BY FARRRRR the best episode. This is how the entire series should have been.

I understand that a lot of you have mixed feelings about them taking the series in a more reality based direction, but doing a live action series that doesn't fit with the cannon of the game, but is still grounded for the most part in the game's universe makes no sense.

Why have a complimentary web series showing you how Jax's arms got blown up , when the game just showed us something completely different ?

Even if the series is set in the original cannon, before Raiden changed things, MK II had Jax with no cyber arms, and 3 with cyber arms, while the web series takes place before the first tournament. Its just unnecessary .

They should have stuck with the Rebirth idea from the very start.

I'm really starting to think Annihilation deserves an Oscar...

The episodes keep getting worse and worse. Last time I checked, Raiden can, you know, TELE-FREAKING-PORT!!!!! And I don't buy that whole "maybe he was weakened" thing...that doesn't make sense either. While I found the Mileena/Kitana episodes quite boring, at least they went along the lines of the MK story. This is just complete BS; just another attempt at a "director" trying to be a "visionary"....I'm so sick of that crap. You don't have to try to completely reinvent something to make your mark. Actually, if you want to be creative, do it with something of your own, not something that already has a well established (albeit murky) story. You don't have to go EXACTLY along the lines of the original story, but you should change the characters so much that they don't even have the same properties as they did before. Having Raiden not be able to teleport (unless he's stabbed in the heart with a chisel apparently) is like having Spider-man not be able to crawl along walls...

This idea makes a lot more sense to me. I'm no expert, but I'm fairly certain that lobotomies are pretty much never employed anymore, possibly even illegal. shock therapy would have tied everything together so much more nicely.

My biggest problem with this episode is it is so damn inconsistent with Raiden's mortality, so to speak. I'm willing to accept that he has to sacrifice his power in order to travel to Earthrealm and, more importaltly, compete in Mortal Kombat. However, after months of enfeebled mental asylum life, Raiden is physically murdered and casually crackles away to try again. What?

What will happen if he is killed in the tournament? Will it be no big deal? Will they require him to become more mortal? Will he be allowed to continue the fight, since he can still technically continue fighting?

To be mortal, you have to be able to die. They took from him all of the trademark things that make Raiden Raiden (shooting electricity, hilarious torpedoing) and made him some average Joe who gets pummeled by security guards and is effectively NOT mortal. Give him his electricity and let him die. It took Deception Raiden longer than that to reform, and he was in full god mode at the time.

That said, I still found the episode charming in its own ways. Definitely better than the Kitana Mileena mess.

Wow!!!

I'm very surprised I'm going to say this, but:

I loved it!

Sure, I would have most definitely preferred a story that focuses on the game's canon regarding MK and Raiden's real storyline, however, this "alternate" event I can take it as something that happened sometime before the beginning of the tournament, so, it's not too bad.

It kept me interested and expectant on the edge of my seat. It was awesome. I enjoyed and jumped like a baby on many scenes.

That begin said, yes, I have many observations that are similar to Mick's and Razor's negatives, but, they did a good job nailing down most of the things I don't like/disagree with this video and the director.

Overall though, I was extremely surprised and extremely interested. It was a great "alternate" vision that I can play with. I can simply assume it took place before the beginning of the tournament. And yes, Raiden's mysterious fall weakened him. It is not that hard to believe.

Blue was awesome.

I had mixed feelings about this one. Raiden being held in a mental hospital against his will by mere mortals doesn't make much sence. And the whole evil doctor thing was pretty retarded and had no core to why they were actually doing all this. And it was too dragged out.

Him being held against his will could be excused to a certain extent if you go by the fact that Raiden gave up his immortality and thus is in a weakened state. But if he is this vulnerable as a mortal, a lot of good he will do at the tournament. I mean, he was taken out by a fucking tranquilizer and he is supposed to be the protector of Earthrealm.

Yeap well... whatever...! as always Mr. T. is twisting the story of MK, and you might say "well, it's for something more mature and intelligent"... but it's not, it's dumb and full of errors.

This guy as a director is a joke, he is BAD...! I hope WB realizes there is an audience for a MK movie, and decide to show us some respect by finding someone else, someone like Peter Jackson who did a fine job with Lord of the Rings... I wanna see kindoms like that in Edenia, and everything well done, Peter Jackson didn't reinvented LOTR characters... he just did a good movie...!

Face it guys... Tacharoen is a bad director and he is trying to change MK characters to show himself as a visionary artist... or something like that, so... I hope he gets fired.

Mick-Lucifer is spot-on about this episode. This was an episode about evil doctors and insane asylums, not Raiden. The premise has promise, but KT, to no one's surprise, again relegated the MK universe to his fetish for rehearsing Hollywood cliches.

It could have been a good episode. In some ways, a mental hospital is a great metaphor for Raiden's struggle with Shao Kahn. Even an evil doctor has a place in the symbolism. Blue and the others, like the heroes from the first MK movie, are a group of odd characters than do not have confidence in their abilities. But rather than using patient interviews as a opportunity to develop Raiden's character, we only get a sense of how much of a slimeball his doctor is. I thought Raiden's relationship with Blue would show him as a protector and mentor, but that never happened.

I think you are assuming that the process of picking up a director is a lot more simple than it is. Kevin Tanchaoren wouldn't cost WB nearly as much to hire for a Mortal Kombat movie than Peter Jackson; I don't expect they would just pick him up because they figured it would be a sweet idea. Furthermore, Jackson would have to want to do the movie in the first place.

Besides, it wasn't Jackson's intention to make a reboot of Lord of the Rings. It can hardly be compared to Legacy. Also, good luck ever seeing someone ever spend LotR-scale money on a Mortal Kombat movie. I may not think that this is the best series I've ever laid eyes on, but overall Tanchaoren is doing a pretty okay job.

This is all good and dandy, but I cant help to think Kevin stole the idea of a lunatic god from the ultimate version of Thor. In the Ultimates, people initially think Thor is a crazy man who think he's a god.

Good stuff regardless.

Liked this episode and thought this was realistic.

My question is, why did Raiden fall? I honestly thought it was something the Elder Gods punished him for, or perhaps he had fought an opponent (Shang Tsung? Khan himself? etc.) that weakened him so badly that he not only fell, but his powers were exhausted. That would make sense.

There's also the concept that Raiden *has* to take on a mortal body when interacting on Earthrealm soil, least his godly powers end up hurting people. I supposed a power limiter for such a thing would be plausable, in which it could be effected by sedatives and the like.

What really seemed like it didn't belong was the doctor's smug attitude and behavior. He was a dick, plain and simple, and there were obvious signs that Raiden was more than an ordinary human. The fact that he could influence electrical appliances (ie. the security camera & tasers) was a sign. A very much more blatant sign would be the fact the lobotomies didn't take *at all*, and didn't even seem to deter Raiden at all. That should have been a red flag if multiple ones were done. And did anyone else notice that the bruises on his face healed when he was charged back up by the tasers? There's another observation any doctor would have noticed. Beyond the fact I don't think any mental institution would allow for MULTIPLE LOBOTOMIES on a single patient in a matter of weeks.

I really wanted to see the doctor's face after Raiden's body dissolved into a cloud of electricity after Blue stabbed him. I wanted to see the "Oh fuck me" face soooo badly after the realization set in. (and there was the orderly too, so witnesses!)

So yeah...I have discrepancies about how characters were portrayed, but otherwise a good episode.

+5 Dragon Points!!!!

Seriously people...are you so desperate for a new MK movie that you have to applaud this utter garbage Tancheron is spewing out, just because it's new?

I don't see why we can't just get a decent movie made about the first tournament that actually dealt with THAT story. The first movie was GREAT. Annihilation was pretty good too, though the acting was pretty lackluster and everyone hated it....I just want a reboot. NOT a re-imagining...a REBOOT. Here's how I see this series:

Episode 1 - GREAT!!!! Honestly, this episode really took me by surprise and got me pumped for the series!

Episode 2 - Not even an episode...it should've just been added on to the end of Ep. 1

Episode 3 - Pretty good. Not the best, but not bad either.

Episodes 4 & 5 - Looked like cheap fan-made D&D crap...but at least they were pretty story accurate. And it IS low budget, so I can kinda let some of it slide...

Episode 6 - Utter crap. Not just bc this ISN'T Raiden (don't kid yourself, this IS not Raiden from Mortal Kombat), it was just boring and cliche. It seems like every drama or thriller nowadays involves corrupt doctors and/or asylums. The ONLY good movie along these lines is "Shutter Island"...and if you've seen that movie, you'll know it's not the same old evil doctor/mental asylum movie...

There's just really no coherency to this series at all...The first two episodes deal with Sonya and Jax going after Kano, with vague references to the Lin Kuei automation. Then in the third episode, Shang Tsung invites Johnny to participate in a fighting tournament. Logically, you would expect the next episode to continue with the tournament theme. But no, it goes in a completely different direction, telling us what's happened in Edenia the past 10,000 years. Then, in this episode, Raiden BRIEFLY references the tournament again...you know, the tournament that THE ENTIRE MORTAL KOMBAT STORY IS SUPPOSED TO BE BASED ON!!!!...yet it's been mentioned TWICE in 6 episodes, with only 3 characters even concerned with it at this point...It just seems like the story is rambling on incoherently...I get that Tanch is introducing us to the characters, but I feel he's losing sight of what Mortal Kombat is actually about...

Hopefully Scorpion and Sub-Zero will redeem the series a bit, seeing as it LOOKS like they will be pretty representational of the actual game characters...

"There's just really no coherency to this series at all...The first two episodes deal with Sonya and Jax going after Kano, with vague references to the Lin Kuei automation. Then in the third episode, Shang Tsung invites Johnny to participate in a fighting tournament. Logically, you would expect the next episode to continue with the tournament theme. But no, it goes in a completely different direction, telling us what's happened in Edenia the past 10,000 years. Then, in this episode, Raiden BRIEFLY references the tournament again...you know, the tournament that THE ENTIRE MORTAL KOMBAT STORY IS SUPPOSED TO BE BASED ON!!!!...yet it's been mentioned TWICE in 6 episodes, with only 3 characters even concerned with it at this point...It just seems like the story is rambling on incoherently...I get that Tanch is introducing us to the characters, but I feel he's losing sight of what Mortal Kombat is actually about..."


It's not suppose to be "coherent" it's a suppose to be a series of short stories ala Animatrix, Twilight Zone,or even Batman:Gotham Nights

The tournaments are meant to be saved for the movies this just set's up their motives and exploits before the tournament.

I liked the episode, especially with Raiden actually looking like his classic MK1 appearance, except being a bearded white guy, obviously.
And I also don't see any way they would give a LOTR-style budget for a Mortal Kombat movie, nor getting Peter Jackson to direct it unless he actually wants to direct it. He's probably given up on trying for that Halo movie by now anyway, lol. And Annihilation does not deserve a fucking Oscar, that film needs to be the film equivalent of Special Forces.

I will note that even though it is obvious the cartoon segments of episodes 4 & 5 were Kill Bill rip-offs, I would actually have been ok if episodes 4 & 5 were told from a cartoon aspect, exactly the way the origins of O-ren Ishii were. Though I enjoyed the notion of Mileena and Kitana growing up as "sisters, Mileena have a "secret" monster mouth, and Sindel killing herself, that is about all I enjoyed. But I will not harp on it further and let people who enjoy it continue to do so.

We know Scorpion and Sub-Zero episodes are yet to come, so let us hope they are on par with the first 3.

And an addendum to my hype is waning for this director comment, what I mean is faith in his ability to properly craft a worth MK movie from start to finish has reduced due to web series random quality. He may have more and more fans and views for his series, but that does not assuage my fear that he is not the right person for director. He may be more like a George Lucas who is better at coming up with ideas than directing.

Didn't like it. Raiden was incredibly weak. And do they just let that "Blue" bitch just wander the facility unmonitored and unrestrained? They put Raiden in a straightjacket and she just takes it off of him? Even after that they let her just wander into the room in which they were lobotomizing Raiden?

Can anyone explain how this makes any sort of sense at all? That whole sequence just felt pointless and full of plot holes, in my opinion.

Didn't like this episode at all. I thought the Kitana/Mileena episodes were underwhelming, but at least the story was decent, this one just sucks. I'm heavily disappointed considering that Raiden is one of my favorite characters. Not much left to say, I think everyone else has said enough.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions, so this is the last thing I'll say on the subject.

IT IS IMPOSSIBLE to do live action Mortal Kombat AS IT IS IN THE GAME WITHOUT BEING CAMPY.

Mortal Kombat Annihilation is what happens when you try to do a direct translation of a videogame and put it on film.

Everyone is complaining about Raiden being weakend, and how bad the episode sucked. So what would you have done ? Made Raiden come down to earth in his MK costume, shouting "AAZEEBUBBAHEYYY" and shooting lighting bolts at stunt men dressed up as shitty Tarkatans ?

You know how terrible and "Conquest-esque" the Kittana / Mileena episodes were ? That is because they played too much off of the game, and it was campy boring and cheesy and clung to closely to the game.

Rebirth FTW !!!

You do realize that the whole series was announced as the ORIGINS of some Mortal Kombats most famous characters. The series will not, and never was going to be about the tournament itself. WB's wording was a "complimentary" web series to go along with the game.

I agree completely with what jpetrunak has said.

I think KT's idea about Raiden falling from the sky, being weak, not being able to do much, not being able to teleport, shoot lightning from his hands, is because he just took on his incarnation of a human, therefore it is not possible for his powers to simply transfer onto this new body. He probably needs some time for him to fully discover his powers and thoughts.

Also, the concept I think is that Raiden as a God, can't just choose where wanted to reincarnate or if he was going to be as powerful as he is in his Godly form. I think the whole idea is that the Elder Gods may not have granted him such an easy way to establish him self on Earth. Which is why he got slammed from the sky and not having all his powers, yet.

Think about it. If Raiden was completely at his best 100%, what would be shown? Him just chilling around the city or what? This is a good direction to take because it shows that even though he is a God, he was vulnerable to say the least.

His death at the Asylum, I didn't really get that part though. Did he do that so his body could regenarate somewhere else?



Cannot wait for the Scoprion/Sub-Zero Episodes. And honestly, people are forgetting the BUDGET for the entire Web Series was just $1 Million dollars. Not some hudge budget of like a real 1 1/2 hrs movie produced by Warner Bros. It's good for what it is.

"everyone is entitled to their opinions, so this is the last thing I'll say on the subject.

IT IS IMPOSSIBLE to do live action Mortal Kombat AS IT IS IN THE GAME WITHOUT BEING CAMPY.

Mortal Kombat Annihilation is what happens when you try to do a direct translation of a videogame and put it on film.

Everyone is complaining about Raiden being weakend, and how bad the episode sucked. So what would you have done ? Made Raiden come down to earth in his MK costume, shouting "AAZEEBUBBAHEYYY" and shooting lighting bolts at stunt men dressed up as shitty Tarkatans ?

You know how terrible and "Conquest-esque" the Kittana / Mileena episodes were ? That is because they played too much off of the game, and it was campy boring and cheesy and clung to closely to the game.

Rebirth FTW !!!"




Now this I disagree with wholeheartedly because it shows that you can only think in terms of back and white because by that logic Thor, X-men, Harry Potter, LOTR, Pan's Labryinth, Curse of The Golden Flower, Hero, Hellboy wouldnt be able to work as legimately serious films.

The problems with the episodes were budgetary and execution problems NOT because they are adhering to the canon. If anyone really thinks that a story about psychos/ serial killers in an urban tournament is more compelling than a otherworldly tournament used to let Earth stand their ground against opposing threats really needs to get help imo.

Hey i wanna see YOUR mk movie

I thought that was gonna happen too. And then when it didn't, and they shot him with the tasers and his eyes turned white, I thought THAT was where he'd get his powers back. But no, he just never got to escape on his own, and that was disappointing.

Yeah I thought he'd get his powers back from tasers. I had no idea why lobotomies did not work, but it reminded me of Sucker Punch.

It makes me sad for everyone out there who can not appreciate this because "it isn't Mortal Kombat." However, for those of you who literally had a big problem with the acting, directing, and plot, I find that to be understandable.

The story telling in this episode is alright, but if there is one major problem that I have with the Raiden in this show, it's his human form. I'm a white person myself, but I'm sick and tired of Hollywood casting white people as Asain characters like Raiden. The name is japanese so WHY don't they cast an asian as Raiden??? I've been so sick and tired of this for many years now! When I noticed the Dragon Ball Z and Last Airbender movies had cast white actors as Asian characters it made me not wanna watch them. Glad each those films bombed anyway.

However, the rest of the casting in this series has been fine for me.

Raiden only goes by his Asian name because his current followers are the Shaolin Order of Light, who're all Asians.

Notice how Nightwolf keeps calling him "Haokah" in MK9? That's the name of a Native American thunder god. According to MK Mythologies, Raiden has been worshipped as, like, ALL the thunder gods in mythology, so he's Zeus and Thor too.