In the past video game adaptations have been massive let downs, ok not always, resident evil has kept its self-going, so it has a strong fan base but others have fallen short, street fighter, super Mario and Mortal Kombat. As series go this has been more a love affair than a long term commitment, my parents would never let me own the games, in fact I was told off when I was younger for playing MK1 on an arcade machine. Maybe the fact that I was forbidden it or maybe its a series that held so many secrets, Reptile, Ermac and Jade are some of the series first hidden characters, one of them being so hidden he didn’t actually exist, the series kept you wanting more. I remember staying up late on several nights to watch the original film, then eventually I just recorded it, seriously I could recite that film line for line in my preteen years. I remember me and my best friend going to see its sequel, and thinking that it was awesome; once again we were young and couldn’t fathom why the film was only released for a week. Having to use dial up internet to go and read about the games online. Staying up all night on a Friday to play MK3 with friends even helping my friend find his secret Christmas stash so we could all play MK4 a few weeks earlier on the N64.
I really loved those games, maybe it’s because I could never actually own them, sometimes the concept of something with a fleeting chance to embrace it can be better than actually having it all the time. For this reason maybe that’s why I threw myself into its spin offs, its cartoon series and its TV Series, in the latter’s case it was once again sneaking down stairs on school nights to watch it. Still none of these really embodied Mortal Kombat or did it justice. 2010 came and rumours of a short film surfaced I managed to find it and I have to admit it was pretty impressive, but it still wasn’t enough. A year later Mortal Kombat legacy debuted and I have to admit I was finally satisfied.
As series go it really ingrained itself into our popular culture, with shows like the Simpsons and Malcolm in the Middle all referencing it. An award winning soundtrack (which I will pay tribute to later), a stage show this was a definitive part of the 90’s.
Taking a fresh look at the series Legacy has taken a more grounded look at the back stories and given us a darker but more acceptable tale. I won’t lie at first the web series had me a little on the meh side, I was not a fan until I saw the Jonny Cage and Raiden episodes, they blew me away, show casing how the series differs from its original. Then you continue on with Scorpions origin story, which was so well done, its flawless and tragic at the same time, along with this you see back story for Katanna, Milleena, Sector, Cyrax, Kano, Barraka, Jaxx, Stryker and Sonya Blade as well, there were plenty of nerdgasims had by all.
Last night I finally got round to watching all of season two and at first I was annoyed at the recasting that had taken place but once I watched it I was blown away, first off we are now finally at the tournament and also Shang Tsung is now being played by Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, why is thos awesome, well he played Shang Tsung in the first film as well so this is a great little through back to fan of the first film, such as myself (it may not be great but I liked it).
For a web series it has some great special effects and pretty great cast, I really think this is a great start for anyone new to web series, each episode is short but keeps you wanting more, I really can’t wait till season 3.
In a final note the series lacks only one thing, the original theme, which as movie themes go is still legendary.
The Cast is as follows
- Michael Jai White as Jax Briggs
- Jeri Ryan as Sonya Blade
- Ian Anthony Dale as Scorpion
- Matt Mullins and Casper Van Dien as Johnny Cage
- Darren Shahlavi as Kano
- Ryan Robbins and David Lee McInnis as Raiden
- Tahmoh Penikett and Eric Jacobus as Kurtis Stryker
- Shane Warren Jones as Cyrax/Hydro
- Beatrice Ilg as Sindel
- Aleks Paunovic as Shao Kahn
- Peter Shinkoda as Sektor
- Fraser Aitcheson as Baraka
- Kevan Ohtsji and Eric Steinberg as Bi-Han
- Johnson Phan and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Shang Tsung
- Michael Rogers as Quan Chi
- Kirby Morrow as King Jerrod
- Sam Tjhia as Kitana
- Jolene Tran and Michelle Lee as Mileena
- Brian Tee as Liu Kang
- Mark Dacascos as Kung Lao
- Harry Shum Jr. as Kuai Liang
- Dan Southworth as Kenshi
- Kim Do Nguyen as Ermac
- Victor Lucas as himself, host of The Electric Playground.
- Ed Boon as Ed Goodman, TV producer.
- Tracy Spiridakos as Blue, a manic-depressive mental patient who befriends Raiden.
- Peter Hall as Dr. Gadsen, a psychiatrist who attempts to treat Raiden.
- Maurissa Tancharoen as Kana, the wife of Scorpion.
- Colin Foo as Lin Kuei Grand Master, current head of the Chinese Lin Kuei clan.
- Serge Houde as The Doctor, the head of the Lin Kuei’s Cyber Initiative, and the surgeon who replaces Kano’s missing eye with a robotic part.
Categories: NerdCulture, TV