Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge is a hard-R-rated animated film that seeks to humanize one of the most iconic and cunning characters in gaming history. Throughout its nearly three-decade history, the Mortal Kombat video game series has balanced cheesy melodrama from B-level martial arts films with the hyper-violence of a schlock thriller to varying degrees of success. The franchise’s first animated film continues that tradition and is a fun ride, yet it often struggles to maintain its focus once the fighting begins.
Scorpion’s Revenge is essentially the origin story of the titular ninja clad in black and yellow, infamous for hurling a rope-dart and shouting "GET OVER HERE!" In the beginning, he’s Hanzo Hasashi (Patrick Seitz), a master assassin of the Shirai Ryu clan. But after he and his entire village are killed in a brutal attack from the rival Lin Kuei clan, he’s eventually resurrected as an undead revenant by the sorcerer Quan Chi to exact revenge against Sub-Zero, who led the attack. This series of events leads him to the immortal Shang Tsung’s island, where he’ll compete in the Mortal Kombat tournament, which will decide the fate of Earthrealm against invaders from the alternate dimension known as Outworld.
While Scorpion’s journey is the backbone of the plot, the majority of the film is a retelling of the original Mortal Kombat game, putting significant focus on other returning favorites like Liu-Kang (Jordan Rodrigues), Sub-Zero (Steve Blum), Johnny Cage (Joel McHale), Sonya Blade (Jennifer Carpenter), and Raiden (Dave B. Mitchell). Despite the carnage and bloodshed, there’s a lot of emphasis on humor and drama with the main cast, which gives the film something of a Saturday morning cartoon vibe. It features many callbacks and Easter eggs related to the fighting game series, which not only sets the stage for a sequel but also makes it tailor-made for die hard fans to enjoy.
Source: GameSpot
GameUP24 