Though the recently released Mortal Kombat reboot features a host of familiar faces adapted from the widely successful video game series of the same name, there was one aspect of the franchise that it seems to have left out: the game's iconic tournaments.
In an interview with Variety, director Simon McQuoid explained why the champions did not fight in such a match. "The story came out of this idea that we didn't just want to redo the first film. If you look at 'Mortal Kombat's' evolution over the decades, that has evolved and grown beyond the idea of the tournament."
He continued, "That's obviously essential within the DNA of 'Mortal Kombat,' and it's one of the fundamentals, if you look at where the story has gone. The idea of a tournament within a script informs a certain structure and rhythm. We didn't really want to serve that. To serve a tournament idea, you have to build it a certain way. So it was a couple of reasons that came to it playing out in the way it did."
Screenwriter Greg Russo previously explained that the focus of the film and its tone was taken into careful consideration. He explained, "I think tone is the trickiest thing with Mortal Kombat... You're always walking that line where if you tiptoe over the edge, you're in camp, you're in that cheesy world that no one wants to do." Russo compared the film to the video games and their focus on each of the characters of its large roster. "We wanted to make sure that we did the same thing, that we respected it and gave it an authenticity and realism as much as we could."
The synopsis for Mortal Kombat can be read below:
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 best warrior, Sub-Zero, an otherworldly Cryomancer, to hunt Cole down. Fearing for his family's safety, Cole goes in search of Sonya Blade at the direction of Jax, a Special Forces Major who bears the same strange dragon marking Cole was born with. Soon, he finds himself at the temple of Lord Raiden, an Elder God and the protector of Earthrealm, who grants sanctuary to those who bear the mark. Here, Cole trains with experienced warriors Liu Kang, Kung Lao and rogue mercenary Kano, as he prepares to stand with Earth’s greatest champions against the enemies of Outworld in a high stakes battle for the universe. But will Cole be pushed hard enough to unlock his arcana -- the immense power from within his soul -- in time to save not only his family, but to stop Outworld once and for all?
Directed by Simon McQuoid and produced by James Wan, Mortal Kombat stars Lewis Tan as Cole Young, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Josh Lawson as Kano, Tadanobu Asano as Lord Raiden, Mehcad Brooks as Jackson "Jax" Bridges, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Joe Taslim as Bi-Han and Sub-Zero, Hiroyuki Sanada as Hanzo Hasashi and Scorpion, Max Huang as Kung Lao, Sisi Stringer as Mileena, Matilda Kimber as Emily Young and Laura Brent as Allison Young. The film is now playing in theaters and streaming on HBO Max.
Source: Variety