The Movies That Moved Me: Paul W.S. Anderson’s MORTAL KOMBAT
It will be thirty years come Sunday since this movie hit the big screen in the U.S.. What are you watching this weekend?
mortal kombat
MORTAL KOMBAT Sequel Is A Go At New Line
I don’t particularly stand in the majority here at Film Combat Syndicate amidst the reviews for Simon McQuoid’s feature directing debut, Mortal Kombat. With this, I can earnestly say I appreciate the dissent with regard to its merits as well as its flaws – the latter which ought to draw further conversations on how a sequel could be better improved. To that end, as for whether or not McQuoid is returning to helm the sequel remains to be seen. A sequel has been confirmed, nonetheless, as Mike Fleming Jr. reported exclusively at Deadline on Wednesday, along with word of Jeremy Slater (upcoming Disney+ series Moon Knight) joining New Line Cinema’s efforts in penning the screenplay. Slater replaces Greg Russo who wrote the inaugural script based on a story by Oren Uziel for the 2021 film which had long been in the works for a decade. Casting details remain pending, although […]
Now Available: Simon McQuoid’s MORTAL KOMBAT, A Review Afterword
It was less than a quarter of a century since fans of the first Mortal Kombat movie in 1995 who had high hopes that its sequel would fare well a few years later, would see any progress pertaining to a third installment. By this past April and just a little earlier in several countries around the world, fans finally got their wish with the arrival of a new live-action reboot, following weeks of fan-driven hype over the film’s red-band trailer generating millions of views and becoming the most-viewed red band trailer in history. It was a moment I relished and reveled as one of success and shared jubilation, with fans who’ve waited years after a two-season webseries by Machinima fell by the wayside when its third season never aired. I shared in the blanketed, blinding excitement of knowing that action cinema greats Joe Taslim and Hiroyuki Sanada were gonna play […]
MORTAL KOMBAT Review: Between What Works And What Doesn’t, Simon McQuoid’s Freshman Debut Is A Test Of More Than Might
“Why are you trying to fix what isn’t broken?” That sentiment echoed throughout my mind repeatedly as I watched Simon McQuoid’s take on Mortal Kombat. A Mortal Kombat film is such an easy thing to get right, it’s almost admirable just how wrong McQuoid and Co. got it in this latest outing. Ostensibly, the game series is about a fighting tournament of cosmic proportions that determine whether Earth is conquered by another realm or not. Throughout its run, the series has almost always been about Shaolin monk Liu Kang and his quest to save the world. Surrounding him are a wild cast of characters like undead ninjas, Special Forces soldiers, Hollywood actors, mutants with knives in their arms and literal gods. It’s the kind of fantastical lore that would be perfect as a television series wherein you can elaborate on the many characters and focus in on their lives, loves […]
MORTAL KOMBAT Review: A Noob’s View
Consider me mildly impressed. Mildly. I just saw the Mortal Kombat movie in the theater, and as a casual viewer and MK noob, I can’t say I was either over- or underwhelmed. Remember, the key words here are “casual viewer.” My basic knowledge of Mortal Kombat goes back to warm September nights at a midwestern university in 1993, when over-caffeinated boys would scream “Mortal Kombat!” across the dormitory quad at each other. As a 21-year-old girl trying to get a date, I found it strange and endearing. I managed to play the game (don’t even ask me which video game system) a handful of times, but as someone who peaked with Frogger and Pitfall on the Atari 2600, this kind of game and system weren’t my cup of tea. With my recent side gig of “amateur movie reviewer,” I couldn’t pass up the chance to see the film so many […]
“ENTER THE AUSTRALIAN: THE MAN WHO TRAINED THE MORTAL KOMBATANTS” – A Word With Martial Arts Instructor Nino Pilla
With over 44 years experience, the name Nino Pilla is synonymous with the more progressive styles of martial arts. Highly regarded by many as one of the world’s top authorities on Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do (JKD, being one of the forerunners to Modern Mixed Martial Arts), his experience has garnered him equal praise and reverence. His high level skill and incomparable knowledge had made him highly sought after, regularly featuring in Silvio Morelli’s famed BLITZ publications where his step by step methodologies were demonstrated the gritty yet refined style of JKD. More recently and very notably, Nino’s expertise was used by Warner Bros with the Hollywood juggernaut using his martial arts coaching skills for one of the biggest blockbuster martial arts fantasy films of 2021. Taking a different route to the Wachowski Brothers who secured HK kung fu choreographer Yuen Woo-Ping, in recent years other Directors such as Doug […]
Mortal Kombat (2021) Review – Fumbling At The Controls
The year is 1992 and it’s a Saturday. I’m thirteen years old and, like most weekends during that time in my life, I’m at the mall. When I wasn’t at the food court horsing around with my friends, or rummaging through the shelves of movies at the music store, I was at the arcade. The arcade was typical of the time period- dimly lit with only the glow from the various machines adding any real illumination to the darken amusement-filled space. It was always crowded and noisy, electronic boops and beeps mixing with loud laugher and even louder conversations as people crowded around the various arcade cabinets. On this particular day the crowd seemed denser, the laughter and excited chatter even louder. Something was happening. I worked my way through the people and caught a glimpse of what the commotion was all about- there was a large crowd packed tightly […]
MORTAL KOMBAT Review: Mildly Flawed, But Retkonned Victoriously
It’s been a strain waiting so many years to see another live-action iteration of hit fighting game franchise, Mortal Kombat, on the big screen. To add, it’s possible that the varying expectations from fans would’ve added some considerable pressure unto anyone trying to do right by the brand, though you have to give it to the powers that be for attempting something different – a move often haplessly applied with other filmic attempts on the genre that usually draws ire from the masses. And rightfully so, in some ways. Look at all pre-existing examples from Steven de Souza’s Street Fighter (1994) and Andrzej Bartkowiak’s Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun Li (2009) to Gordon Chan’s ill-conceived take on King Of Fighters (2009), and even Tekken (2010) and its hackeneyed direct-to-DVD sequel. The bright spots within many of these films, and areas of massive potential to world-build in ways that could […]
Kung Lao Sings!: Max Huang Debuts “Flawless Victory” To Celebrate The Release Of MORTAL KOMBAT
It’s been a helluva ride waiting out the last fifty-thousand seven-hundred and thirty eight years for another Mortal Kombat movie to arise, and for that, it’s as surreal as it is sobering that many of us fans around the world will get to close this chapter with the hope of prospective sequels stemming from this latest effort by debut filmmaker Simon McQuoid. Alas, I hope everyone checking the film out this weekend does so safely, whether in a limited theater or at home. For all this and more, I now bring you to the latest what-in-hell-is-going-on-ness that is the latest independent music video premiere of Mortal Kombat co-star headlining as “Kung Lao”, actor/martial artist and JC Stunt Team cohort Max Huang, performing “Flawless Victory” to ring in the opening weekend. And… yeah. This is a pretty solid jam. Be cool if Watertower Music considers this a fair addition to the […]
MORTAL KOMBAT Warns Of A Bloody Reckoning In The First Seven Minutes From Warner Bros.
This is about as spoilery as I’m going to get in terms of watching any legitimately-released footage from Simon McQuoid’s Mortal Kombat. I’m already sold and plan on seeing it in May, or as soon as I can get it on screener for a review this week as long as I’m getting my writing nerve back. Yes, it’s as red-bandy as you’d expect. The film opens in theaters, IMAX and HBO Max on Friday!
MORTAL KOMBAT Gets Superb New Footage In The Latest BTS Featurette
Simon McQuoid’s Mortal Kombat is just eighteen days away from its release, and with that, we now have scores of new shots of our headlining cast in the latest behind-the-scenes featurette from IGN which you can view above. Here, you get longer glimpses of the cast, including in part Kabal (Daniel Nelson), Mileena (Sisi Stringer), Kung Lao (Max Huang) and Liu Kang (Ludi Lin), with plenty of insight from McQuoid and the cast, led by Lewis Tan. It’s an ample serving for fans of the IP who’ve since wondered if there will be a final trailer following the record-breaking launch of the red-band trailer last month. Production recently announced an April 23 release date, scaling back one week from its previous date to leave some breathing room for Godzilla VS. Kong. The film will encompass both theatrical and IMAX releases, as well as a 31-day window on HBO Max for […]
News Briefs: Trailers For SHADOW AND BONE & STAR WARS: THE BAD BATCH, Woo’s MONKEY MASTER, KOMBAT Begins A Week Later, Berry Joins OUR MAN IN JERSEY, THUNDERCATS Roar For Wingard
● The official series trailer is out for Netflix’s Shadow And Bone, created by Eric Heisserer and based on the Fantasy novel franchise from author Leigh Bardugo. Set to premiere on April 23, the series is set in the Grishaverse novels, and centers on Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li), a lowly soldier and orphan who awakens an extraordinary power that could be the key to setting her country free from the monstrous threat of the Shadow Fold. ● New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Pictures have since scaled back the release of Mortal Kombat, moving it to April 23. Simon McQuoid makes his feature directing debut from a script by Greg Russo, and stars Lewis Tan as a washed-up MMA fighter thrust into an epic death tournament that will decide not only the fate of the realms, but his own destiny in the wake of a longstanding rivalry between ninja […]
MORTAL KOMBAT Gets New Poster Art Via WB Thailand
Just short of turning this whole website into a Mortal Kombat stan page, I felt like sharing the latest bit of international key art from Warner Bros. Thailand for Mortal Kombat. Starring actor Lewis Tan posted an Instagram version of the poster below on his profile and it’s one of multiple posters now making the rounds online actually. Most of the characters on here are shown in different angles and stances compared to previous artwork, including Tan’s “armored”, more fleshed-out look as a kombatant. I’m pretty much sold on this movie as it is. Now all I need is for it to be April! Peep the poster below, and click here for previous Kombat koverage.
MORTAL KOMBAT: New Footage In A Bevy Of Quick Promos For The Live-Action Martial Arts Thriller
Feast your eyes above on a slew of short promos for Simon McQuoid’s Mortal Kombat, from Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema. The promos are host to tons of new footage, some of which lend a greater reveal of the characters and the action, including the armored look teased in the latest banner art donned by lead star Lewis Tan, and speedy hooksword killer Kabal, played by Daniel Nelson. The promos also remain adherent to the key narrative culminating the eternal rivalry between warring ninjas Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada) and Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim), with other permeating characters like Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee), Jax (Mehcad Brooks) Mileena (Sisi Stringer), Kano (Josh Lawson), Liu Kang (Ludi Lin), Kung Lao (Max Huang), Shang Tsung (Chin Han) and Raiden (Tadanobu Asano), and, if you watch carefully, brief glimpses of Nathan Jones as brutal kombatant, Reiko, and Tan lunging a feral attack at the mighty […]
MORTAL KOMBAT Debuts Kabal In A New Promo Banner For The Live-Action Thriller Adaptation Of The Hit Game
Warner Bros. Pictures unveiled its latest promotional artwork for Simon McQuoid’s Mortal Kombat. McQuoid directed the film from a script by Greg Russo, and will premiere in theaters, IMAX and HBO Max on April 16. Mortal Kombat stars Lewis Tan in the studio’s newest cinematic incarnation of the hit fighting video game franchise that has spawned a multi-media success for nearly thirty years. Tan stars as Cole Young, an underdog MMA fighter who finds himself thrust into the world of the legendary tournament where Earth’s greatest champions battle it out against otherworldly forces. The official red-band trailer debuted on February 18. Eight days later, the trailer amassed enough online views to become the most-watched red-band trailer in history. Tan, depicted with slightly more imagery of his illustration as Cole, leads the character roster in the banner below from left to right as follows: Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Mehcad Brooks […]
MORTAL KOMBAT: Blood, Gore, Fatalities And More In The Official Restricted Trailer!
Almost thirty years later, Mortal Kombat is still here. It’s taken more than two decades since New Line Cinema paved the way for live-action film efforts in ’95 and ’97, but Warner Bros. Pictures has finally made good on its commitment to a new film inspired by the hit fighting game franchise after announcing development of a reboot back in 2011.That the game franchise itself has evolved long since its heyday at Midway in the early 90s has also proven beneficial, amply creating a flexible space for further development in its IP, and aptly welcoming an original character in its universe that hereto sees actor and martial artist Lewis Tan (Deadpool 2, Into The Badlands, Wu Assassins) finally headlining a major motion picture. In “Mortal Kombat,” MMA fighter Cole Young, accustomed to taking a beating for money, is unaware of his heritage—or why Outworld’s Emperor Shang Tsung has sent his […]
[UPDATED] MORTAL KOMBAT Prepares Trailer Launch With First Character Poster
The first official character poster is online for Simon McQuoid’s upcoming game adaptation, Mortal Kombat. The animated poster below features Joe Taslim as Lin Kuei ninja, Sub-Zero, which you can view below, and one only hopes this is the first we’ll see of character posters. It’s about damn time y’all. The trailer is coming Thursday. Stay tuned. UPDATE: View the posters below! I’ll be adding them as they come! Joe Taslim is Sub-Zero. #MortalKombatMovie trailer Thursday. pic.twitter.com/63Rv7Kwahs — Mortal Kombat Movie (@MKMovie) February 17, 2021 Josh Lawson is Kano. #MortalKombatMovie trailer Thursday at 9am PT. pic.twitter.com/C9DSFBtQYe — Mortal Kombat Movie (@MKMovie) February 17, 2021 Sisi Stringer is Mileena. #MortalKombatMovie trailer Thursday at 9am PT. pic.twitter.com/TMCNsdzsfg — Mortal Kombat Movie (@MKMovie) February 17, 2021 Max Huang is Kung Lao. #MortalKombatMovie trailer tomorrow at 9am PT. pic.twitter.com/dKwIIX2FkH — Mortal Kombat Movie (@MKMovie) February 17, 2021 Lewis Tan is Cole Young. #MortalKombatMovie trailer […]
MORTAL KOMBAT: Prepare Yourself With These New Stills From The Upcoming Reboot Starring Lewis Tan
The last twelve hours have been more than irking for anyone who’s been following the stars of the new Mortal Kombat movie on social media, but we now have a new look at exclusive photos and stills from the upcoming Simon McQuoid directed reboot thanks to an exclusive piece on Friday from reporter Nick Romano at Entertainment Weekly. The report highlights a ten minute sequence introducing a “blood universe” of sorts, that begins with the history of characters Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim) and Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada), followed by a look at starring actor Lewis Tan who plays an original character named Cole Young, a down-on-his-luck fighter with a mysterious birthmark in the shape of the titular MK logo that connects him to these characters of the game, and ultimately, the tournament. The photos in the gallery below and at EW, come courtesy and credit to Mark Rogers, New Line Cinema and […]
MORTAL KOMBAT Slots An April 2021 Release, Trailer To Stream In The New Year
Producer Todd Garner took to Twitter on Monday afternoon to confirm the official release date of Simon McQuoid’s new movie, Mortal Kombat. The news comes following a botched tweet last week wherein Garner posted an ill-timed teaser update at the time, exciting and riling up fans who’ve been waiting for a look at the new film based on the hit fighting game franchise by Netherrealm Studios and predecessor, Midway. Trailer in the new year. Sorry it took so long to get this out. pic.twitter.com/Jku86FYKo2 — Todd Garner (@Todd_Garner) December 14, 2020 Mortal Kombat will be the Australian commercial director’s feature debut from a script by Greg Russo. Plot details are unknown, while the prominently-hyped cast will be led by Lewis Tan (Wu Assassins, Into The Badlands) in an undisclosed role. Rounding out the cast of characters are Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Tadanobu Asano as Raiden, Joe Taslim as Sub-Zero, […]
MORTAL KOMBAT Confirms Day-And-Date Release Among Studio Slate For 2021
I’ve been hard up for the longest for anything related to Simon McQuoid’s Mortal Kombat, but the latest look here at the official logo is certainly appetizing in the least. The graphic appeared for the first time on Thursday in a new promo announcing the studio’s entire 17-title 2021 slate would all get day-and-date releases, with HBO Max premiering the movies on the same day as their theatrical releases. The film recently wrapped additional photography and was subsequently delayed as the pandemic crisis continues to worsen across the U.S., and reports this week also provided earlier insight that the studio did consider an HBO Max release. Now following Wonder Woman 1984 this Christmas, the film joins the likes of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune remake, James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, Lana Wachowski’s The Matrix 4, Alan Taylor’s The Many Saints Of Newark and so many more! Check out the announcement below and […]
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