Not long ago, any movie based on a video game franchise was met with a mix of skepticism and cringe. There was a very good reason for this. Historically, movies based on video games suck. Just look at the infamous “Super Mario Bros” movie and you’ll see just how bad it got.
Then, the “Sonic the Hedgehog” movie came along and finally, someone cracked the code. We finally had proof that movies based on video games don’t have to suck. Now, like superhero movies before them, movies based on video games have the potential to open entirely new worlds that can both delight audiences and make millions at the box office.
As someone who still remembers watching the “Super Mario Bros” movie, I applaud this shift. It’s way overdue.
This brings me to the latest “Mortal Kombat” movie. Recently, the trailer for a new iteration of the classic video game franchise came out and, in the interest of transparency, I thought it was glorious. As someone who was a kid in the 1990s when this game first came out, this was just perfect. If you haven’t seen it, definitely check it out. Just don’t do it if you have a weak stomach.
Now, this isn’t the first time Mortal Kombat has been turned into a movie. There was two previous movies in the late 90s, one just called “Mortal Kombat” and its sequel, “Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.” Both those movies had their moments, but they were cheesy as hell, poorly acted, and captured none of the elaborate lore of the games. Then again, that just made them on par with most movies based on video games.
This movie looks much more promising. From the trailer alone, it’s clear that Warner Brothers putting in the time, money, and effort to make this movie the catalyst for a whole new franchise. The precedent was set with “Sonic the Hedgehog,” but given the sheer breadth of Mortal Kombat’s history and story, this could be a franchise with enough content to launch its own cinematic universe.
Personally, I hope it succeeds. The more video game movies that succeed, the better. I think it’s good for movies and video games alike if these franchises succeed in multiple mediums. It can only serve to help both.
In addition, there’s another aspect about this movie and this franchise that intrigues me. It actually has nothing to do with the movie itself or the impact it could have on the entertainment landscape. Unlike previous video game movies, this one is based off the one video game that my mother personally didn’t like and was reluctant to let me play.
Now, my mother is a wonderful, amazing woman. She’s the sweetest, most loving person on this planet. That, I’m sure of. Growing up, she was not the kind of mother who would try to shelter me from media violence. She even let me watch R-rated movies as a kid from time to time. I still remember watching the first Terminator movie with her.
However, she drew the line at Mortal Kombat.
It wasn’t just because of all the negative media surrounding this game at the time. Hell, compared to video game controversies today, that almost seemed quaint. What happened was my mom saw me and my cousin playing the game. My cousin also happened to have a Sega Genesis and that version of the game had animated blood.
Between the blood and the fatalities, my mom refused to let me ever buy that game. Even if I saved up money and bought it myself, she wouldn’t let me have it or any of the sequels. I did try to persuade her at times. I never succeeded. My mom is a woman of principle. There’s just no way around that.
Ultimately, I never did buy the game. However, I still had plenty of chances to play it. I had friends and cousins who had the game. It was a popular arcade game, as well. I wasn’t completely forbidden from experiencing it. In hindsight, it seemed like a solid compromise. For that, I commend my mother’s parenting skills.
I don’t know if that aspect of this game will affect how I see this movie. A part of me will always see Mortal Kombat as the one game that my mother would not let me buy. Maybe that’ll never go away. Maybe this franchise will always have that mystique to it. Whatever the case, I just hope it’s a good movie and one that continues to raise the bar.
Plus, I’ll never get tired of Scorpion yelling “Get over here!”
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Tales From The Comments Section: When Hypocrisy, Lying, And Trolling Converge
Even the most luxurious palace has a septic system that contains its foulest shit. It’s not just a fact of life. It might as well be a law of physics. In the same way the brightest light still casts a shadow, there’s always a dark underbelly to any world we explore.
The internet is no exception. If anything, the internet has more dark underbellies than most and I’m not just referring to porn sites or nefarious Google searches. Those are all plenty disturbing, but if the internet has an overflowing septic tank, it’s the collective comments section of many sites.
They’re not just the comments section to certain news sites.
They’re not just anonymous image boards like 4chan that pride themselves on excess shit-posting.
Even the comments section of mainstream websites like YouTube, Facebook, and Reddit have comments sections that will give your faith in humanity a hefty gut punch. They come in many forms, but they tend to follow the same patterns.
They’re degrading, insulting, whiny, vulgar, immature, and just plain wrong on multiple levels. I’m not calling for them to be censored or banned, outside the kind of comments that incite violence in the real world. I’m just pointing out that this is the ugly side of the internet and we can’t deny its stench.
I say that as someone who has spent many hours, much of them wasted, in comments sections and message boards over the years. Even during the early days of the internet, complete with dial up and AOL keyword searches, I’ve seen this ugliness firsthand. I also don’t deny that there are times when I’ve contributed to it. That’s something I genuinely regret.
While all toxic comments are different, they often employ similar rhetoric. It really hasn’t changed much from the AOL days. Just the other day, I made the mistake of browsing the comments of a YouTube video. I saw the same whiny, angry ranting that I saw on old message boards in 1999.
The topics may change. The verbiage may differ. Even the arguments made, if there are any, tend to be fairly similar. I could single out plenty of ugly comments I’ve encountered. However, I want to highlight one that I’ve seen a lot more of lately, especially among fans of superhero comics, Star Wars, and Star Trek.
They usually go like this.
It’s a sweeping, generalized statement. It’s usually said out of a mix of hate, resentment, and tribalism. Ironically, it’s often Star Wars fans who say stuff like this when talking about characters like Rey. It’s ironic because Obi-Wan Kanobi himself once said, “only a Sith deals in absolutes.”
It doesn’t help that these kinds of absolutes are total bullshit encased in wishful thinking that’s built entirely around head-canon. Certain fans want to believe that everyone agrees with them and those who don’t aren’t “true” fans.
It’s basically the old “no true Scotsman” fallacy, but this one is laced with a mix of lies and hypocrisy. That’s because it’s demonstrably provable that these kinds of sweeping statements are wrong.
Not everyone hates Rey, Captain Marvel, or whoever else is the object of resentment at the moment. For one, Captain Marvel’s movie raked in $1 billion at the box office. Clearly, more than a few people liked her.
The same can be said for Rey. You can go onto Amazon and readily find merchandise featuring her. She may not be on the same level as Luke Skywalker, but that’s not a reasonable bar for a character who has only recently entered the franchise.
I can also attest that Rey has plenty of fans. It’s not just that I’m one of them. I’ve been to comic book conventions. I’ve seen women, young girls, and even a few men dress up as Rey. I’ve seen even more dress up as Captain Marvel. She clearly has plenty of fans.
That makes the whole idea that “nobody likes this character” or “everyone hates this character” demonstrably false. Those who say it aren’t just lying trolls. They’re hypocrites.
Now, I’ve made the mistake of arguing with these people before. I can safely conclude that it’s not a productive use of my time. These people will never be dissuaded. They still want to live in their head-canon where everyone hates exactly who they hate and anyone who thinks otherwise is just part of an evil conspiracy out to get them.
It’s a dangerous, toxic mentality that extends beyond fandoms and into politics. We saw just how bad it could get on January 6th during the Capitol riots. I’m not saying angry Star Wars fans are that bad, but the mentality is the same and it’s just as dangerous.
Again, I freely admit I’ve posted my share of dumb comments. I’ve said dumb things before, as well. Everyone has. We’re only human. We’re not perfect and never will be. I believe in free speech strongly and I understand that this is a byproduct of that. I’m willing to accept that.
I’m also willing to use that same freedom to point out the idiocy and hypocrisy of those kinds of comments. They’re not just a useless waste of bandwidth. They’re a symptom of a much larger problem. For now, the best thing to do is ignore these people and let them live in their fanciful head-canon. It may not fix the problem, but it’ll keep it from getting worse.
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Tagged as 4chan, angry trolls, Brie Larson, Captain Marvel, comic books, comments, Gina Carano, human nature, human psychology, hypocrisy, internet, internet subculture, Pop Culture, popular culture, psychology, rants, Reddit, Rey, Star Trek, Star Wars, superhero comics, trolls, YouTube, YouTube Comments, YouTube Comments Section