Mortal Kombat movie wants to 'respect' its gaming history

"Shamelessly lazy...monotonous...one of the worst films ever made."

It's fair to say the reviews of the last Mortal Kombat film back in 1997 weren't too kind But it's also true that movie adaptations of other video games have historically been pretty hit or miss. too.

So there's lots riding on the latest Mortal Kombat film coming to our screens. With fans hoping for better and the online hype building, expectations are high.

Speaking to Newsbeat, the stars of the movie say "respecting the material" was their way of making this version land well with fans and viewers.

The plot sees former professional MMA fighter, Cole Young unite with some of the world's greatest fighters in a battle to save the universe.

Actor Lewis Tan - who plays Cole - tells us: "From the very top of the studio to the very bottom of the crew, we all cared."

This is the third movie based upon the popular fighting game and has reportedly been in development in one way or another since 2010.

Mehcad Brooks plays fan favourite and series mainstay, Jax. He says the reboot seeks to "honour" the stories of the films that came before it, not replace them.

Lewis says the goal for this movie is to introduce a "whole new era" of Mortal Kombat movies.

Famous faces from the franchise's past are here, from Sonya Blade and Lord Raiden to Scorpion and Sub Zero.

"I think [director] Simon McQuoid did an incredible job of giving everybody a moment, or a couple of moments, where you get to connect with these characters," Mehcad says.

"People really have fallen in love with these characters and I think Simon was able to raise them to the level of which they deserved."

Mehcad isn't mistaken when he says people have fallen in love with these characters.

The first Mortal Kombat game was released way back in 1992, making it one of gaming's longest-running and successful franchises of all time.

And when something is held in such affection, it's easy to understand why fans don't like anyone messing with it.

But Lewis is confident the game's fans will like what they see in the new film.

"You can't make a movie out of a bad script. Every single day, we were vigilant about respecting this material."

It's too early to say if this latest movie adaptation will succeed where others have failed.

Viewers in the U.S have already been able to access the movie and reviews so far have been pretty mixed.

To be honest, this film is unlikely to persuade critics these sorts of movies are worth seeing. But that will do nothing to dampen the excitement from fans.

"We don't get the opportunity to be in a film of this calibre very often," admits Lewis. So he says there's pressure not only to honour Mortal Kombat's history but "to show the world we belong here".

"Whether it's physical, whether it's emotional, or whether it's artistic from behind the scenes - we earned our spot. And we deserve to be here."

But the pressing question is: Who's the best Mortal Kombat player on the cast?

Both Lewis and Mehcad give the same name: Joe Taslim.

Joe is an Indonesian actor and martial artist who plays the movie's chief antagonist, Sub-Zero.

"I am working, doing my best to learn how to play this game just to beat Joe Taslim," laughs Lewis. "It is a mission of mine.

"When we are blessed and lucky and in a state of gratitude enough to be making a sequel, it is my mission to whip Joe Taslim," adds Mehcad.

"Put the controller down, we're coming for you, Joe. You've been called out, Taslim!"

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