Part 1-I
"Mortal Kombat" - the long-awaited film adaptation of the popular video game, so beloved by the masses, finally saw the light of day on April 23. Director Simon McQuoid has already received rave reviews from those who have seen the film for his down-to-earth depiction of the game's lore, despite the fact that this work was his feature film debut.
McQuoid spoke with the publication Screen Rant about how he came to this vision of the story, what the role of newcomer Cole Young (Lewis Tan) is, and which classic character never appeared in the final version of the film.
Simon, for a debut feature film this is a real sensation. There is a lot of speculation floating around the Internet regarding the new character, Cole Young. Can you tell us why he was given so much attention in the film?
McQuoid: This character, on whom the audience's attention is focused, was very important for the film. We understood that we needed an artistic device, some kind of idea to introduce viewers to this incredibly rich, multi-layered, detailed canon, which, in fact, is Mortal Kombat. But we didn't want to create a character from scratch, it was important for us to connect him to this world, and build him from the key components of the game, I mean, combat. That's why we made him an MMA fighter.
And then his connection with this world is built through the film, his lasso, and everything else is built from pieces, elements and ingredients of his genealogy and so on. The idea was to create a character that feels new, but also familiar in some way. It was a kind of attempt at alchemy within the world we created. Lewis did an amazing job; he did a great job.
The Mortal Kombat mythology has always been incredibly complex, but the film cleverly brings it all together and presents it in a pretty serious way. Can you explain why such a down-to-earth approach was taken for this relaunch?
McQuoid: I felt like I was in a video game - and I have to say, the guys from netherrealm did an amazing job developing this Universe and adding new elements; It's incredible what level the game has reached today. But when you're inside a video game, there are a lot of things that only work there because it's not real. It's not just about the visual component, this also applies to costumes, jumps, and superpowers. But when you make it a reality, it can quickly turn into a bad Halloween party.
I wanted to make sure that it was incredibly deep, rich, layered, textured, weighty, but also elemental, so that the viewer would have no difficulty immersing himself in this rich world. Also, I believe that if you create something that the audience will believe in, then they will go on that adventure with you. Tonally, I wanted to create something that was completely unrealistic, but to make it feel real, so that you as the viewer would really be drawn into the adventure.
I have always liked films, regardless of their genre, that transported me to other worlds, and I, as a viewer, believed in the reality of these worlds. This viewing experience of mine also left an imprint, and I wanted to achieve the same effect in my film, which is why there are so many layers and details. I literally pestered the costume designer every day, saying we need more layers and more texture. Eventually it became a running joke on set: "I guess you need more detail." And I was like, “Yeah, that would be nice.”
Because once you line up the lenses and put these detailed characters in front of them, it all starts to flow together seamlessly. This was the idea - the evolution of the characters and their perception by the audience.
In my opinion, one of the most brilliant moves for this film was hiring Greg Russo, who is a top 50 Mortal Kombat player and a top 15 Xbox player in the US, to work on the script. Were there any characters in his first iteration of the story that stretched the runtime or didn't make sense in the plot?
McQuoid: Greg really knows his stuff and did an amazing job on the film. He's a great guy.
There was only one character that we had in mind at the very beginning, but in the end we eliminated it because he did not move the story forward. A scene with him was expensive and would simply be out of place. This character was Rain. When making decisions, you need to weigh the pros and cons. It wasn't that anyone didn't like him, it was just that weaving him into the plot at this stage wouldn't have played a significant role.
Part 2-I
In the new film adaptation of the game Mortal Kombat, released on April 23, we will again see Sub-Zero - one of the most tragic villains performed by Joe Taslima ("Warrior", "Raid"). The new film pays a lot of attention to the backstory of the popular gaming character, which, in turn, can only whet the appetite of fans.
Taslim talked to the publication Screen Rant about how he tried on the image of a cult character, and what qualities he wanted to endow him with.
Sub-Zero is one of the most recognizable characters in the Mortal Kombat universe. How much pressure did you feel taking on such an iconic character?
Taslim: At first I was wildly happy. But then I suddenly realized, my God, this is Sub-Zero. And at the same time came... well, not so much pressure, but rather responsibility. Because you can't just put on a character costume and walk around looking cool and hope that that will be enough. You have to give Sub-Zero credit.
And I tried really hard. I immersed myself in his backstory and literally bombarded the director and screenwriter with questions: “Why, why, why does he do this, why does he do that?” It was important for me to know because I wanted people to understand the logic of his behavior, why he does all these bad things, maybe he is in pain, or he is truly consumed by darkness. I asked all these questions in order to understand the creators' intentions, and with a common effort to bring Sub-Zero out of the darkness, since it is eating him from the inside. He suffers from living a life he did not choose, the Lin Kuei clan kidnapped him when he was a child and his friends were killed.
A lot of bad things happened to him as a child and it made him who he is, a villain and a brutal killer. But at the same time, you realize that he suffers because of this. So I wanted the fans to feel that emotional baggage as well. I hope I was able to convey this.
Without a doubt. The new Mortal Kombat really humanizes the characters, perhaps in a way that previous iterations didn't. What qualities did you want to give Sub-Zero?
Taslim: I hope I did Sub-Zero justice. And I hope people want to see him transform into Noob Saibot. I want people to say, "Yeah, that's it!" Now that I myself understand why he is Noob Saibot, I want the audience to go all this way with him. So that while watching the movie, people would think and say, "I want to know what happened. I want to see the prequel. I want to see what happened to Sub-Zero. I want to see him being kidnapped by the Lin Kuei. I want to see him training in Lin Kuei."
We're now seeing Sub-Zero in the middle of his life, and I hope this only makes fans want to see more, whether it's a sequel or a prequel, so we can follow Sub-Zero's entire journey. I think that's my goal, that's what I want.
Before this, you already had to express yourself physically on the set, how is “Mortal Kombat” similar to filming in other films, like the same “The Raid”?
Taslim: As for me, "Mortal Kombat" physically harder. Because I'm carrying another 10, 12 kilograms of additional weight, and at the same time I have to move quickly. Think, "Mortal Kombat" It’s more difficult in the sense that I have to be physically active, practically carrying a child on my back. But the energy, in my opinion, is absolutely the same.
When talking about energy in films, I always try to tell a story in my fights. I don’t like to just wave my arms and legs, even the pain itself should tell a story. People need to feel what the hero feels; It is also important for them to feel that the hero is about to die, or it seems to him that he is on the verge of death. These nuances are important to me. This is not just a fight, not just a confrontation, victory or death. In between all this, people need to see whether the hero is confident in his abilities, or whether he is internally broken and ready to literally fall apart. Or for them to have the thought: “He seems to understand that this is the end.” There should always be a place for history, no matter "Raid" or "Mortal Kombat". I hope this is also important to the audience.
Official source: screenrant.com
Date of publication: 20.04.2021
Translation: Black Dragon
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