[Review] “Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge”
Warner Bros. Pictures’ newest animated feature Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge promised blood, violence, and bad language, and it delivers all that. Blood, guts, and revenge form a recipe for a good time if done correctly such as in the John Wick franchise. The only difference is that Mr. Wick never turned an enemy clan of ninjas into sushi.
The addition of “Scorpion’s Revenge” to the title creates the expectation that Hanzo Hasashi’s quest to avenge the murder of his family and clan will be at the forefront of this animated endeavor. It definitely seems that way at the beginning of the film. We see Hanzo teaching his son a lesson about willpower while using a scorpion as an example. This is followed by him returning to his village to see his clan and wife murdered. This horrible event serves to ignite the fires of hatred and revenge that will burn in Hanzo’s heart for the rest of the film. Sadly though, upon arriving at the second act, he takes what can only be described as the secondary story plot because of the tournament. Even with that being the case, the newly christened Scorpion is ever-present as a guardian angel from Hell, keeping Earthrealms protectors safe whether they know it or not. He does so up until the opportunity for revenge arises against the man who killed his family or so he thought.
When Scorpion’s story took the back seat for the tournament, we had the opportunity to see other characters shine, and shine they did. No one stole the spotlight more than struggling actor Johnny Cage. Believing that his addition to the tournament is nothing more than another acting gig, Johnny provides the comic relief in this gore-fest. His growth from a self-serving narcissistic prick into a protector of Earthrealm was even enough to impress Sonya Blade. Sonya’s portrayal in this movie was very well executed as an individual who had work twice as hard to be where she is today, and that work regiment is evident in her fight versus Reptile. Her mission to rescue Jax Briggs, her commanding officer, from Kano and the Black Dragon is compelling and emotional, especially during Jax’s confrontation with Goro. On the topic of Goro, Earthrealm’s champion Liu Kang has been training his entire life for the tournament, while the least-developed character still remained interesting. His determination and sheer willpower keep him fighting because of his hope that he will win because they need to.
Whether it is to kill every last Lin Kuei, rescue a friend, or even to become relevant again, each character has a goal and the willpower to help them accomplish it. I’m not going to spoil the ending to the teaser for the sequel, but I’m looking forward to it. The character interactions, fight animations, and choreography were excellent. It really excites me for the live-action movie that James Wan’s production company is preparing for us. For lack of a better description Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpians Revenge is a bloody good time.
Rating: 8.5/10
