WHAT’S IT ABOUT
The movie picks up right after Scorpion’s Revenge, where the heroes are attacked by Shao Kahn, which will force “Raiden and his group of warriors into a deal to compete in a final Mortal Kombat that will determine the fate of the realms.” This forces the good guys to travel to Outworld defend Earthrealm while Scorpion journeys to find the Kamidogu (a mystic relic made by the almighty Elder Gods) before it is used to bring back the mysterious One Being, who would destroy the universe.
MOVIESinMO REVIEW
“Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms” is a direct sequel to “Scorpion’s Revenge,” and it immediately makes clear that it plans to go bigger, louder, and more chaotic than its predecessor. “Battle of the Realms” tries to juggle multiple storylines, a lot of characters, and escalating stakes all at once, whereas “Scorpion’s Revenge” was primarily about one character’s emotional journey alongside the tournament action. As a result, the film is a spectacle and fan service to the core, but at times it lacks the emotional depth to which the first film connected, beyond being just another video game adaptation. Most of the plot is set shortly after “Scorpion’s Revenge,” with Earthrealm having been the winner of the last tournament. However, Shao Kahn, the emperor of Outworld, declines to admit his defeat and suggests a last tournament as a result of which the stakes will be even greater. There will not be ten consecutive victories this time to decide the winner; rather, this brutal tournament will decide everything in one go. The Earthrealm warriors are to fight for the survival of their world first, but also against the opponents from different realms such as Outworld, Netherrealm, and Edenia. This way, the movie can bring in more characters from the Mortal Kombat roster, which is great news for the fans, but it also raises the question of how much story can be packed into one film. Being a Mortal Kombat player for years, I was absolutely ecstatic about the sheer number of characters featured in this film. We are given a good amount of screen time for characters like Kitana, Jade, Kung Lao, Smoke, Stryker, Kabal, Baraka, Shao Kahn, Shinnok, and Quan Chi, and also many more. The movie tries to give each character at least one recognizable moment or fight scene, and mostly it manages to make these characters seem like they were quite a bit of screen time instead of simple brief appearances. With the film following Kiatan’s journey, we get to know her bond with Shao Kahn, her real origin as the princess of Edenia, and also her relation to Liu Kang. All these things are from the game lore, and seeing them brought to life with this much detail was very gratifying. The animation quality is still at the level of “Scorpion’s Revenge, ” combining the same art style and the same fluent fight choreography. The combat scenes, to be honest, are what this movie is really about, and they go all out in delivering some creative as well as brutal fatalities, which makes this movie, in the opinion of the author, a worthy addition to the video game franchise’s reputation for over, the, top violence. To begin with, each major character gets at least one fight that demonstrates their hallmark moves and character traits. Moreover, Johnny Cage is still the cause of laughter, while, at the same time, he is very efficient in combat. Sonya Blade is the one who really shows why she deserves to be among these top fighters. Jax is the one who gets upgraded with his famous robotic arms, and this results in some impressive strength demonstrations. The animators undoubtedly know what each character is from the games, and they take those characters to the screen in the same way. Unfortunately, the movie’s decision to include so many characters and storylines causing the pacing to be problematic, even a fan like me couldn’t ignore. The film duration is around eighty minutes which is quite normal for these direct, to, video releases but that time feels too short for all the things the movie tries to do. Some characters’ arcs are too paced or barely sketched. Some plot threads get off the ground with a lot of promise, but then they are quickly resolved or simply left. The movie jumps between different places and subplots very quickly; at times, it was hard to keep emotional involvement in one storyline only. While “Scorpion’s Revenge” had a very clear emotional center in Hanzo Hasashi’s revenge, “Battle of the Realms” is so thinly spread that it is hard to feel the impact of any single character’s journey. From the standpoint of someone who doesn’t play video games, this film is quite a hurdle. While “Scorpion’s Revenge” might be seen as a simple revenge story with some fighting game elements, “Battle of the Realms” just goes ahead and expects the viewers to know the world, rules, and character relationships from the first movie. If a person checked out “Battle of the Realms” without first watching “Scorpion’s Revenge” or having knowledge of the games, they would probably be like, “What the heck is going on here? ” The movie keeps on throwing around words like Netherrealm, Elder Gods, and Edenia, but it doesn’t really tell us what they are. Characters come to the scene, talk to each other, and leave, but the movie doesn’t tell us who they are or why they matter. We are given hints about the relationships between characters, but no explanations. An average movie watcher might enjoy the action scenes just from what they see, but they would lose the whole story. The series, in general, is well voiced, and the same goes for the characters in the movie, which can be considered as the continuing strength of this series. The characters that are there for the second time are played by their original actors, who easily slip back into their roles, and as a rule, the newcomers maintain the standard set by the first film. Jordan Rodrigues is still the face of Liu Kang. He is able to capture not only the hero’s willpower but also his newfound affection for Kitana. Grey Griffin is the voice of Kitana. She is tough but at the same time fragile, which makes her just a fighter, not a female stereotype. Dave B. Mitchell embodies Shao Kahn with striking malevolence, making him seem like an actual threat rather than a stereotypical evil emperor of the universe. The interactions among the voice actors strengthen the portrayal of the relationships and the conflicts, even when the script does not allocate enough time for their natural development. As a Black viewer, I can say that Jax’s character staying substantial throughout the film and receiving one of the most notable character upgrades when he is given his cybernetic arms was something I really liked. The movie handles this moment with the right amount of seriousness, depicting both the distress of losing the original arms and the joy that comes with the new additions. Still, the movie does not have enough diversity in the leading cast to better reflect the audience of today. Most of the central heroes and villains are depicted as Asian or white characters, while the representation of the characters outside of this core group is quite limited. Although that mirrors the demographics of the video game roster, it still sounds like a lost chance to broaden the universe in more inclusive ways. The movie’s portrayal of female characters should be addressed because it shows the advancement issues that we are slowly moving towards. Kitana, Jade, and Sonya each showcase fighting skills and take initiative during the film. They are not simply trophies to be won or helpless victims who need rescuing. They scuffle together with the male characters on a level playing field and frequently demonstrate more skills than their male counterparts. Nevertheless, their character designs continue to be overly sexualized with impractical clothing that is there mainly for show rather than for functionality. This has always been the case with the Mortal Kombat series, and although the movie does better than some character iterations, the problem still remains. The film’s finale tries to unify all the different plot lines into one last confrontation, and it mostly achieves bringing about a satisfying ending to the immediate story. The fights are vicious, the stakes seem real, and the result is important both for the characters and their worlds. Still, the emotional reward does not come as strongly as it should because we have not spent enough time with these characters to care about their fates. The movie tells us why we should care rather than showing us through significant character development. Different perspectives on “Battle of the Realms” yield different ratings. As a Mortal Kombat fan and gamer, I would rate this film a 7 out of 10. It is a fan service film, has the characters that are fans’ favorites, has great fight scenes, and is faithful to the source. The huge number of fighters and the scale of the tournament make one excited, even if the execution is a little rushed. For people who are not part of the gaming community, this film probably rates at about 4.5 out of 10. Without knowledge of the franchise, the plot is a maze, the character motivations for you remain a mystery, and the rapid pace makes it hard to understand what is happening and why. ies”Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms” is a film that fans of the franchise can love, but as a standalone film, it fails to be accessible to new viewers. It shows that sometimes ambition and spectacle cannot completely replace focused storytelling and emotional depth.
OUR RATING – A BATTLE FATIGUED 6
MEDIA
- Genre – Video Game
- Street date – August 31, 2021
- Digital – August 31, 2021
- 4K/BluRay – August 31, 2021
- Video – 1080p
- Screen size 1.78:1
- Sound – English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
- Subtitles – English SDH, French, German, Spanish
Extras
- The God and the Dragon: Battling for Earthrealm (Featurette) – Go behind the scenes and inside the creative process of bringing Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms to action-packed life on screen.
- Voices of Kombat (Featurette) – Join Joel McHale, Jennifer Carpenter, and the cast as they detail the process of creating unique and compelling voices for the larger than life characters in the film.
- Kombat Gags: Gag Reel (Featurette) – Step inside the VO booth with the cast of the film for all of the flubbed lines and outrageously improvised lines from the cutting room floor.
- Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms Audio Commentary (Audio Only) – Producer Rick Morales and Screenwriter Jeremy Adams take the audience inside the art of writing and animating the film in this feature length audio commentary.