The Entertainment Factor: Mortal Kombat: Legacy Web Series: Movies, TV Shows, Music and Video Games

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Monday, October 28, 2013

MORTAL KOMBAT Reboot Loses Kevin Tancharoen

Director Kevin Tancharoen, the man behind the wildly popular web series "Mortal Kombat: Legacy", has dropped out of Warner Bros' big screen reboot of the video game franchise. Tancharoen's involvement in the MK universe started with his 2011 short "Mortal Kombat Rebirth" which showcased a much grittier way to adapt the popular video game. Following the viral success of that short, Warner Bros. put him in charge of the "Legacy" web series. The second season of that series was released four weeks ago. (Watch the full season here).

This weekend, Tancharoen tweeted the following:

"After 3 years of Kombat, I've decided to move on to other creative opportunities. I wish everyone involved in the movie big success. Thanks!"

The tweet indicates that the big screen reboot is still moving forward, but Warner Bros. will have to find a new director to handle it. What is more disconcerting is that Tancharoen was the man whose vision stood as the foundation for the reboot and many had high hopes for HIS version of "Mortal Kombat". It's not an easy obstacle to overcome for Warner, but I'm sure there are still plenty of directors willing to hop onto such a lucrative franchise. What remains to be seen is if they can still deliver what the fans want.

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Sunday, October 6, 2013

MORTAL KOMBAT: LEGACY - SEASON 2 (Watch All Episodes)

Although not as hyped as season 1, the new season of the web-series "Mortal Kombat: Legacy" has been released via Machinima, but this time Warner Bros. decided to release all 10 episodes of the new season at the same time. So, now you can watch the full season from beginning to end (after the jump). While certainly flawed, the new season does provide some improvements over the first one. First of all, the production values have increased. Secondly, most of the roles have been recast, even the returning characters, resulting in some better acting.

The new additions include Mark Dacascos ("Crying Freeman", "Brotherhood of the Woold") as Kung Lao, Casper Van Dien ("Starship Troopers") as Johnny Cage, David Lee McInnis as Raiden, Michelle Lee as Mileena, Eric Steinberg ("Stargate SG-1") as Sub-Zero, Daniel Southworth ("Act of Valor") as Kenshi, Kim Do Nguyen (stunt work for "The Avengers") as Ermac, and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Shang Tsung. Tagawa previously played Tsung in the 1995 "Mortal Kombat" movie directed by Paul W.S. Anderson.

In terms of story and character deleopment, I'll let the fans judge the series. While the overall evolution of the series can be described as ambitious, they certainly need to work harder to deliver a truly compelling story. Still, for what it is, it's a lot of fun.
Kevin Tancharoen, the creator of "Mortal Kombat: Legacy" returns to direct the new season and is also working hard to deliver the big screen reboot fans are waiting for. The reboot has been scheduled for release in 2015 by Warner Bros. The millions of views that these Machinima episodes have are proof enough that Warner Bros. could land a big box-office hit when the movie finally arrives in theaters.

Watch all 10 episodes after the jump.

CLICK TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE >>

Monday, July 25, 2011

'MORTAL KOMBAT: LEGACY' - EPISODE 9 (Season 1 Finale)

This is the final episode in the first season of Kevin Tancharoen's "Mortal Kombat" web-series. The last two characters featured in the series are Cyrax and Sektor, two ninjas of the Lin Kuei, chosen to take part in a special program meant to turn them into cyborg fighting machines. I can understand why they took this much time to get the episode done. It is spectacular. The cyborgs are done in motion capture and CGI and the fight looks fantastic. Top notch visual effects. The acting and script are just as flat as in previous episodes, but that one last fight more than makes up for it.

Now, it's unclear whether or not there will be a second season to the series. The plans initially intended for the series to also become a big screen movie, but the modest fan enthusiasm may have sealed the fate of the Web Series. Kevin Tancharoen certainly wants to do more, but I'm not sure the bosses over at Warner are going to spend any more time and money on an experiment that can't turn itself into something profitable, seeing as they already cut season 1 down from ten episodes to nine. Below you can find all the episodes in the series.

PREVIOUS EPISODES :

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

'MORTAL KOMBAT: LEGACY' - EPISODE 8

Kevin Tancharoen's "Mortal Kombat" web-series saga has reached its 8th episode and there's plenty here to please the fans. The fight between Scorpion and Sub-Zero is a bit underwhelming though, but the story delivers in the end with a nice dramatic payoff, veering into revenge flick territory. The character origins pretty much stay true to the Mortal Kombat cannon and the production values don't disappoint. Only two more episodes left in season one, and their focus will be on two last characters : Cyrax and Sektor.

PREVIOUS EPISODES :

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

'MORTAL KOMBAT: LEGACY' - EPISODE 7

The 7th episode of Kevin Tancharoen's "Mortal Kombat" web-series is here and it's a fanbase pleaser, as the stories of Scorpion and Sub-Zero are now in focus. This is just part 1, and it ends with a cliffhanger, leaving the best parts for next episode. The production values are better than you'd expect, with the Japanese-styled art direction getting some nice attention to details, considering the small budget they have to work on. The story itself is kind of typical, but we'll have to wait for part 2 to get a clear idea of what they're trying to build. Scorpion and Sub-Zero look good (although Scorpion's mask is a little distracting), but the latter's special abilities are only hinted at, though I'm not entirely sure if Tancharoen is going for the supernatural with these characters, yet. Still kind of slow, compared to the first episodes in the series, but an improvement over the Kitana and Mileena episodes. Enjoy !

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Tuesday, May 17, 2011

'MORTAL KOMBAT: LEGACY' - EPISODE 6

Episode 6 of the "Mortal Kombat" web-series tells of the arrival of Raiden on Earth. He has come to fight in the Mortal Kombat tournament and save mankind. Only one problem : he falls from the skies and lands in the courtyard of a mental institution. You can figure out what follows. Maybe I'm being silly, but if you're the God of Thunder, shouldn't you plan your visits to Earth a little more carefully. The director of the series, Kevin Tancharoen issues a disclaimer before the episode starts, cautioning us that this is in fact his personal vision, a brand of "gritty realism mixed with a hint of mysticism". He has good reason to do this, because this episode is bound to inflame fans everywhere. I'm not a fan, but even I was disappointed by Raiden's misadventures, which could easily have been the subject of a comedy. And there's only a hint of martial arts in this one, so don't expect Raiden to kick too much ass this early in the series. All in all, one of the weakest episodes in the series.

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Wednesday, May 11, 2011

'MORTAL KOMBAT: LEGACY' - EPISODE 5

The origin story of Kitana and Mileena continues in this episode, which is unusually short, about five minutes long, without the credits and the "previously on" montage. Despite the epic scope of the story, these last two episodes have grown increasingly boring and uneventful. The mix of live action and animation is interesting but in fact reveals the kind of budget and creative constraints the creators of the series have to face. It's becoming obvious the web-series is nothing more than a lengthy advertising campaign for the new "Mortal Kombat" game. It's a shame that this long live-action reboot is so understated and dull. It actually makes the 1995 movie look better than it really was.

PREVIOUS EPISODES :

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

'MORTAL KOMBAT: LEGACY' - EPISODE 4

This episode reveals the origin story of Kitana and Mileena. An old-school story of war set in the Outworld. We also get acquainted with Shao Kahn, Queen Sindel and Baraka (who looks like a Middle-Earth orc). It's also the first time in the series when the director uses animated sequences in addition to the live action footage, probably because of budget issues. It's a decent episode, but the series still feels clumsy in its presentation. This episode in particular lacked any excitement, so, considering the first season of this web-series will have nine episodes, they should pick up the pace.

PREVIOUS EPISODES :

Monday, April 25, 2011

'MORTAL KOMBAT: LEGACY' - EPISODE 3

This episode follows only Johnny Cage's story. It's pretty fun, but significantly weaker than the previous two episodes. There's plenty of fighting, though.

PREVIOUS EPISODES :

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

'MORTAL KOMBAT: LEGACY' - EPISODE 2

Episode 2 is here. The story picks up where the last episode ended, with Jax and Kano knocked out by an explosion. There's some more Jax vs. Kano fighting, this time a little better choreographed. You can almost see Jax's moves from the videogame directly translated to the screen. Fans will love it. Sonya, now free, goes about smashing some heads before once again becoming a damsel in distress. She's not given much to do in this episode, either. Good news for the fans : Kano gets his cybernetic enhancement, though the way he loses that eye is a bit over-the-top. Jax will be getting his, as well, but probably in the next episode.

WATCH EPISODE 1 HERE

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Tuesday, April 12, 2011

'MORTAL KOMBAT: LEGACY' - EPISODE 1

Here's the first episode from the new "Mortal Kombat" Machinima web-series. It's violent and stylish and offers exactly what you'd expect : brainless fun. It's amazing how cliched it can get at times, which is why it works so much better as a web-series. Cliches work much better in short doses. I can understand now why Warner Bros wouldn't risk a big-screen version. Technically it does a competent job. It looks slick and gritty, but somehow overuses the whole "Matrix" styled visuals. And it's funny how they seems to take so much pride in the usage of the F-Bomb when it's completely unnecessary. Cast-wise, Michael Jai White is probably the best choice I could think of for playing Jax. We're talking about physical appearance in particular. The man also played Spawn in a somewhat forgotten movie, so he's up for it. The rest of the actors do a similarly good job with what little they have to work with. I'm actually curious as to where the series is headed. It might not be much, it's certainly not groundbreaking, but it's fun, and at 12 minutes per episode, it's a neat little diversion.

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