The 1995 movie adaptation showed that Mortal Kombat could be so much more than just a movie based on a karate tournament.

A FLAWLESS BOX OFFICE VICTORY

On August 18, 1995, Mortal Kombat made the transition from blood-soaked television screens to the silver screen. In its opening weekend, the movie made over $25 million domestically. New Line's live-action battle for Earthrealm currently ranks 51st in the top opening weekends for the month of August. After 136 days in theaters, the movie made a total of over $70 million. All of its earnings were domestic. While I do not believe a movie's box office earnings automatically make it a good one, the amount of money Mortal Kombat made in theaters is eye-opening.

The live-action adaption of Super Mario Bros. only made a little over $8.5 million during its opening weekend and only made back $20.9 million of its $48 million budget during its entire theater run. While both movies are different levels of quality the fact Mortal Kombat outperformed a console maker's star mascot is mind-blowing. Not to mention Super Mario Bros.'s lack of success likely altered some people's opinions on video game movies. Nevertheless, 1995's Mortal Kombat showed what a video game movie can and should be. Not just for other video games but for the franchise itself.

A MORE THAN WORTHY KOMBATANT

Bridgette Wilson-Sampras As Sonya Blade Puts Her Fists Up To Fight In 1995's Mortal Kombat

When you look at the game version of Mortal Kombat's plot it is very bare-bones (no pun intended). It is a fighting game where characters from different realms fight for ownership and in some cases the protection of Earthrealm. Where surprise, the warriors of Outworld pulled a 2016 Golden State Warriors and blew a 3-1 lead to Raiden and his Earthrealm protectors. However, Writer Kevin Droney found a way to build on Co-Creators Ed Boon and John Tobias' vision. He took Liu Kang's character bio from Mortal Kombat II and made it even more personal.

Since the first movie serves as an origin story, Liu Kang does not return to the White Lotus Temple after winning the tournament which is in ruins. Instead, he sees the death of his brother Chan at the hands of Shang Tsung. Each protagonist has a legitimate reason for initially entering the tournament. Each includes the loss of someone or something important to them. Liu Kang lost his brother, Sonya's partner was killed by Kano, and Johnny Cage lost his reputation after the press views him to be a fake martial artist.

Earthrealm being at stake is not the main concern and arc of the movie. Each character has their own goal outside of heroism. It is what makes them relatable. One of my biggest pet peeves in movies (especially when it comes to video game adaptations like the 2021 reboot) is the writer(s) feeling the audience needs an original character in order to relate. Loss is the ultimate relatable thing in all of our lives. The thought of losing or possibly losing someone and/or something is what makes us relate to movie characters.

AN ORIGINAL KOMBATANT DOES NOT MAKE A STORY GOOD

Lewis Tan as Cole Young Looks Down At His Yellow-Taped Fists Before A Fight In The 2021 Reboot Of Mortal Kombat

The 2021 reboot of Mortal Kombat introduced a new original protagonist named Cole Young. In relation to the plot, he is really just a MacGuffin who is there to be the vessel for the audience. Instead of creating and using him, the reboot could have used the Great Kung Lao as a protagonist instead, allowing for future video games to fill in any spaces between in-film events (especially after what happened at the end of Mortal Kombat 11's story).

For those who do not know, the Great Kung Lao was the first person to fight on behalf of Earthrealm and defeat Shang Tsung 500 years before Liu Kang. I understand not wanting to use Liu Kang as the main protagonist in the first movie, so why not make a prequel and build up to Liu Kang?

Doing so would allow New Line to create a cinematic universe based on these famous characters who have tons of substance because the movies flesh them out and use things like a loss to make them relatable. If you want to bring in a new audience start at the beginning. But if you want to make fans celebrate, then use lore to give us something they have not seen done before. Do not just repeatedly give us fights with characters we know. If future adaptations are fights first, story second then I might as well just play the games.

Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion in front of an ice-wrapped cage while he is engulfed in fire During A Fight In 2021's Mortal Kombat

The script of the 1995 movie proved if taken seriously, adaptations of the property can be more than just adaptations. They can be memorable adventures filled with revenge, imagination, and fight scenes in-between, all taking place within a well-crafted universe. When people ask me, "What did you expect it is a movie about Mortal Kombat?" in reference to the reboot, my response is always it could have been more. The reboot abandoned everything that made the original timeless.

Kevin Droney who wrote the 1995 movie did not return to write 1997's Mortal Kombat: Annihilation and it shows. Droney felt like a true fan, he understood what makes the characters special outside of their famed attacks. Scorpion's backstory has been front and center a lot recently, I admire that Droney did not feel the need to tell it. It is to Mortal Kombat what Uncle Ben getting shot is to Spider-Man. Instead of building up Sub-Zero and Scorpion's backstory, Droney focused on side villains like Kano and Goro.

It will always reign supreme when compared to current and future installments because of the people behind it. I understand people want to see fatalities and bloody onscreen fights in a live-action setting. But they really should not be what guides a movie franchise. Have them in there because that is what Mortal Kombat got known for — they are what created the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB), after all. However, their payoff is much better when you build them up through the story the way the original did.

CHOOSE YOUR STAGE WISELY

Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, And Sonya Blade Prepare To Take On Outworld Warriors In a Candlelit Room In New Line's Mortal Kombat From 1995

Set design is key in any movie, especially Mortal Kombat. The 1995 version had locations and sets that were as breathtaking. Its version of Outworld carried a sense of eeriness as to what could happen to Earthrealm. Areas of Shang Tsung's island looked lived-in and natural (even if its inhabitants were decidedly not), whereas the sets in the 2021 version felt bland and empty.

There were no gothic towers or broken-down buildings of tournaments past that made up Outworld. Just miles of darkened ground, a desert with no memorable qualities. Overall, the movie just looked like it did not have a budget, when in fact it had a budget of $55 million. Mortal Kombat: Annihilation had a budget of $30 million. So with $55 million, the reboot could've had better sets and livelier locations when it came to Outworld the heroes' training ground, at least.

Look, I'm just a die-hard Mortal Kombat fan, and all I want out of future movies is for the people behind them to fully realize the potential of what a Mortal Kombat movie can be. I never go into things wanting them to be bad or to fail, I can only comment on what I have seen. Being blunt, what I have seen does not make me hopeful for the future — but I'd love to be proven wrong.

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