Why Does Hollywood always have to F*** it up?

BrawlMan

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One of the comments basically summed up the direction the movie took for me -

Eidlones
I think one of the big reasons video game movies can't get better, is because studios think that it's too weird for non-fans to get into. So to make it more palatable to them, they water it down and add in generic shit like Cole and his sole personality trait being he loves his family.
Wedding scene aside, Sonic 2 (2022) prove video game movies can and will get better, but studios need to step up and let the directors do their thing and trust audience. Here's hoping somebody learns something with the MK sequel. TV has gotten this right multiples times now and back then. Movies can do it too.
 
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hanselthecaretaker

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So Mortal Kombat is a pretty cool game series. Been around for what...30 years now? It's got lots of lore and shitloads of story to pull from that people all love and enjoy for the most part. While the writing itself might not be Oscar worthy (who gives a shit) it is still deep and very well established after so much time and so many many games.

All Hollywood had to do was make an R-rated version of the first MK film with perhaps a little bit more of the new canon added and everything would have been fine. Great even. Look I just wanna see people with super powers fuck each other up in gory ways, with a mix of some kick ass Bruce Lee shit. That's not too much to ask is it?

Well apparently for Hollywood it is, because everyone in Hollywood is stupid.

So Mortal Kombat (2021) just came out and you know it looked really slick in the trailers right? Sub-zero fucking people up, Scorpion looked good, Jax looks like Steve Harvey but that's okay Steve Harvey is a sexy *****, Sonya....looks like a plain ass lady but i can forgive that because it's not like Sonya is the most interestingly designed character in MK. Then you have Mileena...and holy fuck what the fuck is that? It looks like someone just rubbed a bunch of lipstick over her cheeks and called it a day. She has a mask! Use the mask if you want to be lazy in the make-up department you morons!

So after the intro of Scorpion and Sub-zero's little backstory fight (which is cool), we get introduced to everyone's favorite MK character Cole....Cole uh....(checks notes)..Cole nobody! Who the fuck is this? Why do we need a new random dipshit for a story with like 30 other viable characters!?

Okay I'm not gonna review the movie, that's not the point.

The point of the thread is why does Hollywood even bother with using a property if they aren't even going to pay any attention to it? All this effort to make a new Mortal Kombat and you don't even pay any attention to Mortal Kombat's story? It's just tossed in there as an afterthought and used really fucking stupidly. I understand that liberties need to be taken and corners need to be cut because of limited runtime, but if you look around at the other things that Hollywood has adapted, you'll find that they do take care with other media.

Books, Broadway shows, comics, for the most part Hollywood does show the property a decent level of respect when creating a film. Now sometimes the property is "Maze Runner" which is stupid to begin with so it's hardly the fault of Hollywood for the films also being stupid.

I thought Hollywood learned their lesson with this. Look at how much care they've put into Marvel stuff, even greenlighting a Deadpool series that fixes previous mistakes. Yet every fucking time it comes to a video game property, it's like they get the dumbest fucking idiots to write and cast the goddamn thing and I don't understand? Why purposefully make a piece of shit that will ultimately bomb?

Hollywood done fucked it up again. This is why I don't pay for movies anymore.
Most of Hollywood doesn’t trust that their core audiences are ever enough basically, and so they aim for expansion. They thought they needed Cold as an “in” for the everyday layman that thinks Scorpion is an arachnid of some sort and Sub Zero must be Siberian. Producers unfortunately have tunnel vision which only dilutes the final product.

The next one is supposed to focus on the actual tournament though, as well as feature Johnny Cage last I heard. So there’s some modicum of hole left.
 
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CriticalGaming

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Look, it's Hollywood. If they can fuck up telling historical events they can fuck up anything.
History: The trojans used a giant would horse to hide troops and trick the enemy into letting them into the fortress.

Hollywood: A giant lesbian robot killing the patriarchy!
 

RhombusHatesYou

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History: The trojans used a giant would horse to hide troops and trick the enemy into letting them into the fortress.

Hollywood: A giant lesbian robot killing the patriarchy!
...

...

Okay, that's folklore not history and the Greeks were the ones who supposedly built it to trick the Trojans

But I'm liking this giant lesbian robot idea.
 

The Rogue Wolf

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Look, it's Hollywood. If they can fuck up telling historical events they can fuck up anything.
"We're doing a film based on the famous painting of Washington crossing the Delaware."

"Boring. Audiences will fall asleep. Put some explosions in there, and a car chase. And a hot love interest for Washington. Is Milla Jovovich available?"
 

RhombusHatesYou

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"We're doing a film based on the famous painting of Washington crossing the Delaware."

"Boring. Audiences will fall asleep. Put some explosions in there, and a car chase. And a hot love interest for Washington. Is Milla Jovovich available?"
"Does Washington really need to be a white man? You know who I think of when I think 'Washington'? Denzel. Make it happen!"
 
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BrawlMan

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With the success of Castlevania, Cuphead, both Sonic movies (especially with 2), and the recent Mario Bros. movie, hopefully Hollywood will learn something from this. Mario Bros. is so unashamed of what it is and uses music and full aesthetics from the games. Hollywood has no excuses any more to keep fucking up constantly on game to movie adaptions. I know there's a cycle to these things, but I do wish for the best on the adaptions that have been announced for TV or theatrical release.
 
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SilentPony

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With the success of Castlevania, Cuphead, both Sonic movies (especially with 2), and the recent Mario Bros. movie, hopefully Hollywood will learn something from this. Mario Bros. is so unashamed of what is and uses music and full aesthetics from the games. Hollywood has no excuses any more to keep fucking up constantly on game to movie adaptions. I know there's a cycle to these things, but I do wish for the best on the adaption that have been announced for TV or theatrical release.
God can you imagine a Metroid movie? Unironic, with a fully realized Samus? Hell I'd love a """mature""" video game movie with Conker, of Bad Fur Day fame. Top 3 games all time btw.
Oh Jet Force Gemini is prime for a movie for the kids too. Brother, Sister, and Dog, fighting giant ant monsters saving Ewoks? Can you say Lego line?