Granted, MK has never been the shining example of it, but most major brands and franchises manage to maintain consistency in their license. If anything, the illogical is to expect an established franchise to suddenly do a complete 180 and become something unrecognisable.

With the exception of a few names and basic iconographic touchstones, this video has nothing to do with Mortal Kombat. The bigger shock should be there have been a large number of MK fans who have embraced it!

Is it coincidence that this video is being released just before E3??? you be the judge!

.....but probably is just coincidence.

Its quite obvious there are mixed feeling about this. Seems to be leading towards the negative side.

Now, I'm a huge MK fan (as I'm sure most of you are). I love the original story, characters, magic...all that stuff. With that being said I find the direction of the video VERY exciting.

I'm not going to stand here and say its an improvement, because its not. Its barely even Mortal Kombat, its a whole other creature. As an MK fan you can't see this as your old Mortal Kombat...you can't even see this as a reboot, really. I see it as an alternate universe sort of thing...almost a spin-off.

Its a fresh and new direction. I think its perfect to compare this to Twisted Metal 2 and Twisted Metal Black. Both are great games, but TOTALLY different stories. Black eliminated the magical/supernatural elements on 2 and the story went through a much more realistic and darker tone (And mind you, they did not substitute the Black story for TM2's. They continued with TM2's story with Head-On). You just have to look at this as a new concept, not the death of your old MK.

And even if you don't like this direction, who cares? Whats it matter? It doesnt effect our Old MK at all....thats still there, THAT story remains untouched. This new direction would be totally separate from everything we loved.

I'm just saying, don't be so quick to get mad over this. Its not the new MK. Its merely a new MK universe.

The chick who plays Sonya in the next game confirmed the vid has nothing to do with the game. Then again, this could be a big reveal for E3 as a MOVIE, but not the game.

I reckon this will make a pretty darn fun movie. Just don't fuck up the games with it.

I believe you're right.



Yeah. I say we should wait until E3 to know for sure.

This.

And jpetrunak's, even with your other points considered, I don't understand the logic of making non-fans the targeted audience. If there wasn't a large fan base, a film adaptation would not be justified in the first place. Even if the first game came out 20 years ago, the series has been relevant in the market within the past 5 years. The early plot lines were pretty excessible/lucid anyway. I don't think newer fans are going to see the MK2 story and fall on the floor hemorrhaging.


Sure, but it's Evan Williams, so you may have to leave your standards at the door.

(Truthfully, I love the stuff)

Ok yeah this looks great!!
BUT
NO!!!
the franchise is based on magic, sorcery, realms and all the good (fantasy) stuff that makes Mortal Kombat what it is!
Don't screw with it. Reboot it? Fine, but don't make all the characters humans with diseases or psychotic breaks.
Baraka a plastic surgeon? Really? Come on!
And what was the deal with Scorpion? What were his eyes all about? Gotta explain that too? What disease does he have?
Too many characters are strange looking and would need to be some kind of "freak" in order to be explained. Motaro? Sheeva? Raiden? SubZero freezing powers?
How will we get special moves and teleportation and projectiles?
I get the want to be "real" but don't rewrite the WHOLE franchise except the names in order to "follow the crowd". The "reality based" concept doesn't always work. Street Fighter Chun Lei anyone????????? HORRIBLE!

the acting and fight scenes are AMAZING!!
The rest of the concept is a BIG BIG NO for me!!!
LOVE JERI RYAN SO MUCH!!

Unless the concept they have in this film takes a SERIOUS Fantasy turn then I vote NO!

Okay, someone posted a link to this render of the Sub-Zero head from the clip about halfway through this thread...

http://www.wegame.com/view/sub-zero-3/

But I saw very little info on it beyond that... where did these renders come from? Have they been on the net before this vid was posted? Who dug this up, and where?

And why am I the first person asking this? lol

I don't think so. I think a number of hardcore fans would be entirely happy with an MK game that consists of a number of core series characters with a few new (solid) characters thrown in, set in a solid 3d game engine that doesn't suffer from balancing issues. That probably plays like a good cross between MK3, Street fighter, and the DOA series. And retains the series violent roots with a half assed story.

Or at least that's what would make me happy.

While the timing and release of this video right before E3 is a little suspect, one could wager that the director is attempting to hype up his idea again to WB when eyes will be focused on MK. It's also possible WB just was not interested and turned him away. Then again, another possibility is that this project was accepted and more things will be announced soon.

Still, word straight from one of the actor's mouths is about as good of a confirmation on something as we can get at the moment.

So our only options are taking the same characters and repackaging them in cliched "grit" and faux "realism" OR rehashing MK1/MK2 over and over again?

Talk about being stuck between shit and piss.


Personally, I favor the option of ditching the worn out characters, keeping the ones actually worth holding onto, and moving on with the story WITHOUT erasing everything that came before it.

Essentially, I want a sequel.

So it's official that it's essentially nothing at this point in time. Although with the timing just before E3 I wouldn't be surprised if WB did have something to do with it.

If nothing else just to get people talking about MK before they reveal MK9.

I was in my early teens when MK1 came out.

Here is the thing; there is no reason to reset the clock back to zero in terms of extending the storyline and characters for the next generation. Now that I am reading that this video is isn't really related to MK. I am sort of at ease.

Time and time again, I use Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance as the perfect example of how MK should be rebooted.

The weight of Deadly Alliance was NOT dependent on any of the past Mortal Kombat to reboot Mortal Kombat. A person did NOT have to know anything about previous entries to get into it. At the same time Konquest(the best Konquest out of the three games), filled in the gaps in character's storylines, but at the same time did NOT have any overall effect current storyline, while keep the fundamental character traits. Example: Sub-Zero and Scorpion had beef in the past, but now that is all over with. In Deadly Alliance and next entries ,none of that mattered

In short I just don't see why re-making classic characters from a storyline point of view as if it were day one is a good idea. We already know who they are. If you don't know who they are that is the point of progressing the overall storyline in a reboot a kin to Deadly Alliance, in giving the next storyline that doesn't really relate to past Mortal Kombat games. That way new fans can get into the character at the same time give old fans something new. The original stories should be there , but the moavation should change. Give the characters a new goal. Turning characters like Baraka into a crazy med student does nothing.

Example - Mention nothing about the history between Sub-Zero and Scorpion. Instead give the two completely different new storylines for both characters.

In fact the "reboot" that was heavy speculated today is pretty much rehashing old ideas from the first Mortal Kombat Trilogy MK1-MK4. From the video we STILL have Scorpion going after Sub-Zero to kill him. That storyline arch was over way back in 2002. Do you really want to tell that storyline again even if the characters are slightly different? I rather have them go in a whole new direction. Example: Last we knew: Sub-Zero was trying to rebuild the Lin Kei. How about this new triolgy leave that out, leaving the old fans thinking he quit that idea, and give him a new goal un related. That way the it would be something new to both old school and new school fans.

Old characters should return new motivations that are vastly different from both MK trilogy one and two.

Yes a sequel!
I dont want a friggin reboot!
Why does EVERYTHING UNDER THEN ENTERTAINMENT WORLD have to be rebooted? Can't ANYONE in this industry have an original idea?
Movies, TV, games, comics.....kill characters off and LEAVE THEM DEAD!!!!
Stop bringing EVERYONE BACK!
Armageddon was necessary to kill MOST EVERYONE OFF!
Move on with a sequel with a toned down cast of characters "bad and good" that lived though Armageddon and MOVE ON!

Ugh reboots! Over it!!

I think you guys are looking at this situation too drastically.

Its not necessarily a reboot. And IF they did go this direction it does not mean that the old-MK is finished.

This can just be a spin-off...a completely unrelated separate entity. They are allowed to continue with the old-MK, nobody said they can't. You can still have EVERYTHING you loved about MK. New direction doesnt mean the only direction.

Even if this is nothing, it proves this site can at least still be active. It was nice to see, and even if this isn't the real MK9 hopefully this level of activity and discussion can continue on once it is actually here.

I think this video is still pretty vague in terms of some key plot elements...
I'm not ruling out that the movie's gonna be free of all the magical sorcery elements that compose MK...

The beginning of the trailer shows the city in chaos n' whatever, I assume that is caused by some kind of supernatural force which has been linked to shang tsung or something...well at least tat's what I want to think...

Point is I think it's still too early to be hatin' and criticizing n' shiiit...

To everyone who's saying, "This is not Mortal Kombat, it's way too far from its roots," think of it this way... Mortal Kombat has ended. The saga is done. Amrageddon concluded the whole storyline. MK vs. DC was an alternate concept, but other than that, MK's main canon is finished.

So yeah, they might be taking it into a completely new direction, but think of it this way... Mortal Kombat is done... And this is a new fighting series that simply carries on the name and a few key references to the original Mortal Kombat franchise.

Besides, look at it from the team's point... New company to work for, new studio name, completely fresh reboot of the franchise. It's a new beginning for them, plain and simple.

That's assuming this is indeed a campaign for the new game, which I believe it is.

Another thing to think about. This is just a pitch for a movie. Meaning, this would not be the movie. They could have this guy direct and the fight choreographer do his thing, but hire completely different writers who can actually make the characters decent, and put forth a really well told story. That way, you have the awesome realistic gritty style of filming they have in the video, but keep characters in their natural state instead of revamping their looks and stories. If WB picks this up, and they can walk a fine line between the style in the video, and the elements of fantasy and supernatural the MK is known for, they could have phenomenal results.

People seem to think if this movie goes through that it would have to be just like the video, characters and all, but that's not the truth. A pitch is simply a sample of what the director could do if given the opportunity and support from WB. The story could be completely in WB's hands.

So I wouldn't shoot down this video quite yet.

Your very right. I think a lot of peoples initial reaction to the clip was that it was some sort of an official movie trailer, and in that case a lot of people don't like the concept of it as for where they are taking the characters. But as far as production value, and and overall tone it definitely fits the series, and i think a lot of fans myself included can be happy with that if that's the way they go, but get better writers to keep the characters more towards what we know, and are familiar with.

you ́re right !! , its so different , all the midway selling company is decay on this kinda films , more human-view and so less -style design, i dont agree with this visual...it looks like CSI new york , is overwhelming and oldfashioned

It's a 7 minute 48 second clip that merely sets up a theoretical plot. Who's to say it wouldn't have any fantasy elements or substance?



No, because the gameplay has always been there (with the exception of SF1) and they've only improved upon it. I play SF for the gameplay and MK for the plot (though I do play UMK3 competitively). MK's plot is so convoluted, it's no wonder Ed ended it the way he did, when he did.

And speaking of plots, who said SF doesn't have one? Pfft. - http://www.gamefaqs.com/arcade/583625-street-fighter/faqs/26094

What I meant was that people shouldn't be praising this just because it's different. It isn't addressing MK's key issue that needs a reboot the most. Therefore, it isn't truly a reboot of the series in that way.

WOW YOU ARE A 100% I am 30 i loved MK. And i think this is a fresh start to the movie slash game, This feels more exciting and gritty, cause MK is so old i know everything. in this i am surprised it feels like a new concept

On another note, if this turns out to be nothing at all this is why I have always been against posting things like this. It's going to let a lot of people down and all the buzz generated is for nothing. I suppose E3 is soon so hopefully people will stick around and be excited, even if this turns out to be something unrelated.