Video game movies come in all kinds of flavors and the genre has been looking for a magic recipe for success since Super Mario Bros., Mortal Kombat, and Street Fighter’s first attempts in the early 90s. With very mixed results over the past 30 years, the game to cinema approach has gone through several reinventions, and as the exciting Mortal Kombat movie reboot premiere date draws closer it’s worth looking at which of these mistakes the newer take risks making.
One of the most important things to get right in any film, especially in adaptations, is characterization, which is essentially the process of recreating or constructing those beloved video game mascots, heroes, and villains. The problem with this transition is that video games as interactive media can often rely on relatively bland characters that lack too much personality or depth, something that was much more of a problem in the early days when video game storytelling was nowhere near what it is now.
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Here the Mortal Kombat movie falls into the first video game movie trap, one that was amplified by the likes of Resident Evil and Assassin’s Creed: the creation of an entirely new character like Cole Young. While the Resident Evil film franchise did its own thing with Mila Jovovich’s Alice to move on with an independent non-canon storyline with respectable levels of success and results, the same cannot be said of Assassin’s Creed’s Callum Lynch and Aguilar de Nerha.
There’s a huge responsibility in adapting legendary protagonists like Link or Ezio Auditore, nevertheless while the first might be an intimidating blank canvas, a Lara Croft packs as much personality as any leading film character. Having a made-up newcomer protagonist like Cole Young means game purists cannot criticize how faithful the characters are, but it also deprives the movie of one of the reasons to go see it in the first place.
At least in Mortal Kombat Cole Young isn’t expected to carry the whole film, as the trailer already shows there’s plenty of fan service to go around, yet this does take away some screen time and attention from the rest of the roster. Mortal Kombat specifically has truly leveled up its story modes when compared to other fighting games, giving the likes of Scorpion, Liu Kang, and Johnny Cage increasingly complex characters arcs, motivations, and growth that simply weren't possible when they were too busy gouging quarters out of players’ pockets in the arcade.
At first glance, Mortal Kombat seems to have been wiser in this regard as the trailer hints at Sub-Zero and Shang Tsung being the main villains; while on the good guys’ side Sonya leads Earthrealm defenders in recruiting Cole Young and Netherrealm Studios own poster boy Scorpion rightfully looks like the main plot driver, unlike in the 1995 movie where the ninjas were relegated to little more than an afterthought.
Of course, adding entirely new characters isn’t necessarily a bad thing, just look at how well Detective Pikachu and Sonic The Hedgehog did recently by incorporating their made-up protagonists in a world where they play by the rules of the actual video game. Sure, those human actors are new, but it’s Pikachu and Sonic who have to walk them through what it means to crossover with the Pokémon and Sega universe.
Mortal Kombat’s success could largely depend on whether Cole Young’s dragon birthmark turns out to be a mark of destiny for him to assist the rest of Earthrealm fighters, loosely connecting him to Scorpion and Sub-Zero or if it makes him the film’s real champion, something very few fans would be looking forward to. Liu Kang is supposed to win the Mortal Kombat tournament, how exactly does Cole Young fit into that? If producers want to turn Mortal Kombat into its own universe that keeps fans interested sticking closer to the games' story would be the wiser choice.
Another way to look at it is the way Marvel’s MCU operates. Everyone loved Agent Phil Coulson, he was funny and helped bridge the gap between different franchises, despite not even existing in the comics. However, having Coulson replace or be on par with Nick Fury would have certainly not gone down well with Marvel Comics fans.
The latest Mortal Kombat movie merchandise points to Cole Young even getting his hands on his own weapons and armor, something that won’t be an issue as long as it doesn’t take the spotlight from the main cast. As director Simon McQuoid put it, fighting games like Mortal Kombat always add newcomers and DLC characters with varying degrees of success, so there’s no harm in that alone as long as they don’t get on the game's cover or pretend to outshine old favorites.
Video game movies always generate tons of hype for fans because they’re an opportunity to play out battles they could only expand upon in their imaginations. Creative liberties aside, the main focus should be on the Scorpion vs. Sub-Zero, Sonya vs. Kano, and Liu Kang vs. Shang Tsung rivalries that allow for 11 mainline game entries to sell well, not on the odd Mortal Kombat characters no one remembers.
Mortal Kombat will premiere in theaters and on HBO Max starting April 16, 2021.