WHAT’S IT ABOUT
After the vicious slaughter of his family by stone-cold mercenary Sub-Zero, Hanzo Hasashi is exiled to the torturous Netherrealm. There, in exchange for his servitude to the sinister Quan Chi, he’s given a chance to avenge his family – and is resurrected as Scorpion, a lost soul bent on revenge. Back on Earthrealm, Lord Raiden gathers a team of elite warriors – Shaolin monk Liu Kang, Special Forces officer Sonya Blade, and action star Johnny Cage – an unlikely band of heroes with one chance to save humanity. To do this, they must defeat Shang Tsung’s horde of Outworld gladiators and reign over the Mortal Kombat tournament.
MOVIESinMO REVIEW
I dogged the studio when I learned about “Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge” because just like past attempts, I knew this was going to suck. The movie needed to provide an exceptional experience because I experienced Mortal Kombat games during my childhood at my friend’s residence while we all shouted “finish him” during each match. The video game adaptation made me wonder if it would only attract viewers who already knew the story. I watched the film twice, first by myself and then with my mother, who had no fighting game experience, to see how it presents two different aspects of its content. The film opens with the origin story of Scorpion, whose real name is Hanzo Hasashi. He is a Japanese warrior and assassin who lives peacefully with his wife and young son until rival ninja clan members, led by Sub-Zero, murder his entire family and destroy his clan. The main emotional force of the movie emerges from Scorpion’s mission to seek revenge. The first part of the movie shows no restraint when it comes to violence because it becomes immediately clear that this film contains mature content, which makes it unsuitable for children. The animation style allows the filmmakers to show brutal fighting and graphic deaths that would look ridiculous in live action, but here they feel appropriate to the Mortal Kombat universe. The movie combined Scorpion’s individual story with the central plot about the Mortal Kombat competition in a way that pleased the audience. The film introduces other iconic characters like Liu Kang, Sonya Blade, Johnny Cage, Jax, Raiden, and Shang Tsung. The story gives each character their own special time to display their talents, while their characters follow the fan-established characteristics from the games. Johnny Cage provides comic relief with his arrogant Hollywood actor personality, while Liu Kang serves as the heroic monk destined to save Earthrealm. Sonya Blade’s motivation to find her missing partner reveals both strength and determination. Although the movie has Sonya and Scorpion as main characters since they are important to the franchise, it does not lose focus on Scorpion’s emotional journey as part of the film. The tournament itself follows the same format and structure as in the video games; Earthrealm fighters must compete in Mortal Kombat to protect Earth from Outworld’s invasion/conquest of it. If Outworld wins ten consecutive tournaments, they are allowed to conquer Earth. The tournaments provide fans with all the excitement of the combat style of the game and the individual fighting styles of each character, along with their finishing moves. They also give fans moments of reality when they see Sub-Zero pull out his opponents’ spines and Scorpion use his spear technique yelling, “Get over here!” The animation teams took time studying the games because it was very important for them to identify what parts of the games create that level of satisfaction when players finish them. I know there will be some difficulties recommending this movie to those who do not play video games. I mean, my mother enjoyed watching the animated segments and following the main character’s journey for revenge, but she didn’t quite get the context of the story during a few sequences. The movie presents challenges when I want to suggest it to viewers who do not belong to the gaming community. The text includes numerous references to Earthrealm, Outworld, and the Elder Gods, which remain unexplained throughout the story. The information that gamers already possess in their minds remains hidden from viewers who watch movies as their primary form of entertainment. The voice acting performance deserves recognition because it adds personal characteristics to the animated characters. The voice of Scorpion comes from Patrick Seitz, who delivers his performance as an angry character who suffers through his acting. You sense his anger, but you also comprehend his state of mourning. Joel McHale plays Johnny Cage and perfectly captures that cocky energy without making the character completely annoying. Jennifer Carpenter voices Sonya Blade with the right amount of toughness and determination. The actors showed their commitment to creating genuine performances that would enable them to bring their characters to life. The animation quality in the film maintained high technical standards from beginning to end. The fight choreography runs smoothly while each character fights according to their video game persona. Backgrounds and environments appear detailed throughout the game, especially when players visit Shang Tsung’s island during the tournament events. The movie maintains strong pacing because it runs for 80 minutes, which prevents any unnecessary dragging of the story. The story progresses through each scene, which either drives the plot ahead or enables character development. The film presents Jax as one of the few Black characters from the Mortal Kombat universe while giving him a major role in the story. The character adds more value than being a token because he advances the story through his heroic deeds and his skilled abilities. This matters because video game adaptations have not always done well with diverse casting or respectful character treatment. Jax feels like a real character with agency and purpose, not a stereotype or sidekick. The violence level is definitely something to mention in this review. This movie earns its R rating with graphic fatalities, blood, and brutal death scenes. As expected, all the gore that makes Mortal Kombat famous is there. Some P.C. viewers might find this excessive, but honestly, toning it down would betray what the franchise represents. Mortal Kombat has always pushed boundaries with violence in gaming, and this movie respects that legacy. Still, this is not a film to watch with younger siblings or family members who get squeamish easily. Looking at this movie from both perspectives—as a gamer and as someone thinking about general audiences—I would give it different ratings. As a gamer and Mortal Kombat fan, this movie scores a solid 8.5 out of 10. It delivers everything I wanted: faithful character representations, brutal fights, iconic moves, and emotional depth through Scorpion’s story. In my opinion, as a movie, the film has a good respect for the original work, but at the same time provides an interesting perspective on the storyline that revolves around revenge. As for anyone not in the gaming community, I would have rated this film approximately 6.5 out of 10. It is certainly accurate to say that the level of action and animation is exceptional. In addition, the central theme of revenge can stand alone without a tie back to either tournament or realm mythology; however, those who have never experienced the series will probably find themselves somewhat lost when watching this particular entry in the Mortal Kombat saga. Ultimately, I believe that Mortal Kombat is one of those films that excel as an adaptation from video games, due to an understanding of who their audience is and what they want to see, while simultaneously trying to create a real story. It has been proven that animation can present more serious themes and a more complex range of emotions, while providing the audience with the same level of action that they expect from the franchise. Whether you are a kid or an adult, you will find enjoyment in this film, and it is worth checking out, though your reward for watching may differ based on your experience with the franchise prior to viewing.
OUR RATING – A VENGEFUL 7.5
MEDIA
- Genre – Video Game
- Street date
- Digital – April 12th 2020
- DVD/Blu-Ray/4K – April 28th 2020
- Video – 1080p
- Screen size – 1:85.1
- Sound – English: Dolby Atmos
- Subtitles – English SDH
Extras
- • From Epic Game to Extreme Animation
- • The Weapons, Wardrobe and World of Mortal Kombat Legends
- • The Savage Sound Design of Mortal Kombat Legends
- • Mortal Kombatants
- • Filmmaker Commentary