Everyone already knows the stigma associated with video game movies, and the negative fan reactions are very well-earned. However, what if a game that has historically been poorly adapted to the big screen, could find a much better home on the small screen?
Mortal Kombathas been adapted to live-action films three times, and while each of the movies has its merits, none are anything close to great. The 1995 original is a ton of fun but misses large elements of the aesthetic and lore. The 1997 sequel is a complete mess that manages to avoid fan outrage by being hilarious. The most recent film is fairly solid, butoverambitiously pursued an MCU-like franchisethat overstuffed its simple narrative.
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To the outsider,Mortal Kombatisabout a fighting tournamentbetween heroes of Earth and a hostile alternate realm for the fate of all mankind. Dedicated fans, however, know that the tournament barely encompasses the A-plot. The tale ofMortal Kombatbegins at the dawn of time when an all-powerful entity known only as The One Being creates the Elder Gods. The Elder Gods destroy their creator, carving them into countless tiny pieces, each of which forms a realm capable of sustaining life.
Over time, the denizens of those realms will, as if by providence, gravitate towards conquering their extradimensional neighbors. The Elder Gods sought to prevent this, so they created the Mortal Kombat tournament. A realm’s representative must defeat its opponent in Mortal Kombat 10 times before they may take over another realm. The main plot concerns Shao Kahn, the ruler of a grim realm known as Outworld, as he seeks to dominate all others. Earthrealm is his latest target, and the plot of each game has been a never-ending struggle to remain a free reality against an otherworldly tyrant. All whilecountless factions strugglefor power. And even that has barely scratched the surface.
The eleven mainlineMortal Kombatgames cover a sprawling adventure across realities from the perspective of dozens of characters and throughout periods of immense strife. Multiple dynasties experience battles for power, armies face off in pitched combat, timelines are forged and remade, gods fight alongside demons and mankind alike, and the universe seems to expand ever-outward. Focusing only on one or two main characters would leave enough material to cover a trilogy of action-packed films. To do justice to anything close to the main storyline of the games, or even one of the countless massive side stories, would take much more than a single film. However, something more in themodel ofGame of Thronescould tell the full story in one epic narrative that enthralls both newcomers and long-time fans.
Mortal Kombatis unique amongst fighting game franchises in that its story mode is both beloved and not terrible. Its framing is simple, the player takes on therole of a single characterat a time to experience their perspective, fights a couple of battles, and moves on to another member of the roster. This allows fans to see the many factions from within and see the never-ending conflict from all sides. Even many of the villains get their moment in the spotlight because every character is someone’s favorite.
This format converts perfectly into a long-form fantasy TV epic. The individual episodes could break into multiple plot lines which let the audience bond with the entire beloved cast. One of the biggest stumbling blocks for the previous films in the franchise is the complete lack of interesting things for anyone other than Liu Kang, Johnny Cage,or Raiden to do. Fans love the whole cast and the idea of a show bouncing from Earthrealm, to the Netherrealm, to the Chaos Realm and beyond would be the ideal format for aMortal Kombatadaptation.
When dealing with lore in an adaptation, there are multiple strategies that can work out. Whether it’s truncating the larger details orchanging them to better fitthe medium, there’s always an adjustment that must be made.Mortal Kombatcarries an almost comical amount of extemporaneous lore, and it can be very difficult to choose what should stay and what can be left to the Wiki. The films have settled on extremely simple details. Earthrealm good, Outworld bad, four or five quick fight scenes and that’s the narrative. A longer form medium would have much more to work with, allowing the creators to weave a much larger and more engaging tapestry from the existing narrative.
Mortal Kombathas the potential to make a fantastic TV show in the model ofsomething likeGame of Thrones. The multiple interweaving plot lines, a wide variety of settings, a massive cast of characters, and tons of engaging backstory is a great jumping-off point for something very special.Mortal Kombatfans love the ongoing universe of this narrative, and TV could be the best medium to delve deeper into its realms.
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