Simon McQuoid

The Mortal Kombat II cast and filmmakers celebrate its Gold Coast homecoming at official Australian preview

The Gold Coast turned into Earthrealm this week as fans, gamers and cosplayers packed out the Official Australian Preview of Mortal Kombat II at Event Cinemas Pacific Fair on Tuesday night, welcoming the stars of the blood-soaked blockbuster back to the place where much of the film was brought to life. The event marked something…

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Interview: Director Simon McQuoid on fan expectations, fatalities, and finding the soul of Mortal Kombat II

As Earthrealm prepares for its most brutal battle yet in Mortal Kombat II, director Simon McQuoid returns with a sequel determined to go bigger, bloodier and far more ambitious than its predecessor. Bringing the long-awaited tournament to the screen, the film introduces Karl Urban’s swaggering Johnny Cage into a sprawling war against Shao Kahn, while…

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Film Review: Mortal Kombat II; bigger, bloodier sequel embraces the game’s chaotic spectacle

Mortal Kombat II understands exactly what fans wanted more of after the 2021 film: brutal fights, outrageous fatalities, fan-favourite characters, and a stronger sense of the video game’s gleefully excessive identity. While Simon McQuoid’s first film may have been the more technically controlled entry, the sequel is easily the more entertaining one, operating with the…

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SXSW Sydney announces exciting screen program for 2024 addition

SXSW Sydney (October 14th – 20th, 2024) is back for its second year, and its bringing a bold and inspiring mix of local and international features, showcasing the best across drama, horror, comedy and documentaries for its Screen Program. The lineup includes the Australian premiere of Lucy Lawless‘s directorial debut, Never Look Away, a documentary about…

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Mortal Kombat Interview: Director Simon McQuoid and producer E. Bennett Walsh on honouring the game’s spirit

Mortal Kombat fans rejoice! The hotly anticipated (and fantastically violent) cinematic re-adaptation of the best-selling game has arrived in cinemas for all eager, and legal, eyes to see (you can read our review here). In conjunction with the film’s release, Peter Gray caught up with its director, Simon McQuoid, and producer, E. Bennett Walsh, to…

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Film Review: Mortal Kombat sets a precedent for what is possible within the genre of the video game adaptation

The road from video game to cinema screen has often been an arduous trek – to say the least.  Often made with the best of intentions, but seldom able to satisfy the expansive fanbase, video game adaptations are usually starting at a disadvantage. Sure, there’s a certain campy pleasure to watching Jean Claude Van Damme…

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Test your might against the red band Mortal Kombat trailer

Warner Bros has dropped its first major Mortal Kombat trailer. The long-in-development reboot promises a film that revels in its violence every bit as much as the video games it’s based on. The Mortal Kombat trailer runs through a laundry list of popular MK characters — Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Liu Kang, Sonya Blade, Kung Lao, Jax,…

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