The Summer of 1995 was about as phenomenal in the pop culture aspect as you could get if you were a 90s kid. We were either singing every line of TLC’s “Waterfalls” or Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know” on the way to the local theater to see the big Summer Blockbuster film. Movies like Clueless, Batman Forever, and Braveheart were some notable hits among our angsty teenage group. However, the BIG ONE everyone was waiting for arrived late in the game before school commenced, ensuring we’d all be spending our first day of class most likely in detention trying to perfect that sidekick to the kidneys. And that film was, of course, MORTAL KOMBAT.
That totally fuckin’ happened too.
On the heels of the surprise and highly awaited trailer for the new 2021 film dropped recently, I felt obligated in my soul to talk about one of the greatest damn intro entrances ever pulled off in a movie.
August 18th, 1995 was the day of reckoning as I and a group of friends took the bus down to our local nine-screen theater to get in line for the most anticipated event of the year. Anxious to see our favorite game of blood and guts played out on the big screen, we stood in line for the 6:00 PM showing that ended up being a sold-out show. Lucky for us, we got there early and avoided the dreaded front-row bullshit. As a then 13-year-old, I was pretty proud of my planning strategies. We nabbed some decent seats toward the back and with our hearts pounding, heard that glorious techno music open our minds to a live-action presentation of the game stick-in-the-ass parents’ tried desperately to get banned from our “fragile little minds”.
Pfft…
As we walked through each exciting introduction of familiar faces, none matched the simplistic execution of not one, but TWO of arguably, the game’s most popular characters- Scorpion and Sub-Zero. The scene is set up beautifully as a determined Sonya Blade is tracking Kano on the boat taking them to the tournament. As she’s scoping the area, Shang Tsung steps out of the shadows like a creepy stalker to greet the military officer, and extends an invitation to give her a tour in the sense of a kidnapper offering candy to a kid. With Johnny Cage and Liu Kang following closely behind, they intervene and that’s when shit starts getting real.
The entire sold-out theater rumbled like a goddamn earthquake when the two ninjas stepped into the room. The thunderous applause of every 90s kid losing their ever-loving minds upon the first glimpse of Scorpion and Sub-Zero is something I’ll never forget- mainly because I was one of them. They enter, Sub-Zero first, and when Scorpion appeared behind him, we all needed a change of pants. The heavy guitar riffs that made up the score of the scene got more intense as they assumed their ninja position ready for a fight. It seems so simple, yet so perfect, and is easily not only one of the greatest moments in the movie, and oh man there are a lot of those, but the most memorable and greatest introduction entrances of a couple of iconic characters even to this day.
Now, only if Sonja had said “Freeze” instead of “move aside”, that would have been the cherry on top of this toasty sundae.
Chances are if you’re here reading this, you might be a contender as a mega Rocky IV fanatic because the truth of the matter us, I’ll never goddamn get tired of talking about this franchise and this installment in particular.
When initially announced, I had made a promise that any updates on this monster of a director’s cut would be reported on and I’m a woman of my word. Following the announcements of the iconic Sico the Robot (a move that I’m still not sold on), being cut entirely from the films in favor of more ring time, Drago dialogue, and two previously cut songs from the film- we finally have an update on the film via Sly’s Instagram.
It seems as if the cut is nearing completion as the “Stallion” states the finishing touches are being added. So one can only assume that we should see this coveted cut of the movie sooner rather than later!
There’s no easy way out of the anxiety that takes over when thinking about a possible, brand new version of one of my favorite flicks ever. However, stay tuned for more updates when the official release is announced!
Upon release, the Godzilla vs. Kong trailer is breaking records already and leaving a massive effect on genre fans, but some fans are voicing concern over Godzilla’s seemingly new role as Titanus Badattitudus. In a few key scenes, we see Godzilla wreaking havoc upon humanity, and the question is why.
To be fair this wouldn’t be the first time Godzilla acted as humanity’s destroyer, and, as a virtue of such, does not mean he is evil in doing so.
The original Godzilla film introduced us to the ‘sacred beast of the apocalypse.’ Godzilla rose as the son of the atomic bomb, a reflection of the darkest secrets rooted in man’s soul. A nearly indestructible embodiment of mankind’s capacity for self-annihilation. That first film, Gojira, served as a metaphor for the wrath of God upon the nuclear age. That does not mean Godzilla, acting as man’s destroyer, was in any fact evil. No more than a tornado, a volcano, or a hurricane is evil.
image via Toho, ‘Gojira’
To be honest I was surprised when Godzilla – back in 2014 – acted as our defender! I was expecting the opposite given his cinematic track record. Godzilla acting as hero has way more to do with his recognized role back during the Showa era of the franchise. Even as recently as 2016, in Shin Godzilla, he’s been the antagonist for the most part of his legacy. Well, an antihero is more fitting a title.
It might be upsetting for newer fans of the genre to suddenly see their titanic hero out there causing so much devastation but this wouldn’t be anything new out of Godzilla’s history. Fuck’s sake, in a comic book Godzilla’s the one who sank the Titanic with his dorsal spines. Godzilla has been rather rambunctious in the past.
image via Warner Bros, ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’
However, I beg to differ. Yes, in the trailer we’re told that ‘Godzilla is out there hurting people.’ We’re shown scenes of Godzilla attacking facilities for seemingly no good reason. We see him tearing through battle cruisers as he propels himself through the ocean on a hell-bent course – assumedly – to attack Kong and nothing can stand in Godzilla’s way.
Something is provoking Godzilla, sending him into a violent frenzy. None of that makes Godzilla the ‘bad guy’ though. It means there’s way more going on than we know. The director even claimed we’ve only seen the very uppermost peak of the iceberg in this trailer. There’s still far more for us to see.
image via Warner Bros, ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’
And let’s settle this right now: I do not think this is Mechagodzilla we see throughout the trailer. I ran that theory by as a possibility, but, theory or not, I believe we are seeing the real Godzilla battling it out with Kong in the trailer.
image via Warner Bros, ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’
What Could Have Pissed Godzilla Off?
I covered this a little in my last article but it’s worthwhile to cover a bit more. At the end of King of the Monsters, we are left with the foreboding words that Godzilla is on our side ‘for now.’ Leaving a frightening cliffhanger that leads way to Godzilla turning against humanity.
image via Warner Bros, ‘Godzilla vs. Kong”
It’s easy to see why Godzilla would though. If he is the natural order’s answer to calamity upon the planet then given our abuse of the planet we would quickly turn into Godzilla’s enemies and need to be dealt with. We wage war against the ecosystem, against nature, and, without a doubt, against the Titans if given the chance (be it if they were real.) Consider how many people hunt down big game hunt, not for food, but for sport. There would be people eagerly waiting for the chance to mount a Titan’s stuffed corpse on their property if they could.
That would easily piss off Godzilla. If we attacked Titans he’d be within his right as king to defend them.
(On a side note I just finished a Gamera marathon with my gf and mentioned an idea for a Godzilla vs Gamera possibility. Imagine Godzilla acting as defender of the planet against humanity’s ongoing destruction of the earth in the name of profits or whatever. Meanwhile, Gamera would rise up as defender of humanity, putting both defenders on a collision course to battle one another to the death. Now that could be interesting.)
Could this be what leads Godzilla to fight Kong? Could be, but I’m not sold on that just yet. It’s later (now) been revealed that Mechagodzilla will have a clandestine role in the movie which leads us to my final idea on the matter.
Why Would Godzilla Attack?
I don’t think his attacks are unprovoked or mindless. Something (or someone) is in the background pulling the strings and orchestrating the events leading to the apocalypse.
mage via Warner Bros, ‘Godzilla vs. Kong”
In the trailer, we’re given a very brief glimpse of a map linking a mysterious company known as APEX to the Godzilla attacks. We’re also given a brief glimpse of what can easily be presumed to be Mechagodzilla charging up in the background. Brilliant! These two little clues are connected I think. As in APEX serving as the company that built Godzilla’s mechanical counterpart.
mage via Warner Bros, ‘Godzilla vs. Kong”
Now why they would do that is anyone’s guess. We do know the military was eager to be more involved with controlling these giant monsters, so much so that they fired an untested superweapon – the oxygen destroyer – into the ocean with a hope and a prayer to destroy the Titans. Would they be willing to build a weapon to match Godzilla’s strength? Oh fuck yeah they would!
I think APEX is a counter organization to Monarch who are entirely dedicated to discovering, studying, and defending the Titans. Again, it’s not like there weren’t secret organizations in the older movies, organizations hell-bent on crushing or controlling Godzilla.
Now, given this is true, it could explain why Godzilla is destroying APEX facilities. He’d see them as a threat against his kingdom and the world entire. It could be APEX has some way of manipulating Godzilla, something like the orca used in KOTM, and could be setting Godzilla up.
Could they be gaslighting Godzilla? Are they provoking his attacks and turning him into the (convenient) threat they need? A convenient threat only they, with their Mechagodzilla weapon, could come in and stop? It would make them look like saviors and could give them the global support they need to then police the rest of the Titans?
Something the government and military have been pushing for?
Fuck I hope I’m right. I hope they’ve put some thought into this movie.
image via Toho, ‘Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla’
One thing we know about mankind: it hates to share. APEX could be acting as a radical group out to rid the world of monsters humanity now suddenly must learn to coexist with.
Why Would Mechagodzilla Be Such a Threat?
In my last piece, I mentioned a few ways Mechagodzilla could be built, chiefly being a bio-mech by blending Titan DNA into the construct of the machine. Something like we saw in Toho’s Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla. Then I gave it more thought and it fucking dawned on me!
What if they are doing the exact same thing! In GAM Kiryu, aka Mechagodzilla, is built from the bones of Gojira. In Godzilla (2014) Monarch discovers the bones of a Godzilla species. Godzilla bones! Those bones are out there and ripe for the picking. What if we’re getting a Kiryu type Mechagodzilla?! Now that possibility has me excited.
image via Warner Bros. ‘Godzilla’
Wouldn’t that be reason enough to agitate Godzilla? The profane use of Titan bones – bones of his ancestors nonetheless – used as a manmade machine to destroy Titans?
That would be a good enough reason for him to seek and destroy every operational APEX facility around the globe.
We have to keep in mind that in the trailer Maddison Russell (Millie Bobby Brown) says “There’s something provoking them that we’re not seeing here.” I think that’s key to the whole riddle. I really hope they use those bones to build an abomination of science and nature, something Godzilla would sense, be enraged by, and seek to purge.
Like so many other instances the Godzilla franchise offers up a few examples of Godzilla’s DNA being used to create new monsters that Godzilla must stop. The whole plot in Godzilla vs. Biollante can be summed up like this. “Lol! Let’s blend Godzilla’s DNA with a flower and see what happens.” Boom! Godzilla Flower! And it’s one helluva cool looking monsters.
image via Toho, ‘Godzilla vs. Biollante’
Spacegodzilla was created from Godzilla cells carried into space by Mothra. Well, at least one side of the story claims that. And we already mentioned how Kiryu was built around the bones of Godzilla. If we’re lucky we could be getting a Legendary version of Kiryu.
It’s all speculation at this point, but I love it. I can talk about these monsters and movies all day long. I keep my gf up till 3 in the morning going over theories for the upcoming film. So let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Mortal Kombat Triple Feature (Mortal Kombat / Mortal Kombat: Annihilation / Mortal Kombat: Legacy) [Blu-ray]
