Dave Bautista stars in new live-action Mortal Kombat teaser

Thought the days of screaming Mortal Kombat at the top of your lungs were over? Think again. The new live-action trailer for Mortal Kombat 1 starring Dave Bautista has dropped, and boy oh boy, does it whack you over the head with a serious case of nostalgia.

For those who don’t remember as far back as 1993, when the trailer for the original game launched it featured a lot of moody-looking people shouting the title while strutting around the city. If you take the time to watch it on YouTube, you’ll laugh right after you cringe a little – it’s not bad, per se, just very dated. And now, 30 years later, that original trailer has had an update to celebrate the upcoming MK1. Full circle moments, you’ve gotta love them.

Take a deep breath before you shout along with the MK1 live-action teaser!

We weren’t aware that Bautista was a fan of the franchise – though, why wouldn’t he be? – due to him always expressing an interest in starring in the Gears of War film. So far, those wishes, accompanied by some interesting attempts, have failed to pay off. But that hasn’t deterred the Guardians of the Galaxy star. Although he might not be living his Gears of War dreams, this Mortal Kombat live-action teaser must qualify as a close second.

In the teaser, Bautista starts a chain reaction, almost converting the whole city into shouting “MORTAL KOMBAT” repeatedly while he continues into a monologue about destiny, fate, and hearing a calling. It’s incredibly epic, but we’d be lying if we pretended there isn’t still a bit of the cringe factor wedged into the whole experience. Not that it’s stopping the likes of Dr Disrespect from wanting to be a character in the upcoming game – they even have their intended fatality in mind.

There isn’t long until Mortal Kombat 1 launches – once 14 September gets here, many of us will be back to kicking ass, in-between powering through not one but two massive RPGs (Starfield and Baldur’s Gate 3).