Video game-based films never seem to be as good as their counterparts, whether it is a matter of characters being nothing like who they are in the games, the source material being completely disregarded, or the film just having a bad story.

A prominent victim of this was the Mortal Kombat series, "Mortal Kombat" and its sequel "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation." Mired by bad, predictable, and nonsensical plots, the Mortal Kombat films fell into obscurity; the games, however, continue to do well.

If one were to adapt these games into good movies, the cast would have to be perfect and cheesy dialogue would need to be kept to a minimum.

Here is a list of major players in the Mortal Kombat Universe, recast with modern actors.

Raiden (Liam Neeson)

Some would call this typecasting, but the only actor, in my mind, who could portray the appearance and wisdom of a protector of Earthrealm would be Liam Neeson. Similar to the way that Ra's al Ghul trained Bruce Wayne in "Batman Begins," Raiden could train Liu Kang to take on the forces of Outworld and the Emperor Shao Kahn.

Shao Kahn (Tom Hardy)

Tom Hardy is not necessarily the most imposing actor in the height department, but he is no stranger to height enhancers, considering he wore platform boots to match Christian Bale's height for their stare down in "The Dark Knight Rises." What Tom Hardy lacks in height, he makes up for in sheer size.

Shang Tsung (Ken Watanbe)

Shang Tsung is an extremely power sorcerer who serves under Emperor Shao Kahn. His power is virtually unrivaled, but he needs souls to survive. Ken Watanbe's way of carrying himself, in "Batman Begins" as well as in "Inception," earns him his spot on this list. I also want to hear Ken Watanbe, even if just once, say "Your soul is mine!"

Liu Kang (Huang Xiaoming)

Main protagonist of the series and all-around good guy, a lot of stories revolve around Liu Kang and his occasional relationships with Kitana. He is a thorn in the side of the sorcerer Shang Tsung and Emporer Shao Kahn. Depending on the direction they went with in the film, they could kill off Liu Kang or make him a multiple time Tournament winner. Huang Xiaoming has experience in martial arts films as well as relative youth (if almost everyone in The Avengers is over 40, we can get away with a 37-year-old Liu Kang).

Kung Lao (Daniel Henney)

Kung Lao is a member of the White Lotus Society and a close friend to Liu Kang. He is a pacifist, yet a warrior in situations that call for it. Daniel Henney earned a spot on this list after flexing his action hero muscles in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" as Agent Zero. In this particular series, a subplot might be found in the competition between Liu Kang and Kung Lao, with Kung Lao putting his differences aside and realizing the bigger goal of winning The Tournament.

Kitana (Katrina Law)

Action movies as a whole have a problem of having kick-ass female characters that don't actually contribute much to the plot. Katrina Law's portrayal of Princess Kitana would be a step in the right direction for reversing that trend. She has already proven she can handle playing strong female characters in "Arrow" and "Spartacus." Katrina Law has just the right amounts of personality, strength, and (as much as I want to avoid the words) sex appeal to bring Kitana to life.

Jackson "Jax" Briggs (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson)

Given The Rock's size and history as well as Jax's move-set, which is based around wrestling, Jackson Briggs is the perfect character for The Rock to portray. Dwayne Johnson also has the perfect balance of seriousness and charm. He also would not need the metal arms to show us an interesting portrayal of Jax.

Kano (Manu Bennett)

Manu Bennett knows how to play any action character; he was the good guy in "Spartacus" and the bad guy in "Arrow" (overlap, anyone?). If he played Kano, Manu Bennett could puch every inch of his Australian badassery into the Leader of the Black Dragon. Thinking about the fights he could get into, and given previous stories, they could get interesting.

Sonya Blade (Gina Carano)

In a video game-based film about fighting, there was bound to be a fighter in here somewhere. The obvious choice is former MMA fighter Gina Carano. Her 7-1 record in MMA as well as her tenacious nature make her the perfect Sonya Blade. Both individuals will not back down from a fight if in one. Sonya Blade herself is best known for her hatred of Kano, who murdered a former partner from the Special Forces. She is also partners with Jax. Given the onscreen chemistry between The Rock and Carano, they are the perfect Special Forces duo.

Johnny Cage (Brandon Routh)

Who better to play a wise-cracking Hollywood bad boy? Johnny Cage is an actor who enters The Tournament to prove critics who say that he isn't a "real fighter" wrong. Brandon Routh has just the right delivery and way of carrying himself that can convey a certain brashness and willingness to accept a fight, but also that he can take on challenges when the chips are down.

Scorpion (Ben Foster)

Subzero (Armie Hammer)

Scorpion and Subzero are essentially two sides of the same coin. Both show fierce loyalty to their assassin clans (Subzero to the Lin Kuei and Scorpion to the Shirai Ryu). While they join their clans for different reasons, the rivalry between the two characters is a staple of Mortal Kombat that spans families as well as clans. Armie Hammer would be cast as the Bi-Han Subzero. The rivalry between the characters could be a huge part of a film itself and expand into following films.

Stryker (John Cena)

There's only one man who can help the fighters of Earthrealm defeat the forces of Outworld... AND HIS NAME IS JOHN CENA!

While Stryker is a minor character in Mortal Kombat, he could play a bigger role in this film. John Cena gets this casting, first off, because of his appearance (Seriously, don't they look eerily similar?). Also, given the WrestleMania matches between The Rock and John Cena, we could get a much more entertaining Rock vs. Cena III if Stryker and Jax are forced to fight. That would be entertaining, provided the Five Moves of Doom don't make an appearance.

Kenshi Takahashi (Stephen Amell)

Kenshi is blind, but can fight just as well, if not better, than most people. His attacks are telepathic and he uses a mystical sword, which guides him. Stephen Amell is Kenshi in this cast because of his ability to adapt, as he showed us in using highly advanced fighting in "Arrow" and turning to pro wrestling techniques in a Summer Slam match against WWE Superstars Wade "Bad News" Barrett and Stardust, where he partnered with Adrian Neville.