What is the best MK movie/TV production to date?

[NaughtySenpai]

Voted for Mortal Kombat Legacy the Johnny Cage episode in particular. That one stood out to me and while I have lots of nostalgia for the Mortal Kombat movie, it's a shit film objectively speaking.

 

[Art Lean]

1) MK movie (1995): It made some mistakes which people still tend to ignore. We never saw our Scorpion-SubZero battle, there were some DRASTIC stylistic/design changes to some characters (Rayden, Kano, Reptile), they included two non MK fighters that were there just to be punching bags (Art Lean-no pun intended- and that dreadheaded tall guy in the 1st fight), we only saw a glimpse of Jax with no further involvement and there was minimal gore.

In the film's defence, I can totally understand all those decisions though. They wanted it streamlined "earth vs outworld" for a 90 minute movie that needed to be mainstream whilst still appealing to the fans; the more factions you present, the more cumbersome the story becomes (especially back then in 1995 when video game movies were so risky... hell they're still not much better, but especially back then when they'd all been failures and the medium of games themselves was still very much a niche market) but movie-making in general was a lot more restrictive in how indulgent you could be. Pre-Lord of the Rings, fantasy movies couldn't be so epic (13th Warrior sank like a stone after it was drastically reshot), pre-Saw movies couldn't be so violent (so much of Event Horizon had to be cut for what today would pass censorship so easily), the Western martial arts flick was out of vogue and as stated, video game movies were treated just as seriously as their source material was (ie. not at all). I admire their restraint.

Plus Art Lean (despite the name, I'm not some weirdo uber fan of the character haha), and Shang's fighting monk both served a purpose. They were able to widen the scope of the tournament beyond our main characters, demonstrating the tournament was meant to have included dozens of great fighters from each realm, but also ensures they don't crap on the lore by offing beloved characters without good cause. They can sacrifice Art Lean, who enlarges the scope of Earth's warriors (I'd actually have enjoyed seeing a few Bloodsport-esque scenes of the rest of Earth's fighters we see disembarking the dragon boats on the beach to really hit home the scope of the tournament, sadly they mostly only exist in Goro's pre-Art Lean battle montage), without killing off a hero character. They were clearly using the Bloodsport series as an influence as there's many parallels to how the kumite was filmed to how the MK tournament was structured. They were telling the story of MK1, who really only had 3 proper hero characters, with a few key characters from MK2 as clear franchise building (all of whom perfectly blend as background roles for MK1 regardless - Jax for example was always presented as her partner who was now searching for her in MK2 after her disappearance) so their restraint for the roster again I think is one of the film's strengths.

MK Annihilation shows exactly what happens when you put characters in without purpose, without name, without backstory, just to put in familiar faces. I'd far rather meet an Art Lean, who we can tell is a stock Bloodsport character, but offers friendship and familiarity to our main characters whilst expanding the world of the movie, who can die and give the movie that little jolt of tragedy it needs, without a character like, I dunno, Kung Lao having fulfilled that role only to be a jobber?

I think for all its cheesy dated faults, bad CGI and liberties with some of the staples of MK, one of the best things about it was it understood itself as a normal mainstream movie and treated both the lore and fun action-movie filmmaking techniques with equal respect and the result was a wonderfully successful little film, that sold a hell of a lot of soundtrack CDs that's still nostalgically enjoyed by that generation. Plus Goro was a fantastically made prop, a bit janky at times but the fact that he was practical and if you see the behind the scenes footage of ADI using it in action, it's masterful classic special effects work. Sheeva in MKA by comparison is utterly shameful.

MK Annihilation sadly shows what happens when you have people with no understanding of what they're doing just throwing every piece of the franchise at the screen and hoping it makes money with a decent enough soundtrack (and even some of that was shit this time around). God even the costumes sucked in that. Plus they blew all the budget filming all over the world in beautiful locations, yet were so desperate to transform earth's natural beauty to make it look apocalyptic but tinting everything pink and blue-screening the sky, it ends up looking like it was filmed on the cheap in a disused quarry.

 

[Art Lean]

In going-back through some of these franchise televised ventures to re-assess their virtues for myself, I've realised two really random things:

1) Obviously it's well known that Quan Chi debuted in Defenders of the Realm a year before he ever appeared in his first game, MK Mythologies, but what I didn't realise was that the Lin Kuei symbol that's now FULL FUCKING CANON in the games (as of 2011) actually debuted in Mortal Kombat Conquest (in 1998)! I repeat, this logo did NOT exist in Mortal Kombat until it was invented for a weekly network TV series that mostly looked like softcore porn

It would appear NRS have more respect for the show than I ever realised!

2) The Lin Kuei warriors in MK Conquest wear almost the EXACT same uniforms as they did in Defenders of the Realm (I'm literally shocked someone made that level of detailed effort in maintaining franchise canon with a Saturday morning cartoon)!

That is all

 

[Sugarwatermixlegit]

I honestly think Scorpions Revenge is the best MK movie to date. But I know that’s the unpopular opinion.
95 is obviously a classic and well deserves its status.

 

[Eji1700]

First movie.

I don't much care for sticking to the lore. The lore basically sucks (lot of people still a live for a fight to the death tournament) so who cares if they stick to it.

From there it's just "is this enjoyable". Most of them are not (i have mixed memories of legacy so i might not be fair there). Annihilation is the perfect example of just trash writing, with just about every scene being completely arbitrary.

The first movie, to this day, is a fun action flick. Its not the best thing ever made, but it's far better than a lot of them. It's got a straightforward plot, ok characters, good action, and some decent acting.

You could do a better MK movie, but then again you could do better MK lore too so i'm not really holding out for either.

 

[Pizza]

The 1995 movie has a lot of charm and it's incredibly cheesy but I like it.


Scorpion and Johnny Cage fighting while Zero Signal plays in the background!

Christopher Lambert was a very MK1 Raiden. That means, less of a "wise mentor" and more of an asshole lol but I love him.

The Journey Begins is TRASH but I have nostalgia for it. I watched it on YouTube again two years ago before it was taken down. To think that WB actually cares that people might be watching that movie illegally is amusing.

This is great:

I should try to watch this (and Conquest) completely someday.
At least looks like Stryker isn't overweight like in MK3.

 

[Art Lean]

Continuing with the randoms observations here as I continue to trawl my way through the Mortal Kombat televised universe...

3) Holy shit, did The Journey Begins invent Hsu Hao?

"HEY YOU GUYS!"

4) I'd never ever noticed that Rain in MK Annihilation was black (ahem, sorry - African-Edenian)! But those are the little details you miss when everything's tinted purple and you don't spend any time establishing your characters before killing them. And funnily enough he's black in Conquest too! Another little detail I never noticed during the VHS era.

Considering they went to the effort of actually dressing the Lin Kuei exactly the same in Defenders of the Realm as they did in Conquest, I find it utterly bizarre that they couldn't be bothered to make his ethnicity in both Conquest and Annihilation actually match Defenders of the Realm where he's white all of a sudden even though they're meant to be the same cinematic universe.

Pictured above: costumes and special effects in a movie that even adjusted for inflation, still cost more than James Cameron's Aliens.

 

[Art Lean]

Ok today's observation, that I'm surprised hadn't occurred to me sooner.

In 1997, MK Annihilation squeezed in Noob Saibot during the Ermac fight by having him ooze out of Ermac's torso like a liquid shadow fighter.

You literally can't tell me that how he and his shadow fight together in MKs 9 & 11 are not based on this!

He also is the one ninja in this movie who walks away with any dignity from the costume department; dressed in traditional black silken wraps and leather belt, the guy (for what little clear shots you get of him) looks fantastic compared to the rubber clad power rangers posing about in my post above. Not quite as cool as Conquest's demonic oil ninja, but certainly a nice classic mystical warrior look compared to all these other cartoony clowny dipshits.

 

[DeftMonk]

I think I have solved the mystery of why so many people pick the first movie. That mk techno theme gets me in the feels everytime. U could take a cartoon drawn by a 5 year old of 2 ninjas and add that techno mk theme I will get goosebumps first time I see it. Add in a finish him or “your soul is miiiine” and I will buy that shitty cartoon on blue ray.

 

[Pizza]

Ok today's observation, that I'm surprised hadn't occurred to me sooner.

In 1997, MK Annihilation squeezed in Noob Saibot during the Ermac fight by having him ooze out of Ermac's torso like a liquid shadow fighter.

You literally can't tell me that how he and his shadow fight together in MKs 9 & 11 are not based on this!

He also is the one ninja in this movie who walks away with any dignity from the costume department; dressed in traditional black silken wraps and leather belt, the guy (for what little clear shots you get of him) looks fantastic compared to the rubber clad power rangers posing about in my post above.

Before MK Deception, I remember some of my casual friends believed that Noob Saibot was actually a creation of Ermac thanks to this movie.

 

[Art Lean]

Before MK Deception, I remember some of my casual friends believed that Noob Saibot was actually a creation of Ermac thanks to this movie.

Speaking of which, you've just made me realise something else... so MKA Ermac influenced MK9 Noob with his shadow clone... and yet it would also appear that MKA Noob influenced MK9 Ermac with his fashion sense!!!!

 

[Pizza]

3) Holy shit, did The Journey Begins invent Hsu Hao?

"HEY YOU GUYS!"

MK The Journey Begins probably has the worst background character designs ever

Spoiler

It's like that Aladdin rip-off where by the end of the movie the animators stopped giving a damn and in what it's supposed to be ancient Arabia you see a punk with a mohawk and sunglasses, some dude wearing a Batman t-shirt and crap like that.

 

[Revy]

I think Mortal Kombat Legacy was the best.

Jeri Ryan as Sonya, Michael Jai White as Jax & Tahmoh Penikett as Stryker was perfect casting. I also loved Casper Van Dien, the second Johnny Cage.

The Kenshi episode was amazing.

 

[Marlow]

Just realized Joel McHale voiced Johnny Cage on Scorpion's Revenge and Battle of the Realms. Never saw those, but I'm curious how he did in them. I really liked him on Community. Doesn't seem like someone I'd think of as a voice for JC, but maybe it's because I'm having a hard time envisioning McHale as a fighter, even though he's pretty ripped.

 

[Revy]

I'm having a hard time envisioning McHale as a fighter, even though he's pretty ripped.

Probably because of this lmao:

 

[Shania Twain]

i'm still conflicted on this. Parts of Legacy, Annihilation, the First movie, and the newest one had really great moments....then got silly. For example....the SubZero/Scorpion part in the newest movie was good. Also, SFX are easier now and the stylized gore helped. Annihilation was filmed all over the place. The older movies have just not aged well and I fell asleep watching Scorpions Revenge and Battle of the Realms. But in all truth...I don't think a lot of them are rewatchable. I did remember loving how much Annihilation immediately continued after the first film. I despise time jumps. For example, if you watch a TV show ...the next season is always; "how was your summer?" or something.

 

[Pizza]

Does anyone know if The Journey Begins is (legally) available somewhere? Like HBO Max?

 

[Shania Twain]

you can watch it on Daily motion. it's in 4 parts. it was uploaded 7 years ago and can be casted to a tv. it might be on HBOmax too?

Does anyone know if The Journey Begins is (legally) available somewhere? Like HBO Max?

 

[Art Lean]

Does anyone know if The Journey Begins is (legally) available somewhere? Like HBO Max?

Don't think so online, but it is on the blu-ray of MK95 as a bonus feature.

 

[Kiss the Missile]

I really enjoyed the series as a whole, but my god Sub Zero looked a dickhead in the present-day. They went to so much effort to try and make the Japanese scenes feel beautifully grounded in realism, with gorgeous old-fashioned costumes and masks... then Subz turns up on the island like a SWAT officer going dirt-biking and I remember just losing all my enthusiasm for the battle because he looked an utter twat. Luckily Scorpion ripped his head off, which should have been for fashion crimes alone!



Definitely agree about Shao Kahn. He was clever, sadistic, relished in his power, didn't kill his legions just out of moronic anger (like MKA's Kahn who killed Rain... for having taken two great warriors prisoners? That he could still torture or kill if ordered to do so? What? Now you've lost one of your best warriors and still have two prisoners that you can still kill at your behest!?) and instead dominated, belittled and reminded them of how much they owe him their duty and loyalty out of what he may do to them otherwise.

And the set may have been minimalistic (or cheap) but he looked amazing in the cascading light of the between-realm he fought Raiden in during the last episodes; his chainmail and armour backlit for terrifying effect, they're almost like devil wings as he runs out of the darkness. The costume too just looked fantastic (well except for the awful "classic" helmet he wore in the pilot) and would love to see the outfit replicated in a game.

It's a shame Chris Casamassa's voice acting is so awful, because Kahn is deliciously villainous here, love the sheer arrogance:

How he roars at Shang Tsung "HOW DARE YOU BEG FOR DEATH!" then so patronisingly belittles him with "only victors are granted their desires."

And yes, the overlays were all very cheap and very made-for-90s-TV, but the ending with its SURPRISINGLY good use of Mortal Kombat Annihilation stock footage actually proves that with a more talented eye, some of that movie's visuals of the extermination squads could have been used to far greater effect, the montage looks suitably creepy. This Kahn didn't want to kill or destroy Raiden... he relished in watching him be broken, and the greatest reward was simply making him bow to him! Even just the delivery on how it goes from seething fiery hatred to pure flamboyant arrogance as he raises his arms in pure camp indulgence and self-lovingly utters "...to... meee", I love it

I love whenever this thread gets bumped because it reminds me to rewatch the absolutely stellar performance of Shao Kahn from Conquest. I don't think we'll ever get a Kahn of this caliber again. Its just too easy to write him as an idiot villain who gets bamboozled by a "bigger' threat.

"You can be returned to your agony at any moment . . . . . . creature"

And how annoyed he sounds when he tells him to bow? Ten out of fucking ten. I will forever stan Jeffrey Meek as Shao Kahn. An underappreciated legend.

 

[Pizza]

Nice!

I love seeing content about The Journey Begins lol

 

[Swindle]

It’s Mortal Kombat 2021.

 

[Swindle]

It’s Mortal Kombat 2021.

Scorpion/Sub-Zero were done better.
Liu Kang/Kung Lao were done better
Sonya/Jax were done better
Kano was done better
While the film has many problems (all the villains apart from Bi-Han, and the unnecessary Cole) the things they got right were more “MK” than any other attempt.
Nostalgia is a hell of a drug, but you can’t seriously watch the original MK flick and forgive the Scorpion/Sub-Zero stuff. That original film lives & dies by Cary’s performance as Shang…and his interpretation isn’t even MK game accurate.

 

[mattteo]

Mortal Kombat Conquest TV series, of course. It had everything right. Tone, setting, atmosphere. I was really scared as a kid, especially as some episode endings were dramatic. Adoni actor of Quan Chi and Jeff Meek as Shao Kahn were flawless.

1995 movie was decent too.

 

[Art Lean]

It’s Mortal Kombat 2021.

I actually tried to edit the poll a while back to add both MK21 and Battle For the Realms, but sadly I’m unable to add new options.