Mortal Kombat Movie Reboot: 8 Things We Need To See
Fatality or Flawless Victory?
Warner Bros. recently announced that the James Wan-produced Mortal Kombat reboot is not only real, but will be released on the remarkably specific date of March 5th, 2021. 25 years after Hollywood's first attempt at realising everyone's favourite mystical blood-spattered beat-em up, they're finally giving it another go.
To be fair, the original 1995 Mortal Kombat movie was far from the worst game-to-film project of the 90s. It had its charm, and it has, to an extent, aged well. It's a shame the same can't be said for its follow up, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, and the ill-fated TV series Mortal Kombat: Conquest, but the less said about those, the better.
So, the question remains: will Mortal Kombat 2021 be a great film, a good film, or on the level of Annihilation? Glossy production and ultra-slick special effects alone won't make a good movie, no matter how much money WB throws at the project, and there are a few things which the studio needs to include to get fans throwing their money at the screen.
8. A Pumping, Throwback Soundtrack
That techno track from the original film, (you know the one, where he shouts "MORTAL KOMBAT") was never particularly clever or groundbreaking, even in its hay-day, but it had a stomping, anthem quality to it, and that's why people remember it so fondly.
A distinct and pumping soundtrack is a match made in heaven for Mortal Kombat's adrenaline-fuelled action. Thankfully, there's no shortage of industrial, electronic, metal, or other artists, who would be fit for the task of creating a noisy, high-energy opus for the next movie.
A surprising amount of a movie's personality rests on this element, and personality is something which Mortal Kombat is in no shortage of, so the mater of good music should be taken seriously.
Also worth keeping in mind, is just how cool some of the in-game soundtracks were, particularly in the 16-bit/arcade sagas of Mortal Kombats 1 to 3. Perhaps the brooding, pleasantly retro blips of the 90s games could make a resurgence in a new soundtrack, and help cement a sense of nostalgic identity inside a modern musical setting.