M-Rated: Games Growing Up in the Cinema

Earlier this week, a Youtube user named “MortalKombatRebirth” posted a trailer that launched great speculation from those who saw it. The video (below) was an 8-minute look at what could be a potential new direction for the Mortal Kombat film franchise, offering a realistic reboot and reimagining of several classic characters from the Mortal Kombat universe. The “Dark Knight” approach, foregoing the more fantastical elements of the existing franchise in favor for a more realistic and grounded interpretation, would definitely be a huge change for the film franchise, which hasn’t seen a new entry since the dismal MK: Annihilation. However, is that what gamers want when it comes to their favorite gaming franchises are committed to celluloid?

The Mortal Kombat film franchise has never been a particularly stellar one, and even though the original film was pretty successful (and definitely better than the Super Mario Bros., Street Fighter, or Double Dragon movies that preceded it) it still left many fans divided. The film had quite a bit of cheese-infused dialogue, workhorse special effects (of course, they don’t hold up to today’s standards), and a weak plot that didn’t really convey what fans of the franchise would have liked to see. Still, as an early effort at shifting from video-games to film (and lousy sequel notwithstanding), Mortal Kombat did well for the most part.

However, a lot can change in 15 years. With the recent maturing trend of comic book-based films, the film industry is learning that niche genres are ripe for intelligent crossovers into film. Movies like “The Dark Knight” and “Iron Man” have shown this; each offered a “grown-up” look at comic book characters and ultimately the pay-off was huge, both critically and commercially.

The most recent attempt at bringing a video-game franchise to cinemas was Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. The film was quite faithful to the Sands of Time video-game trilogy, but lacked the power to truly resonate with audiences and struggles for footing amidst stiff box office competition. Additionally, the film didn’t strike much of a chord with film critics, garnering mixed reviews. Even though the film featured a bankable star and the producing power of Jerry Bruckheimer (who, after all, was able to turn a Disneyland ride into a film franchise grossing billions), it has been chalked up as another ho-hum video-game interpretation.

A reboot of the Mortal Kombat film franchise could be just what is called for to get the genre out of its slump, doing what Prince of Persia couldn’t. A realistic, noir-ish approach would definitely be a departure from the video-game franchise, which has always relied of over-the-top gore, wild characters, and insane special moves, but when it comes to the elements that fans of the MK games would ultimately desire out of the film, the teaser seems to nail it. In the short video, we get a set up of the characters, including the rivalry between Scorpion and Sub-Zero, and the overall brutality of the franchise. Additionally, we get to see that the franchise is growing up, which is precisely what gamers would hope for from films based on their favorite gaming franchises.

The realism approach has worked wonders for giving films based on comics some true credibility with mainstream audiences as well as comic book fans. And considering the positive response that the Mortal Kombat Rebirth test footage has gotten from gamers and film fans alike, it could do great things for video-game based films as well. Considering how they’ve struggled in the past, maybe some growing up would do them good.