At least he knows what he is talking about with the main characters and the MK world, but his "realistic" vision of it is still unappealing to me. It's way too different, and like Ed said, that wouldn't really be the best way to go.

I wonder how incredibly brilliant this would had been if he would had done it with more $ and with the MK Mythology intact.

Now THAT would had been a 100% orgasmic success among all fans without us being divided.

After reading the interview with Kevin Tancharoen, I feel much less negatively toward his vision of Mortal Kombat. It seems he has some great ideas and is a true fan of the series. I don't think he would wish to degrade the parts of Mortal Kombat we all value so much. After hearing his plans to add tasteful mysticism to his film (if he is able to make it), I feel more eager to see his project carried out. I think he could deliver a great quality film.

Agreed. I think that this film will be a wonderful film.

However, will it be a Mortal Kombat film?
Or will it be "CSI: Saw" but with everyone renamed after an MK character?

It has to be good first and foremost. Not MK. Same thing backwards: shit will not be better because it has MK written all over it. Neither do I have to like it.

Why do people bring up SAW? The only thing between this concept art and SAW is the cold neon light in Alan Zane's / Baraka's basement.

Many of you wrote that the game will be out in around 9 months (2011). Gametrailers says it will be Q4//2010... What is right?

Holy shite that thing had CLICHÉ written all over it. Honestly, who is still impressed by movie trailers with "My name is.......[NAME]!!!! (cut to black)" endings?

So everyone's a serial killer now, they already killed a lot of people and they kill and eat and cut and kill and so they send in Scorpion to kill everyody and you betcha there's gonna be a killing, a killing killing killing killy kilykyilayk give me a break already.

Mortal Kombat always had a trademark "dark" image, but ever since MKII it also had elements of fun and silly humor that's completely absent from this pitch. This pitch is just trying to be as grimdark as possible and IMHO it shouldn't impress anyone but people under the age of 18.

Why do people bring up The Dark Knight? The only thing between this concept art and The Dark Knight is a vague "it's serious" motif.

it looks great to see them all more human then Computer Games

Agreed. It won't be better because it has MK written all over it. However, if it bears no resemblance to MK and has MK written all over it, it will be worse.

I think it would be a better film if he didn't try to make it about MK. Because, it bears only a passing resemblance to Mortal Kombat to me.

Alright, so here's my two cents:

I loved it. Why? Because it's what it has to be. Mortal kombat isn't something you can easily sell to the average movie goer. People won't say "WOW COOL DEMON NINJAS!" They'll say "Why does the naked guy have a skull mask?" or "Why is Freddy Krueger using swords?" They know that we as fans know what's going on, so their top priority is to make the average person want to see this movie. They brought forth a modern twist to the entire series and grounded it in realism. I'm sure the director will try to work the realms and magic in there somehow, but not in a way that's in-your-face about it as much as subtly there for us to pick up on. The characters are there in a different way, I'll admit certain parts I don't agree with (Baraka being a plastic surgeon) but they've got dynamic, realistic characters like Jax and Sonya in the lead. Reptile is a weird story, I actually approve of his incarnation because I do believe that it's a possible twist on the character. Johnny Cage was another one I liked, granted he could've been a bit goofier, but I enjoyed his serious, badass tone, and for the first time in a WHILE, I was actually rooting for him. The zbrush render of Sub Zero felt out of place completely, but why get a completely different actor for just a few frames? And on a final note, Scorpion seemed like he could end up being cool, and seemingly serves as proof that the magic will be worked in to the plot. Before I start losing track of what I'm saying, I believe they handled this in the best way possible, and if it gets the greenlight, I have faith that this will be a movie for fans and casual viewers alike

I completely disagree.

I'm sure it will be a good movie, however, the trailer was for a horror film! Mortal Kombat is NOT a horror video-game series. It's a kung fu/fighting game. There's a huge difference between these two genres. I refuse to accept "Rebirth" as a Mortal Kombat movie unless they make it the correct genre! They might as well make it a sitcom, or a romantic comedy!

Horror does not equal kung fu!

I don't care if they don't have a single MK character in it, and completely abandons the plot. It cannot be an MK movie without at least respecting the atmosphere, tone, and genre of the game!

I'm sure that "Rebirth" will be a wonderful film. However, I doubt, as of right now, that it will be a Mortal Kombat film!

So far all of this talk about "bringing in new fans" has yet to reassure me. You can bring in tons of fans with a kung fu film! You don't need to keep 100% to the storyline or the characters of the video game, but you cannot call a horror film "Mortal Kombat!"

I dunno, after watching this trailer again (and again) and reading the interview with the director, I can say with full confidence that this is the guy I'd want directing the next MK movie.

I'm not huge on the idea of changing origin stories and what not, but if this guy, who created something really good (IMO) on what can generously be described as a shoe string budget, who appears to be a life long fan and not some Uwe Boll or Micheal Bay douche type looking to cash in on a name, actually wants this project enough to spend his own money, call in favors etc and put this out...

I mean, how could WB NOT want this guy? He understands the source material better than most other directors you could ever hope for and from what he says at least, he understands the importance of weaving the soul of the series in to something that would be both palettable for the hardcore fans and successful in the mainstream.

To me, that's a perfect match. I agree that Dr. Baraka and Skin Condition Reptile aren't ideal, but I still chalk that up more to fitting them in to the concept of the pitch as well as budget and time constraints than his own desire to completely change characters to suit his own liking. That's just a guess though.

I'll say this... After seeing how safe the new game appears to play things (emphasis on "appears, since it's still just the first teaser), what with the 2D gameplay, old characters in their old costumes fighting in old arenas etc, this video of a bold new interpretation of MK looks even better by comparison.

They managed to mix it well, the Baraka/Cage fight scene was one of the coolest I've seen. And why is everyone complaining about the atmosphere?! First the game is too cartoony, now the movie is too dark

No see, the people who don't like the darkness of this and the people who think the game looks "cartoony" are two seperate, warring camps.

Personally, I'm in the pro-cartoony camp. MK's always been colorful. I like it that way. I know I'd look like an idiot if I said the fight scene between Cage and Dr. Baraka bored me 'cause no one threw a fireball or anything like that, but it's the honest truth.

There's a million regular kung fu flicks in the world. Kung fu flicks where the characters have energy shooting powers...not as much. That's the movie I'm waiting for.

Do not insult Warhammer 40.000 with your feeble attempts at comparison! That is heresy!




Jokes aside, ...because MK should? I still think it could pass off as a martial arts thriller, when was the last time you saw something like that?

I think the first MK movie had the perfect ratio between darkness/seriousness and fun-ness/cartooniness.

I don't think the game is too cartoony (except for Jax's fatalities in MK3)...I don't expect a tonal remake of the first MK movie, however, I don't want a horror film with a few fight scenes!

Bringing all those blatantly poor movies up as examples of the kind of film I said I want only makes sense if you are trying to suggest that it was the fireballs that made those movies bad and therefore, what I want is an inherently bad idea.

If that IS what you're suggesting, you're being an idiot. It was the script, acting, directing, and budget that made those movies suck. I want a GOOD kung fu film with fireballs in it and I believe it IS possible to make one.
The first Matrix film, for instance, is a kung fu movie full of special effects and super powers that was very successful and popular. Also, numerous superhero movies fully embrace the powers and the unrealism of the subject matter and yet manage to be wildly successful.
The only problem is none of those are MK movies. And some of them are just "action" flicks, not "kung fu" flicks. It's absolutely POSSIBLE to make an MK movie with the same caliber of talent and budget as a Spider-Man or Iron Man that fully embraces the canon. What I am asking for is the day that someone actually bothers to DO it.

40K rocks mate!

I would love to see a movie about the grim darkness of the far future in the 41st millenium

6000 points of Chaos Space Marines here. Hand painted and tourney 3rd.

It IS possible to do it, provided that those effects are used at minimum. The original Mortal Kombat did a great job with this, as did the 'Konquest' tv series. Special effects for these kind of films always run the risk of being cheesy, especially if overused. The budget for the upcoming film won't be as high as Spider-Man or Iron Man, realistically speaking, so these effects will work best if kept at minimum, IMO.

I posted this on another thread initially, but ironically, it makes more sense here so I'll repost it, hope it won't be a problem:



.................



What a lot of people are forgetting is that this 'test' shoot is not an indication of the final script - the director already said he wants more fantasy elements in the movie, so I suspect we'll have proper origins for characters like Baraka and Reptile. If the script is respectful to the source material, then I'm all up for him directing it. Here's why:

-CASTING - He already proved his great with casting: The two actors he chose for the very important roles of Jax and Sonya shit all over the previous actors (and they managed to do this in literally less than 2 minutes).

-ATMOSPHERE - Very dark and moody, just how a Mortal Kombat movie should feel.

-CHARACTERIZATION - This is due to the writing/acting/directing - Spot on for both Jax and Sonya.

-CHOREOGRAPHY - The Johnny Cage Vs. Baraka scene was better than any fight scene in the previous movies - brutal, violent, very well choreographed, and even had (gasp!) a fatality.

-GREAT USE OF BUDGET - He filmed this 'test' with only $7,000 and pretty much shitted on all previous incarnations with those limitations. I could only imagine what he could do with a $30-60 million dollar budget.

-DIRECTOR IS A FAN OF THE SOURCE MATERIAL - Read his interview if you have any doubts: http://www.collider.com/2010/06/09/kevin-tancharoen-interview-mortal-kombat-rebirth-feature-film/

-FATALATIES - 'Real' fatalities, not the watered down BS we got in the previous films...

What's not to like? Some altered origins on a 'test' film? Based on the negative feedback he received in that regard and his desire to incorporate a more mystical theme in the movie, I doubt we have much to worry about in terms of the character origins....

I'll take this director over the minks and Uwe Bowl's any day....

Love warhammer 10000 by the way and looking forward for it to be playable in some consoles
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A lot of people it seems, judging from reactions to the video clip that they want an MK movie adaptation going the Batman Begins route. Frankly I hate those two movies where they took everything that made Batman great and turned him into this gravelly sounding schmuck. They're just overrated celluloid garbage that happened to earn a ton of moolah, nothing else.

Warner Brothers is indeed a business entity but that does not change the fact that MK is a brand and as a brand, it should at least pass some quality standards for it to be called MK. A crabby patty isn't a crabby patty without the special Eugene Crabs ingredient. And MK without the fantasy just isn't MK but a fake and a phony like those I-pad knock-offs from China.

And MK would not be what it is today without the core fanbase supporting it from day one. For it to be solely catered now to a new audience who doesn't care about its stylistic roots is simply an insult to those who supported it for what made it special and unique. Take Metallica for example, who bought its albums in the beginning? The fans who appreciated what they're really good at: making heavy music. All that was thrown out the window with their "Load" album, catered to a less discriminating audience. Where is Metallica now? They're just a fucking parody of their former selves, a sorry pathetic joke.

So is change good? For what? Improvement I guess is the word not change. We don't fear change, what we fear are a bunch of ignoramuses who think a turd rate b movie treatment could pass for an MK film.

We diehard MK fans don't deserve a better MK (be that a game or a movie) we deserve the best.