I have a very strong interested in film (hopefully you'll see my work in the near future), a deep fascination with the art of cinema and the portrayel of emotion and excitement in movies. You may not value my assessment, but I've found Threshold's style extremely lacking.

The following is a run-down on what I believe will make an epic Mortal Kombat film saga. I will elaborate on each aspect.

1) Deep, Progressive Story [ Jump ]

2) Meaningful Characters With Creative Development [ Jump ]

3) Atmospheric/Ambient Environmental Setting [ Jump ]

4) Moving Score With Individual Underlying Themes [ Jump ]

5) Stylized Action Sequences & Martial Arts [ Jump ]

5) Final Notes [ Jump ]

Deep, Progressive Story

The game's strongest point is the film's weakest. It falls into a cliché blend of B-movie martial arts flicks, and that simply is unacceptable.

The storyline is always the fundamental aspect of anything, especially the art of film. It gives reason and consequence to action. What an MK film can most benefit from in terms of story is an epic setting.

Heroes should not, cannot and will not save the Earth by simply punching and kicking. Granted, stylized martial arts and confrontation is a must (see Action Sequences), but it cannot be executed in a mediocre way. It must be given logic, reason and an ultimate goal.

Some sense of realism must be maintained, or excitement and drama will be lost. At the same time, the fantasy elements absolutely must be preserved and presented in an amazing and breathtaking method. It is a careful line to walk, but simple enough with the proper understanding.

There must be layers to the story, many, many layers. Motives, reasoning behind those motives, the consequences of those motives. Vengeance, last stands. Loss, death, tragedy, victory, redemption. There are many elements that may be taken from the games themselves and appropriately enhanced (not downgraded!) into the cinema.

Flashbacks, subtle underlying messages, backstory. These and more are all suitable for telling a truly amazing story.

Lastly, execution and portrayel are most important. If you can't do it well enough find someone who can. [ Top ]

Meaningful Characters With Creative Development

Bland, cliché characters are unacceptable. The mythology has produced many compelling characters other the years that can be easily improved and expanded upon in the movies. Again, the films should go above and beyond the games, not fall far behind.

Super powers can be portrayed realistically enough, again dependant upon execution. Some aspects must be altered for the sake of believability and setting, but only appropriately and as needed. Again, for enhancement, not downplay.

Character development is most important. We must be simply fascinated with the characters of the sage and their progression. Character relation to one another, consequences and impacts. This is basic filmmaking, yet it's lacking in the current adaptions. [ Top ]

Atmospheric/Ambient Environmental Setting

Environment has incredible impact on a film. The current feel simply doesn't fly.

The setting must be artistically captivating, simple at times. An ambient eastern feel would work nicely for a large portion of the environment. It must be a mysterious universe to which we are transported. [ Top ]

Moving Score With Individual Underlying Themes

The music of a motion picture is incredibly significant. It relaxes, angers, saddens. Each major player in a story has their theme, with several variations. Each theme is then entwined with the themes of characters relevant to their story arch.

However, the current approach is simply the B-mentality kung-fu adrenaline rush. Unquestionably adrenaline and excitement should built at climactic points, but to deploy it whimsically and at every turn is to kill the meaning of the score. [ Top ]

Stylized Action Sequences & Martial Arts

The epic feel relies heavily upon how confrontation is presented. It cannot be bland, nor over the top. Stylized appropriately, it can be excellent entertainment and excitement. The simple kicks and punches of the current films will not accomplish this.

Even when authentic martial arts are present, in the context of the story things must be touched up. Fantasy comes into play largely in the fighting sequences, while at the same time executing it in a believable fashion. This prevents the uninspired or overused techniques of many fighting scenes. [ Top ]

Final Notes
In conclusion, I'm simply not certain Threshold has what it takes to pull this off... Or, in other terms, I'm not sure they're willing to commit the proper funding.

If you spend unwisely big budgets won't secure box office hits, but the more money you spend making a film appealing and truly amazing, the more profit it will garner. Good movies make money. The better it is, the more money it's going to make. Once again, it's all about execution and portrayel.