Watch Honest Trailers hit the ‘Mortal Kombat’ movies hard

By Stephanie Topacio Long December 22, 2016

There is no shortage of video game adaptations, but the good ones are sadly few and far between. Unfortunately for the Mortal Kombat films, they didn’t escape the notice of Screen Junkies’ Honest Trailers series, and they were both called out as being among the ones that “suck” in the latest video.

The Honest Trailers narrator brought the action flicks into the ring, only to pepper them with enough high punches and low kicks to leave both Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation bloodied. The mock trailer comes out swinging, opening with, “Before Assassin’s Creed tries to shake off the stink of all the video game movies that came before, two films will challenge the rule that game adaptations suck — and more or less confirm it.”

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There is no letting up, either. The trailer calls out everything from the exposition contained in the script to the use of dragons — or, as the narrator calls them, “some animator’s bad CGI demon fetish.” The Mortal Kombat actors, including those who appeared only in the sequel, get extra attention; they’re described as “fighters who can’t act, actors who can’t fight, and people who can’t really do either.” In fact, the biggest compliment for protagonist Liu Kang (played by Robin Shou) is for his “luscious mullet.”

The games were all about the action, but Honest Trailer concludes that on this score as well, neither of the films measured up. Instead, they featured “generic martial arts battles” and an absurd amount of rules the characters have to fight and live by. Plus, the narrator points out unnecessary added elements that just don’t work, like the “underground hamster ball.”

Needless to say, this round — and the entire tournament — goes to Honest Trailers.

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Mortal Kombat 12: rumors, news, release date speculation, and more

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The legendary Mortal Kombat franchise is preparing for its 12th installment to release in 2023. Why haven't you heard more about it? Well, there hasn't been an official announcement yet!

During a recent Warner Bros. Discovery earnings call, CEO David Zaslav casually mentioned that Mortal Kombat 12 is in the works and is expected to come out this year. Speaking about WB Games’ upcoming lineup, Zaslav stated that the “highly anticipated Mortal Kombat 12” is in the works alongside Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, and that the company has “ambitious launch projections” for this title.

Gaming

Mortal Kombat 12 is coming out this year, according to Warner Bros.

While Mortal Kombat and Injustice developer NetherRealm Studios has been secretive about what its next game is, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav spoiled the surprise during the company's latest earnings call: it's Mortal Kombat 12, and it's coming out this year.
Speaking about WB Games' upcoming lineup, Zaslav stated that the "highly anticipated Mortal Kombat 12" is in the works alongside Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, which was featured in a State of Play showcase that took place around the same time. Zaslav says Mortal Kombat 12 is "set for release this year" and that Warner Bros. Discovery has "ambitious launch projections" for this title.
Digital Trends contacted WB Games to confirm the statement and will update this article when we hear back.
Obviously, as this is the first time the game has been mentioned, we don't know any specific details about the story, gameplay, or characters that will be featured in the new entry. Still, it's quite an exciting confirmation for fighting game fans as NetherRealm Studios hasn't released a new game since 2019's Mortal Kombat 11, which itself has not received any new DLC since 2021. The Chicago-based developer had been flip-flopping between making Mortal Kombat and Injustice games throughout the 2010s, but its focus appears to be wholly on Mortal Kombat now.
If Mortal Kombat 12 is truly coming out this year, we shouldn't have to wait too much longer for an official reveal. Still, this is an unexpected way for such a game to be revealed. Mortal Kombat 12 is in development and intended for release sometime in 2023.

Entertainment

Tetris trailer reveals how the puzzle game became a worldwide hit

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Apple TV+, AI Film, and Marv Studios have released the first official trailer for Tetris ahead of the film's March 31 release on Apple's streaming service. It follows the adventures of Henk Rogers as he attempts to secure distribution rights to Tetris, an excellent puzzle game that became one of the most popular games ever.
The trailer follows Rogers as he discovers the game and tries to obtain the rights to Tetris, which was developed in the waning years of the USSR. We see Henk, one of the first people outside of Nintendo to see the GameBoy, describing the mental "Tetris effect" he gets from playing it, and outsmarting the Soviet Union so Tetris can be a pack-in title for the handheld system.

Anyone who knows the complicated story behind Tetris' worldwide success will recognize many of the trailer's best moments, while those who don't know the backstory will learn a lot and appreciate the 1980s aesthetic of it all.
Tetris — Official Trailer | Apple TV+
Tetris is directed by Jon S. Baird and written by Noah Pink. It stars Taron Egerton as Henk Rogers, Nikita Yefremov as Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov, along with Toby Jones, Roger Allam, Anthony Boyle, Togo Igawa, Ken Yamamura, Ben Miles, Matthew Marsh, and Rick Yune. While video game adaptations are becoming more common, it'll be exciting to see what this creative talent can bring to a game-related biopic.
Tetris will hit Apple TV+ on March 31. And if you want to play the version of the game this film's plot is centered around, the Game Boy version of Tetris is included with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription.