Tuesday 21 April 2015

AtoZChallenge2015 - R is for Raiden

Fictional Deities and Demons - AtoZ 2015
Hello and welcome to day 18 of the AtoZChallenge 2015.

I really only know Raiden from the Mortal Kombat films since I don't play the video games and haven't read the comics, but Raiden gets around.

Raiden is my second god of Thunder (and not my last :)). He is the protector of the Earthrealm and he can teleport, control lightning and fly. In the film Mortal Kombat, where he is played by Christopher Lambert (left), he is seen to almost travel by lightning.

In the first Mortal Kombat film Raiden  mentors the champions of Earthrealm so they can fight in Mortal Kombat and win, thus saving the earth from being taken over. He is not allowed to fight in the tournament, only make sure the forces of Shang Tsung do not cheat.

In the second film he's more hands on and get to kick arse at times and he ascends to become and Elder God at the end.

I like Raiden because he's unassuming until you piss him off and he has a wicked sense of humour.

If you are a game fan, Raiden is also one of only a few characters who have appeared in every incarnation of the game as a playable.

If you would like to know more about Raiden in all his incarnations check out my sources for more information.

Sources: Wikipedia | Mortal Kombat Wiki

Mortal Kombat is undeniable a cheesy fantasy martial arts movie, do you like this kind of movie as much as I do? If so, what's your fav in this genre? If not, tell me why, please :).


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51 comments:

  1. Not familiar w/ this film. Sounds like a cult classic.
    Maui Jungalow

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  2. Those unassuming types really do embody the true spirit of martial arts. They stay chill until it's clear the enemy is crossing the line--then, watch out. I love that.

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    1. Me too, but with Raiden, I think half the time he just wants to see what crap everyone around him can get into before he has to sort it out ;)

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  3. I was never a big gamer, but it's fun to learn how rich the games are with characters.

    You can find me here:
    ClarabelleRant

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    1. I've never been a gamer either - I suck at computer games ;)

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  4. Hi Tasha - gamers are out for me too - but Raiden does sound rather a fun character to have around - lots of opportunities for him to show his attributes ... now I see he's an Elder God so he'll be amusing his fellow gods .. cheers Hilary

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    1. You have to wonder how his sense of humour will go down with his fellow gods :)

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  5. Okay, this is the third time I've tried to post a comment, so I apologise if you get this is stereo, but Raiden is great. I enjoyed Lambert's portrayal - he plays his kind of quiet strength really well. I love his powers - so cool!

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    1. Sorry you're having issues - it posted this time :) I love the whole lightning across the room, oh, hell Raiden moments :D I've always been a fan of Lambert too, ever since Highlander (the first one at least ;)).

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  6. Not fond of the movie or game, but my 2nd cousins are and I have to Raiden is one of the characters I could stand.

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    1. I really liked Raiden and I have to admit Mortal Kombat is one of my guilty pleasures ;)

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  7. I saw the first movie and yes, it was cheesy. Didn't play the game though. More of a RPG guy.
    New follower!

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    1. Sometimes I love cheesy movies - they are fun and light and simply pleasurable :) I really suck at video games - Wolfenstein the original is about my limit.

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  8. In the first film Raiden was awesome, sense of humor and style.. the sequels more a dink. Good call though...

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    1. Lambert definitely played him with class - the second movie is really not as good as the first in any way IMHO.

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  9. If I was a god of anything, a god of thunder would be pretty cool :-)

    Annalisa, writing A-Z vignettes, at Wake Up, Eat, Write, Sleep

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    1. With so many great gods of thunder around, I'd say it has to be a pretty cool spot in the pantheon :)

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  10. My boys are so into video games. I often listen to them try to explain things to me;-)

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    1. I find modern controllers too complex :) I remember playing Tekken on the playstation at a friends house sometime after uni and I found I could win if I pressed random sets of buttons really fast - that to me made it rather pointless :). The last game I was any good at was Wolfenstein on the PC (the original version). I still play that with fan made patches for new levels. It's mouse driven.

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  11. I think it is interesting when they make a movie out of a game :) Havent' played Mortal Kombat or saw the movie :) I'm sure my husband might have seen the movie or parts of it because he enjoys these types of story lines.

    Sorry about your headache from yesterday; good luck with your trainer today!

    betty

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    1. Thank you, I had a blast with my personal trainer. The boxing was the most fun :D.

      I think Resident Evil is the most successful game to movie franchise - I just bought the lastest one of blu-ray because it was on offer on Amazon ;)

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  12. Here's one I know! :) I used to love to play that video game.

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    1. I have to admit to never having even seen the game, but it seems to have been popular :)

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  13. It would have really bothered me that they had a white guy play the Chinese god of thunder, except that I am an unabashed mark for Christopher Lambert and I can't complain about him getting work in anything.

    That being said, the movie wasn't very good (better than the Street Fighter movie, though - the only saving grace in that one was Raul Julia chewing the scenery like a gawd dang Thespian Tyrannosaurus).

    I played the shit out of the original Mortal Kombat video game, not gonna lie.

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    1. I am a sucker of CL too - ever since Highlander :) I love it even with all it's badness. You are completely correct about Street Fighter, although I am a bit soft on Van Damme too ;)

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  14. I love it that they actually came up with a 'save the world' story for MK, other than just saying "hey, here is a game where you can hit each other!" :D

    @TarkabarkaHolgy from
    Multicolored Diary - Epics from A to Z
    MopDog - 26 Ways to Die in Medieval Hungary

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  15. I'm not sure I know this one. But I like the really cheesy Mortal Kombat movie!

    Good luck with the A to Z Challenge!
    A to Z Co-Host S. L. Hennessy
    http://pensuasion.blogspot.com/

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    1. Me too :D Sometimes all one needs it a cheesy movie to enjoy.

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  16. Cheesy martial arts movies can be fun, though I can't say I've watched a lot of them. It's basically something someone else has to suggest we watch, and I'll be like "let's do it!" but I rarely seek them out myself. ;)

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    1. They can be fun can't they :) Turn your brain off material!

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  17. I enjoyed the Mortal Kombat movie, but the video game character is a little different.

    I love cheesy, and good, martial arts movies. Big Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan fan.

    --
    Tim Brannan, The Other Side Blog
    2015 A to Z of Vampires
    http://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/

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    1. I figured that, which is why I specified I'd never seen the game :)
      It's such a shame Bruce Lee died so young and I love Jackie Chan :)

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  18. I'm not the most knowledgeable on any of this, but it certainly draws me in!

    Great post!
    Cherdo
    www.cherdoontheflipside.com

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  19. I was never into Mortal Kombat, since I thought it were too violent, but my little brother loved it. The video game we both loved was Street Fighter II. It was always scary and challenging to fight Sagat and M. Bison at the end, but as an adult, I've realised only M. Bison is the really scary boss out of the final two. Sagat might be annoying and tricky, but at least he's not a dirty fighter like M. Bison.

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    1. I've only ever seen the movies of both of them :)

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  20. I think I watched one of the first films of Mortal Kombat like ages ago. I remember watching it mostly because of Christophe Lambert, but I really remember so little.

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    1. You don't even remember the guy with four arms? That's the part that always sticks in my mind :)

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  21. Can't say I've seen the films, but the games were massive when I was a kid. I was more a Street Fighter 2 fan!

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    1. It seems to be the rivalry from what I am seeing in comments :) I've never played either game, only seen the movies.

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  22. I loved the films when I was younger. Still enjoy the first one. It's a bit of a cult classic to me.

    ~Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine~
    Member of C. Lee's Muffin Commando Squad
    Story Dam
    Patricia Lynne, Indie Author

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  23. Raiden is much cooler in the games. MUCH cooler.

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  24. Ooo! A cheese-tastic film that I like. My favorite though was playing a the game with the code for all the blood and playing with the blue ninja guy (can't think of his name) and using his special movie. The twitching spinal column was always fun to watch. Heh heh heh.

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    1. LOL - I had no idea you could do that, but then I've never even seen the game so I have no idea how you even play it :)

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  25. I only quasi-remember this character.... what I do remember is his grin. :) It's cool that he's playable in every game, though!

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  26. My brothers were SOOO into this game when we were kids. They used to fight over who got to be Raiden because of his cool special moves. Elle @ Erratic Project Junkie

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