feel good if Sindel survives the series and half a dozen other characters get knocked into the pit. Then to it could depend on who it's centered around and everyone is fodder for that.

[Vakanai]

Maybe more like 6-10 episodes like D+?

It's still just a few series focused on a few characters. I'd rather just have 10 movies.

[Vakanai]

I get what you're saying, and I I'm veering becuase I don't think the space in-between what you've said is a an actual thing.

In that case, I just flat out disagree with you. There's clearly a difference between a movie being a stand alone good movie that just happens to get a sequel, a movie like Batman Begins that gives a sequel bait tease at the end with a Joker playing card, and a movie that just waters itself down because hey, it can just blow it's good load in the awesome spectacular sequel that it's setting up. And if you don't think there's a difference or a space between those things, then clearly it's pointless for us to continue. But yeah, it's an actual thing.

No one signed up to work on this day in and day out because it's a given it will be inferior, stop. AND this daily practice will set up a sequel. Those two things don't rock, no one works on something knowing the NEXT one will be the real one. It's worked in reverse, MK 1995 but not the other way.

They might not think it'll be inferior, but they're clearly making a mistake focusing too much for crap that won't pay off in the here and now. And you don't know that this daily practice will get the sequel it's setting up for - Universal's Dark Universe says hi.

[Killerbee911]

Are these good numbers?

Nearly 3.8 million US households watched Mortal Kombat during its opening weekend, according to Samba TV.

MortalKombat had more viewership in just 3 days (Fri-Sun) than Godzilla vs. Kong got in its first 5.

[Vakanai]

Are these good numbers?

Are those theater numbers or streaming numbers? Either way, yes. I can't say if they're good numbers in a non-pandemic year, but right now if everyone in the industry views GvK as a success for this point in history, and MK is doing a bit better than that, then yeah I'd have to say those must be considered good numbers if accurate.

[Haquim]

The rules of the tournament is that every 50 years a fighting tournament is held in the realm to decide the fate of the universe. Shao Khan got REALLY good at conquering shit and so the Elder gods put the tournament on him as a restriction so those realms had a fighting chance. The champions are representatives of those realms but not necessarily being from them. Shao Khan could invade but the Elder gods would strike him down for it. He needs the loophole of rescuing his wife in order to invade even though that does risk the gods or a champion. The second tournament was on surface level bullshit but the gods allowed it since both sides not only agreed to the terms but should Khan loose he'd be unable to bother that realm further.

The Shaolin are the ones in charge of the tournament which is where Liu Kang and Kung Lao are from. The tournament was overtaken by Shang Tsung which is why it's held on his island.

Representatives in the tournament can be literally anyone which is why Sonya, Jax, and Kano got involved. You can be invited but if you just show up they'll roll with it and have you fight someone. Not always the case but it can happen. This is also why you have a host of demons and ninjas involved since it doesn't matter who shows up so long as both sides have something to work with which is why both sides need to have their best at the tournament. It's a battle for the fate of the universe and anyone can participate which is why you want to lead with something great.

Speaking of, the Great Kung Lao is notable because he was Earth Realm's champion beating Outworld's champion in Shang Tsung. Goro was then brought in Shang Tsung's place who proceeded to kill Lao and dominate the tournament ever since. Why could he dominates? Well Shokan's are advanced in age but champions of the tournament age slower to defend the title of champion. So Outworld could just keep winning which is why it is such a big deal to take Goro down. Here's the other thing, you also don't have to kill your opponents. This was a corruption by Shang Tsung but Liu Kang isn't a killer and was trained to respect all life including his enemies. Outside saving the universe Liu Kang's goal in the first game is also to retake the tournament for the Shaolin.

Powers are weird but this is a world where magic is very real, it's just not as used on Earth-realm. Later entries give the special forces and black dragon technology (Kano always had a cybernetic) but Bi-Han is a cryomancer and Scorpion is a god damned ghost made of fire. You don't have to explain magic in the universe but point out that magic just isn't as common in Earth-realm as it would be in Outworld.

It's also kind of foundational stuff for the series and while I'm sure I'm not 100% accurate here if you're going to be writing something in the series you should at the very least be in the right ball park.

Kinda but not quite.

The turnament does not decide the fate of the universe but just that of a single realm. In the case of the current turnament Outworld is trying to take over Earthrealm and absorb it unto itself like it did with Edenia millenia before.

The rules state that a realm has to win the turnament 10 times in a row in order to absorb another. Goro won 9 times after killing the Great Kung Lao (who you correctly mention as the one who dethroned Shang Tsung... who was fighting for Outworld despite being an Earthrealmer in origin) and Liu Kandg defeated him before he could claim his tenth victory.

After that Shao Khan tried to lure the champions of Earthrealm to Outworld and held a second Mortal Kombat hoping to get rid of those fighting for Earthrealm, merging the realms anyway. He was defeated for the first time ever by Liu Kang (after Kung Lao was killed).

His chances to conquer Earthrealm apparently shattered, Shao Khan resorted to a trick involving the sorceror Quan Chi from the Netherrealm (and not so secret servant of Shinnok) and had his wife Sindel being reborn on Earth. This gave him a loophole that justified invading Eartrealm without the Elder Gods being able to interfere. He easily conquered the planet by stripping almost all of the population of their souls. Only a few chosen mortals were protected and mounted a resistance. In the end Shao Khan was defeated once again by Liu Kang who saved the planet and returned to stolen souls basically stopping the apocalypse. This event was later changed by Raiden who realized how in so doing Liu Kang had started a chain of events that would have led Shao Khan to destroy the universe later on. To avert that future Raiden killed Liu Kang before he could defeat Shao Khan in the third tournament and created a new timeline. Long story short, this event unleashed Shinnok who was defeated by Sonya and Cage's daughter, Cassie. Kronika, Shinnok's mother and titan of time took exception to this and learned about the altered timeline. She resurrected heroes from both timelines while trying to rewrite reality. In the end Raiden realized he would always lose to Kronika unless he did something different, so, instead of fighting Liu Kang he gave him his divine power. That way Liu Kang took on Kronika, defeating her and creating a new timeline where he was the god of fire and thunder (unless you take the evil route and have Shang Tsung defeat Kronika and Liu Kang instead).

[Cyke]

That's a very specific either or. I don't like romcoms and don't look for them personally but at the same time I've seen some terrible Corman films that I'd rather not sit through again. How about a bad Corman movie verses something much glossier (to the degree this was CGI as a newborn) like the first Predator. Artistic merit is a broad sword. Some would look at both movies the same, I myself find nothing Corman ever touched I'd ever hold as high as say 1987 Predator.

At what year did charm in major studio film-making releases stop I guess.

I only picked Romcoms because they're fairly ubiquitous and can also be made more cheaply (since they usually don't have or need big SFX budgets), but comparing Corman vs. Predator likewise kinda misses the mark for me -- that's like comparing a Volkswagen Beetle to a BMW, both very good cars and both usually having a strong emotional connection to their owners, but are made for very different reasons.

To me a more apt comparison would probably be something like Corman and say, the latest Hellboy film -- there are more common fantasy themes and gore between the two, sure, but the latter is just so mechanical and straight-forward, by the book that you get the sense it was done more out of a chore, like everyone was bored making it. I really wouldn't say the same of most Corman films, or of Predator (or the original Hellboy films, for that matter).

[Castle]

I have calmed down and watched it on second rewatch, so maybe I have changed my mind a little. No where as bad as the first time but still not that great, However I will like to see the series get a second chance with a sequel to right more wrongs. Hope the film is successful enough for that.

Also I agree with the majority of what I have read here. Kano was indeed the best character but that is not saying greatly much.

[Killerbee911]

Are those theater numbers or streaming numbers? Either way, yes. I can't say if they're good numbers in a non-pandemic year, but right now if everyone in the industry views GvK as a success for this point in history, and MK is doing a bit better than that, then yeah I'd have to say those must be considered good numbers if accurate.

Those are streaming numbers. It did about 22 mil on its opening weekend in US Theaters GvK did 31 million opening weekend but MK is a rated R movie. It is sitting at 50 million dollars worldwide with 55 million dollar Budget.

I think the numbers are good but it hard to gauge success right now. I think should be a lock for a sequel but mixed reactions for fans can't be good for its chances.