Apr 11, 2011 The show known as Mortal Kombat Legacy is a web series that is an anthology of different characters. It is based on the video game of the same name. Mortal Kombat Legacy was shown on Machinima.com and Youtube beginning on April 11, 2011. Mortal Kombat: Legacy is a fantastic live action miniseries that both pays tribute to the source material, and at the same time grounds it in a more realistic world. With adrenaline packed action sequences, and exceptional production quality, I would highly recommend this to any fans of the games, or quality action.
Just saw the first 3 episodes of the new Mortal Kombat series, and I must say it appears to uphold the quality we first saw with the Mortal Kombat Rebirth short. I think my only criticism is that it's just too short!! I'd like to see a feature film made by this guy, because he definitely knows what he's doing. Strong acting, good action/Martial arts sequences.
What more do you want?? And these are just the character introduction episodes (Kano, Jax, etc) so it can only get better from here on out. Great job by Kevin Tancharoen and I hope he gets rewarded for his work. Best regards, Raf. Despite of people pointing out flaws and goofs in Kevin's work, I'm really becoming a fan of his takes on characters.
Although, the franchisee meddled with his work regarding the outworld episodes, he reclaimed and kept his work as he liked. And this is good. I was in awe, completely for the last episode of season 1. Cyrax and Sektor were just terrific. How Hydro was pulled off the stream in just one episode was meticulous. I'm just looking forward for the next season and hope the seasons continue, to include all characters that were never touched aptly in movies and games, like Noob Saibot. After the 'Cyber Initiative' episode, I'd really like the story of Smoke to screen.
Great work done by the whole team. Just, please, keep 'em coming. This Mortal Kombat Legacy Web Series is pretty good so far, the only problem is that I wish it was a little longer, but its still decent. I like how they are showing stuff like how Kano lost his eye and they eventually mention that Jax's arms are bad after saving Sonya from the explosion. So if anyone sees a Character like if they had Kabal or Cyrax, you'll see them before they became who we all remember from the games. The Johnny Cage episode was pretty funny since they gave Ed Boon a cameo appearances. Mat Mullins does an OK job for acting but he is a good martial artist.
The episode at least stays true to Johnny Cage's character and story. This is a great Series to the fans who love the series. I believe that they keep up the good work. (Kabal has not been confirmed for the series so far). I don't understand why people are so easy to criticise this film, at the time of writing this review, only 2 episodes have been aired. It is petty and immoral to slate a film that they have not fully seen.
E.G 'I didn't like the first ten minutes of the film, therefore, the rest of the film is crap.' So hear is some advice for those who want to slate this series, YOU MUST VIEW SOMETHING FIRST BEFORE YOU CAN REVIEW IT!
Since the Rebirth trailer in 2010, a division has been made between the fans of Mortal Kombat; those who are for the remake and those who are against. Now the series has begun, this still seems to be the case. Fans of the 'Rebirth' trailer, i believe, will enjoy this thoroughly, and those that did not, have already convinced themselves that the series is a failure, straying too far away from the source material.
There are many fans who refer to this reinvention as the 'End of Mortal Kombat,' Curiously, the same thing was said about Batman in 1989 AND Batman Begins in 2005. It deserves a chance. Fans have to ask themselves if they would want something fresh or, another Mortal Kombat Annihilation?
Even if you enjoyed the Rebirth trailer or not, its worth a watch, if you still don't like it, don't be a bitch about it, just go play Mortal Kombat 9! The famous ultra-violent video game franchise gets a 'Dark Knight' styled make-over. This is Mortal Kombat revised.
Mortal Kombat redone.as yet another live action iteration of the fantasy fighting game. Originally conceived to be realistic remake which cleverly replacing the more out-of-this-world concepts with gritty real world explanations, MORTAL KOMBAT LEGACY drops that ball right into its second episode where we have mercenaries firing plasma weapons. Two episodes later, we are right back in familiar fantasy territory of other realms, monsters and magic. This is Mortal Kombat rehashed, Mortal Kombat repeated with merely cosmetic changes, and Mortal Kombat recast in such a haphazard way between its two seasons. This web series, originally debuting on the Machinima youtube channel, consists of 6 story arcs over 9 episodes for season one. Season two comprises an ongoing story arc of the tournament plus three origin stories told in flashbacks for a total of 10 episodes. Each episode is so distinct in tone, style and entertainment value that they are almost like mini- movies unto themselves.
Two things that permeate the both seasons seems to be director Kevin Tancheroen's indecisive directing style and the annoying music. Tancheroen seems to be copying the style of other directors like Zack Snyder's slow motion speed ramping, Neveldine and Tylor's high speed shaky cam digital photography, and Luc Besson / Paul Greengrass's hyper fast cuts. All these stylistic touches seem thrown in at random and overdone in many instances.
Much of the fight choreography for season one is fantastic. But it is done great injustice by Tancharoen's quick cuts, extreme close ups and shaky camera. The first two episodes of season one go into the back story of Sonya Blade, Jax and crime boss Kano presented in a familiar 'Cops and Crime boss' setting. Sonya is taken prisoner and Jax leads a special forces team to take down Kano's gang.
This is a strong start, with a look not unlike modern Hollywood action movies and a realistic gritty tone. Next we get the tale of washed up action star Johnny Cage trying to pitch his latest production.
Again, realistic and right in place in our real world, done very creatively in the form of a TV documentary. Now after that, in comes some hokey fantasy. Kitanna and Mileena: a tale of sibling rivalry and teenage identity set among the CGI mountains of Edeina and the dark Canadian- looking woods of Outworld? Our first dud of season one, the Kitanna / Mileena arc spans two episodes but half of the second episode in this arc is a flashback to events in the preceding episode, making the actual runtime of content a lot shorter. Flash animation is used to pad out the story almost like a motion comic.
Thankfully the subsequent episodes return to the more realistic setting and more ambiguous fantasy. Take Raiden for instance. How would people, realistically in today's world, react to some dude claiming to be a thunder god? The highlights of the season are of course Scorpion Vs Sub-Zero arc and the final episode about the Lin Kuei Cyborgs. Scorpion's backstory and ensuing vendetta against ninja leader Sub Zero is explained via a beautifully shot period piece, seemingly set in feudal Japan. Characters speak Japanese, authentic Asian actors play the roles, even the costumes seem true to the feudal period. Lastly, the Lin Kuei cyborg segment.
This is real eye candy here, featuring cutting edge CGI and motion capture work, creating one of the more brutal bouts in the series. So after a generally enjoyable season one, disregarding some missteps here and there, season two comes around. Feel the snow achievement guide. Season two showcases a little more backstory of other characters like Kung Lao and Liu Kang, as well as finally showing the start of the titular Mortal Kombat Tournament.
It may have well been a completely new show altogether as only a couple of returning faces and story elements bear a resemblance to season one. More than half of the roles have been recast with new actors, there are many continuity inconsistencies, the special effects look cheaper, and so do the costumes. For an example of cheapskate costumes and inconsistencies just compare the stories of Scorpion and Sub Zero across the seasons. Season one was simple yet effective, giving a production design of outfits that may have been plausible during feudal Japan. Season 2 reveals that our feudal japan period piece actually takes place in modern day; a modern day where Japan never outgrew its swords, samurais and shoguns and everyone suddenly speaks American English! Season 2 also downgraded the ninja outfits from realistically plausible to ripoff Power Rangers and pyjamas.
Lacklustre fights which lack the gritty brutality of the previous season lead up to one disappointing conclusion that is all build up without any payoff. With season three set to veer off into adapting characters and concepts from the recent Mortal Kombat X video game, MORTAL KOMBAT LEGACY's first two seasons ends off on a low note. The episodes of Sonya/Jax/Kano, Johnny Cage, Raiden, Scorpion/Sub-Zero and the Lin Kuei Cyborgs Cyrax and Sektor stand as true gems. Featuring feature film-like production quality and design, brutal fight choreography, as well as cleverly reinterpreting the established mythos in a fresh manner. Downer episodes include the Kitanna/Mileena and most of season two (except perhaps the Kenshi Vs Ermac episodes). Well I wouldn't really call myself a huge fan of the 'Mortal Kombat' franchise, but I did play the games when I was younger, even got a couple of them for my PS3 today, and have watched the older movies, series and even read some of the comic books. I like 'Mortal Kombat' for what it is, martial arts fighting without the need to implement a deeper understanding for the reason behind it.
However, I will say that this 'Legacy' series is impressive. Especially compared to the older movies and the earlier 'Conquest' series. Well simply put because of the production value behind it. It outshines the previous stuff by a mile and a half. There is just a heavier and better feel to this series, it is more in the spirit of 'Mortal Kombat', if you will. I like how it takes each character and gives you some background behind who they are and what drives them.
It is all done in a relatively short period of time in each episode, so of course it is limited just how much background story you get about each character. But so far it has been great entertainment and added some nice details to the characters portrayed so far. As for the acting, well I have been content with the people they have cast for the various roles. People have been doing great jobs bringing the characters alive and believable on the screen. My personal favorites are Scorpion and Sub-Zero, always have and always will be. I find 'Legacy' to be a well worthy addition to the 'Mortal Kombat' universe, and it is well worth watching just for the production value behind the series alone.
It is really, really great. I sort of gave up on this franchise as a plausible rendering on the screen after the 'Conquest' series, so it was just by sheer random luck that I came across 'Legacy', and it was just out of boredom that I sat down to watch it. But after the first episode, I just kept going watching it all, it was just that good. So perhaps 'Mortal Kombat' can have a glorious comeback on the screen and justify itself after some questionable previous movies and an even less so series.
I am excited to find out. OK rebirth exploded onto the scene and i must of watched it 30 or so times i was amazed at this alternate take on mortal kombat which dared stray away from the myth and magic that has made the game so popular, as camp as the original movie was i loved n still love it the sequel was vomit inducing and the TV series i couldn't stomach, but rebirth was like what batman begins was to batman it was dark gritty realistic and bad ass, the fight scene was so well put together and the idea of scorpion rampaging through fight after fight was an interesting idea.
OK so then we get legacy after reading the first review i think the user was a bit harsh, but first things first this is nothing like rebirth its gone back to the campness of the first movies and so far nothing has really been shown, its laid the foundations of kanos eye and jax arms but thats it so i don't want to be too harsh as yet, but im still waiting for that wow factor to hit. As yet tho if a movie is to be released i can only hope they follow on from rebirth. One thing i have noticed tho is that this is being brought to us by netherealm studios and it is sorta a background on the characters for the release of the game i can only hope thats what KT had in mind with it and that his movie project will follow rebirth, anyways sorry for my poor grammar lets hope this series gets better and leaves us drooling at the mouth and the first episode is just a slow starter for somethin epic to follow. Everyone remembers the old Mortal Kombat games, and to a certain degree fans try really hard not to remember the movies that resulted from them. For the most part, Hollywood hasn't been too great at adapting fighting games (or most video games for that matter).
Funny that you-tube was able to make it work after all these years. Fans are no strangers to web series taking over where Hollywood has abandoned them, and probably the most well done series I've had the pleasure of watching is Mortal Kombat Legacy, which just released its second season. Of course, it features everyone's favorite characters from the games (and even a couple of obscure ones nobody liked playing with), but it manages to breathe new life into them while remaining faithful to what fans loved most about the original games. Essentially, the entire series is updated without being butchered, which was no small task, considering just how ridiculous the original premise actually was. Legacy though manages to offer an original story with new twists on the characters (just wait until you meet the new Liu Kang). Legacy is directed by Kevin Tancharoen and produced by Warner Bros.
Digital Distribution, which means that it's not really an indie project, but it's still a pretty big step as far as taking advantage of the potential for releasing series online. The episodes themselves are pretty short and chapter-esque, usually only lasting about ten minutes or so. The thing is, that Legacy manages to pack those minutes with some pretty impressive features.
The fight scenes are awesome, and the series has even featured a few well known action stars like Michael Jai White (guess who he plays). Even the effects and the costuming would be impressive for a feature film, much less a web series. The thing that has bugged me about the first two seasons is how many characters changed actors. Sure, there was almost two years between seasons, but I'm pretty unhappy about Casper Van Dien taking over as Johnny Cage (I actually kind of liked Matt Mullins and his washed up portrayal of the former action star).
The other casting changes though are relatively unnoticeable since characters like Stryker didn't play much of a part in the first season. However, I'm not sure I like this direction of them changing actors, especially with season three rumored to be heading toward production. The reason why Legacy is such a success is because it is basically fan service.
It knows what Mortal Kombat fans want and it tries to give them exactly that (I say 'tries' because 'real' fans are never satisfied for some reason), and despite the fact that each chapter manages to stand on its own two feet, it's a very addicting web series and easy is very easy to watch. That being said, it's still a series about Mortal Kombat, which means that it's not exactly high art. Don't get me wrong, it certainly pushes the envelope at times with its strong vision and astounding execution, and really does deserve the utmost praise. However, it's not something that stays with the viewer after the credits have rolled. I really liked Mortal Kombat Legacy, but I wasn't exactly fawning over it the next day. I guess that means I'll just have to watch it all over again, and you know what? I'm alright with that.
Don't get me wrong - it's a well-made series, rather entertaining and enjoyable to watch. It would just be better off if wasn't a Mortal Kombat title. Kevin Tancharoen got carried away and went too far from the MK universe in many ways. First thing that strikes your eye is the cast. They look and act so different from the characters in games, movies and earlier series that it's impossible to believe that you're actually looking at Sonya, Johnny Cage and the rest of the gang. In fact I think Legacy has the worst cast possible for an MK series (except for Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa - he's the best Shang Tsung ever!).
The other disappointing thing is the spirit of the series. For some reason Tancharoen laid emphasis on gore while MK has always focused on mystery and darkness, and the whole MK world would give you the chills. Gore has always been a secondary thing that just added to the whole dark spirit of the story. Random stupid jokes don't help building the right spirit either (a drunk bum sees a man disappear and looks at his bottle of booze in astonishment? This joke stopped being funny about 100 stupid movies ago!). They just make you miss Christopher Lambert's outstanding performance. And the story itself got transformed beyond recognition.
Why Tancharoen decided to make Liu Kang and Kung Lao best buddies instead of distant relatives is beyond my understanding. It's a great idea to shed light on the characters' backgrounds but the stories this series tells are just too far-fetched and unbelievable. Of course all the above might concern you if you used to love the games or MK movies. Otherwise you're just about to watch an entertaining series that will give you a distant idea of what Mortal Kombat is all about.
I have been accused of putting way too much thought into Mortal Kombat. In college, when we were tasked to write our 100+ page papers on movies of (then) the last 20 years, I was told I was stupid to choose Mortal Kombat as my film; and even though I got an A+, they were correct. But still, I love this series. From the Fan made trailer, to the completed project, this has been wonderful. I have gotten so many jaded skeptics of this franchise to be close to tears, or just gushing with admiration over the Season 1 Johnny Cage or Raiden episodes alone. The Liu Kang episodes from Season 2 are heart breaking. Seeing Cary Tagawa BLEW MY MIND.
The Scorpion/Sub Zero stuff was worthy of so many lauded Japanese films. This is why independent, and internet films matter. I had decent, if not high, expectations from this series, given how Rebirth was conceptualized.
Rebirth was the kind of take on Mortal Kombat that would have worked. If camp was all we needed, then the original MK movie was good enough. Unfortunately, we now have a series that relies on the same camp, as canon as it might be. The thing with MK is that as a game it is pretty straight forward, opponents enter the arena and kill each other. For game fans, the motive is not as important. But translate that into a movie and we need a proper story, a less campy and more gritty story. Rebirth did that.
This series goes back to being campy. Honestly, as the series progresses, I am losing interest. If a movie is ever to happen after this series that picks up after this series, it will be as campy, if not more, than the original MK movie. In its defense though, I do feel that 10 minutes, including the end titles is a very short time to fully realize a concept. And, the Sub-Zero v/s Scorpion part was done well.
But still, some logic holes can't be dismissed. For example, -Why did Raiden endure 90 days of the psych ward when all he had to do to get away was to get stabbed? -Why did Kitana believe a man she was hunting (King Robert) when he tells him she is his daughter, especially when that is all she has to go with? I mean, she was raised by Shao Kahn all her life. Just one piece of dialogue to change her entire belief system? I have to say I would have been completely flummoxed had I seen this beforewatching two of the Mortal Kombat series films. The TV series based on thevideo game and previous feature films and there are separate episodes involvingthe martial arts masters from back when.
The main two cast names were Jeri Ryan from Star Trek - Voyager showing a bitmore emotion but no less fighting skill as 7 of 9 refugee Borg. The other isCasper Van Dien who is so much better the hero than a villain.
It was surefascinating to learn that Johnny Cage was a former Power Ranger. If you liked the films, you'll like the TV series. Cannot give this series a proper vote without reviewing without mentioning how terrible the plot is. Ed boon gave Kevin Tanchereon way too much freedom in creating the series and in turn falls out of the mortal kombat spectrum. The costumes are horrendous, Kano and Johny Cage are the only highpoints, with Sonya's plot also being cut to about 1/4 of that of Jax's.
Everyone else is lacking far below. The Combat and choreography for the fighting is superb, but without depth the fighting feels plain without nothing to hold on to. Watch Mortal Kombat Conquest, or the animated series for a real in-look at what the franchise is really about.
Season II is an extended segment of Season 1 with nothing new added. Watch if your a hardcore MK fan.
I'm generally enjoying the overall feel of these series (i'm halfway through season 2) in that the acting is OK, the script isn't terrible and the fight scenes are half decent. But i'm getting a little lost with the whole thing. It's nice to see the character's back stories and I understand that the whole Mortal Kombat universe is a bit of a mixed bag anyway, but I was expecting this series to bring a bit of continuity to it all. Would that really be that hard? Instead we get changing actors from season 1 to season 2, the timelines are all over the place and the back stories get changed from one minute to the next: they completely did a 360 from Rebirth to the Kitana/Mileena story with regards to Baraka - Raiden jumps from being in an insane asylum with no powers (and being white) to being Asian and all powerful. What I was really hoping for after watching the first few episodes was a linear plot with continuity. I mean, what's the point in making the universe more gritty and realistic if the whole things all over the place?
The whole project seems futile. I'll see it through to the end of the series but I have little hope now that any kind of decent movie will emerge from this if they can't keep the main actors.
The 1995 film is almost perfect in my opinion, so Mortal Kombat Legacy was fighting an uphill battle to begin with, as it's retreading the same material. I watched it in one sitting and joined together like a film. The first season is alright, the highlights being the Johnny Cage part and the Kitana & Mileena part. The second season quickly becomes dull and mostly stays that way, with actors being replaced left and right and confusion. Mark Dacascos as Kung Lao and Dan Southworth as Kenshi, are in particular disappointing.
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa brings class, but he is barely in it.