Mortal Kombat star Mehcad Brooks comments on the white-washing from the original 1995 movie. This weekend marks the arrival of the long-awaited Mortal Kombat reboot, the third film bringing the beloved video game franchise to the big screen. Directed by Simon McQuoid, the latest Mortal Kombat centers on original character Cole Young (Lewis Tan) as he uncovers his destiny and aligns himself with the warriors of Earthrealm, who must protect their world from the encroaching fighters from Outerworld. Mortal Kombat has assembled a hefty ensemble cast for this installment and will bring to life several popular characters from the games.
Even before it arrives, there are many fans who feel this Mortal Kombat will surpass the franchise attempts that came before. The games were first adapted for film with a 1995 movie of the same name, which was directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. Mortal Kombat was greeted with mixed reviews when it premiered, but over the years it has gained a cult classic status among fans. It was certainly better received than the 1997 follow-up, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.
For all the things the original Mortal Kombat might have done right, however, there was one misstep that can't be ignored: The instance of white-washing. Brooks, who plays Jax for the 2021 film, recently discussed this with The Root. Brooks was initially asked what makes the new Mortal Kombat so special when viewing it as a follow-up to the past installments. "Not to take anything away from them, but the Japanese thunder god [Lord Raiden] in the ‘90s was a guy named Christopher Lambert," he said. "He’s not Japanese. He’s a fantastic actor, but what we’ve done in Hollywood for way too long is help America launder its own bigotry."
Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano plays Lord Raiden, the protector of Earthrealm, in the 2021 Mortal Kombat, marking a notable change from the previous movie. In fact, the new film features an impressively diverse cast, something that is sadly still a special instance these days. White-washing in movies has long been an issue within Hollywood, with examples cropping up even as recently as 2017 with the Scarlett Johansson-starring Ghost in the Shell. That the new Mortal Kombat has moved in a more positive direction with its representation is an encouraging one.
Mortal Kombat could be the start of a brand new franchise, with Sub-Zero actor Joe Taslim even revealing he signed a five-movie contract. Should the reboot be a success and lead to more installments, Mortal Kombat can help usher in a new wave of diverse blockbusters. Even if it only receives one movie, it has clearly improved upon the original in at least one meaningful way. That's not something that should be waved away; it's a sign that Hollywood is starting to move forward, something people have been calling for more and more in recent years. Hopefully, Mortal Kombat will be just the beginning.
Source: The Root
