!!!MORTAAAAAALLLLL KOOOOOOMBAAATT!!!

You should've heard this when you read those words.

That's right, live-action MORTAL KOMBAT is back!

In June 2010, a short film titled Mortal Kombat: Rebirth (scroll down) was posted on YouTube.  Yes, it was awesome, but what the hell was it?  Turns out it was director Kevin Tancharoen's pitch to Warner Bros. to reboot the franchise, and a good one too.  Mortal Kombat: Rebirth will consist of 10 digital webisode that will be available for download (server not yet confirmed).  While the buzz over at Shock Till You Drop is that the 10 webisodes will culminate in a feature film, and Latino Review.com suggests the same.  I refuse to get too excited - the webisodes don't even have a release date, and they are already filming in Vancouver.  LOOK!

All MK:Rebirth pictures are from Tancharoen's Twitter

However, I AM SO EXCITED!!! just for the webisodes.  While I'm not big on humans eating uncooked human meat (probably should've warned you about that part in the short film earlier . . .) it looks AMAZING!  I have always loved MK.  It was the first video game I actively sought out and saved money to buy; and, the first game my mother refused to let me own due to violence (like Australia did to its citizens).  Haha - oh, childhood.


When I was younger, Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris were the only real people I recognized as human superheroes; and, when I played Mortal Kombat, I became one of them.  Yes, escapism and violence at their best.  Then, Mortal Kombat (the film) was released.  MK had all the elements of a typical 90s film/videogame adaptation: corny dialogue, tongue-in-cheek humour while simultaneously taking itself seriously, a punchline for every situation, the obligatory "that punch connected!" sound effect, stereotypical 2d characters, and family-friendly violence (like a live-action Disney sword-fight).  For the video-game generation of the time we loved it like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle live-action films.  Plus, it had him:

The Highlander

 As someone who could only play the game at arcades or friends' houses, I was happy, even grateful, that the film was family-friendly.  I watched those films repeatedly, and I enjoy them to this day.  (If you haven't seen the movies, click here.  You're welcome.)

Well, I can buy my own tickets now; and, these shots have me ridiculously excited.  Motivated violence? check. Realistic body alterations? check.  Awesome fight choreography? check.  Villains that are actually scary? check.  Fleshed out (hehe. pun) background story? check.  Me stalking that Internets everyday for new information and a release date? check, check, checkity, check. check.  Now, realizing the potential for failure, these webisodes could disappoint completely.  Some directors and writers are only good with shot segments, but I NEED THESE TO BE GOOD. WE, the geek community, NEED these to be good.


With so many reboots, remakes, restarts, re-wtfs happening these days, we need something that shows a side of Hollywood which gets what sci-fi/fantasy/gaming is about because no matter how much we may not like "the man", when it comes to the tools necessary to create a world based on the imagination, "the man" has the money to realize that world on the big screen.  Wealthy, geek benefactors (thus far) don't exist.  Big studios want big returns; and, the larger the potential audience, the greater the potential revenue.  However, they need to remember that not everything is meant to be PG-13.


MPAA ratings will probably be one of the largest barriers to WB financing a Tancharoen Mortal Kombat film.  MK was never meant for a family audience, and Tancharoen's short film proves that he gets that.  I've never been one for mutilation horror films (I do not understand the appeal of Hostel or the Saw franchise), but I don't mind violence in films; and, I like my adaptations done well.  I hope, and think, Tancharoen's webisodes will live-up to the hype of the short film; but, if WB can't back that same gritty, bloody, realistic MK for the feature film, then don't do it.  Leave it online where we, the geeks and fans, can watch spines get ripped out to our heart's content.


*Disclaimer: The author of this post is not a violent person, nor do they condone violence or the use of martial arts to perpetuate it.  Additionally, they did grimace at the head-eating scene.  However, film violence and actual violence, are not the same; and when something it awesome it should be recognized as such.  Therefore, said author, squeed and clapped with excitement upon viewing MK: Rebirth.