If you squint a little, it’s the 1990s again – at least in terms of fighting games. Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and Tekken have all come out swinging in recent years, each reinventing themselves for a new generation with a series of hard-hitting titles.
But the real bruising encounter is yet to come: as Mortal Kombat hits cinemas, a new feud has emerged between the casts of Mortal Kombat 2 and Street Fighter, bubbling with light-hearted animosity and a desire to be top dog at the box office.
As each entry grew in scope, so, too, did the game’s narrative ambitions – and it’s here where the foundations for a Tekken movie were laid.
Ruling with an Iron Fist
Across several Tekken games and multiple decades, the domestic dramas made Invincible’s issues with Omni-Man seem quaint and have raged on relentlessly. There have been more volcanoes, explosions, fake deaths, missing mothers, shocking relative reveals, and thong-wearing final bosses than, frankly, we know what to do with.
Where Mortal Kombat has its convoluted tournament structure and Street Fighter, frankly, has some cookie-cutter characters, Tekken feels tailor-made for a major movie with its melodrama and major set-pieces.
Of course, you could adapt any of the first two or three games in the series and triumph with a twisted take on Tekken’s eternal Mishima conflict. But Tekken 7, turns its POV towards a reporter scrambling to uncover a conspiracy (with, ironically, an all-timer of a cameo from Street Fighter’s Akuma). Not only does it have far-reaching consequences for Kazuya and Jin, it also feels like a solid way to introduce newcomers to the madness of the Mishimas.
That’s without even looking at the rich cast beyond the main players. There are pro wrestlers (King), assassins (Nina), breakdancers (Eddy Gordo), Bruce Lee rip-offs (Marshall Law), androids (JACK), kangaroos (Roger), and even a wooden training dummy brought to life (Mokujin).
The entire cast is ripe to be deployed in a Tekken movie, complete with the sort of OTT fights and city-razing action that is normally only reserved for superhero movies.
Mortal Kombat may have the gore and guts and Street Fighter has the flair. But Tekken has a unique blend of a genuinely compelling – if utterly insane – story, true variety in its fighters, and a baked-in fanbase (over 60 million players can’t be wrong).
As the video game movie gold rush goes on, it becomes harder and harder to justify why Tekken is being left in the cold.
Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat may be duking it out in cinemas, but why not make it a triple threat? After all, a whole generation of fans grew up with Tekken – and there’s even a realistic possibility of a Tekken vs. Street Fighter movie, mirroring the clash they had on consoles. With apologies to the Mortal Kombat cast, that’s one fight we really want to see.
Mortal Kombat 2 is now in cinemas, with Street Fighter not far behind on October 16.
For more, check out the upcoming video game movies currently in the works and our verdict on the latest kombatant with our Mortal Kombat 2 review.
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