Asians New to Netflix: Spring is Coming Edition
Asians New to Netflix is a monthly column introducing the new live-action movies and television shows which air next month on Netflix and feature Asian American actors.
Spring is approaching, which means it’ll be harder to make up excuses to stay home and watch Netflix when your friends try to make plans with you to go out and party. Try this one: you want to stay in so you can support Asian American artists by watching their movies and TV shows. That’s a good cause, right?
We’ve got two very different movies for you to check out for the month of April, and they both feature Asian American leads. One is a 90s action flick based on a video game, and one is a modern female-driven indie dramedy. If you’re really adventurous, you can do a double feature and watch them back-to-back!
Mortal Kombat (1995)
Available April 1
Directed by: Paul W.S. Anderson
Screenplay by: Kevin Droney
Plot: Three unknowing martial artists are summoned to a mysterious island to compete in a tournament whose outcome will decide the fate of the world (IMDB).
Disclaimer: I've never watched Mortal Kombat, or played the game. But judging from the trailer, it’s very...1995.
Mortal Kombat looks like peak 90s-white-America-obsessed-with-martial-arts. It’s got bad CGI, vaguely Asian mysticism, POC bad guys, white martial artists (two of the three leads), spikes, and the “exoticism” of Asian locations.* On the bright side, it showcased Hong Kong actor/martial artist Robin Shou, who plays the lead Liu Kang, a Shaolin monk seeking revenge for the death of his younger brother. Shou also appeared in the sequel Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (as Liu Kang) and Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (as Gen). You might also recognize the movie’s other actor of Asian descent: Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, who plays the shapeshifting demonic villain Shang Sung. The Japanese American actor/martial artist/stuntman has been in everything; his works include Bond movie License to Kill (as Kwang), The Man in the High Castle (Nobusuke Tagomi), Memoirs of a Geisha (the Baron), Revenge (Satoshi Takeda), and my personal favorite of the group: Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo (Brushogun).
You can watch Mortal Kombat in all its 90s glory on Netflix starting April 1.
Dude (2018)
Available April 20
Directed by: Olivia Milch
Screenplay by: Olivia Milch
Plot: Four best friends navigate loss and major life changes -- and smoke a lot of weed -- during their last two weeks of high school (Netflix).
If you’re more in the mood for an irreverent comedy-drama, check out Netflix’s Dude, an indie film whose script was listed in the 2013 Black List of best unproduced scripts. The movie’s director, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor, AND leads are all women, which means this rarity is already worth checking out. Its four main actors (besides Lucy Hale, Kathryn Prescott, and Alexandra Shipp) include comedian/rapper Awkwafina, one of the biggest Asian American breakouts over the last few years. Born Nora Lum to Korean and Chinese parents, she’s been in recent movies like Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (as Christine), and will appear in Ocean’s 8 (Constance) and Crazy Rich Asians (Goh Peik Lin).
Dude premiers on Netflix on April 20. Aaaaand I just realized that's 4/20. So make of that what you will.
Bonus: If you want to check out Netflix’s new movies/shows led by Asians, look no further than The New Legends of Monkey, which stars Chai Hansen as Monkey. For a movie featuring intellectual-clean-shaven-Dev Patel (as opposed to the more recent smokin’-hot-bearded-Dev Patel), watch The Man Who Knew Infinity (and then Lion if you want a good cry). Jackie Chan’s The Spy Next Door is a new comedic addition to Netflix this month; I don’t really need to say much more about Jackie Chan because that man is a legend. 24 Hours to Live, an action movie with Xu Qing (of Mr. Six and The Founding of a Republic fame), is another option.
Dev Patel in The Man Who Knew Infinity (left) and Lion (right). Both are on Netflix, so what are you waiting for?
On another note, if you’d like more Asian American options, Xfinity has an “Asian American Film & TV” section that pulls together some great modern entertainment featuring Asian Americans (think Ali Wong: Baby Cobra, New Girl, and Killing Eve). It gets even more specific with lists like “Vietnamese Experiences”, “Poly Power”, and more.
So what do you think about this month’s Netflix offerings? Are you ready to to laugh/cry over the ridiculousness of Mortal Kombat? Laugh/cry during Dude? Also - did we miss anything that belongs on this list?
Let us know on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!
* Sadly, this also describes Marvel’s Iron Fist show, but I’m not going to go off on that right now because it deserves its own post.
