Get Over Here! The iconic franchise of Mortal Kombat is here with a brand new animated movie in Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpions Revenge. The movie follows the story of Hanzo Hasashi also known as the undead revenant Scorpion. A mortal man until his clan the Shirai Ryu was slaughtered by the Lin Kuei, a rival clan, led by grandmaster Sub-Zero.
Hanzo sells his soul and with new found power from the Netherrealm, a dimension of hell, seeks revenge on those who destroyed his former life.
Staple characters from the franchise make an appearance including Raiden, Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade, and many more. Scorpion isn’t the only character who gets time to develop as we see inner scopes of Liu Kang, Sonya Blade, and Johnny Cage as they journey to Shang Tsung’s island.
The film is action packed as Earthrealm warriors enter their first Mortal Kombat Tournament. The film does proper representation of each iconic hero and villain with iconic powers and abilities. Brutal injuries and deaths of characters are notable as blood, bone, and limbs are destroyed in this tale of revenge. Foul language is also relevant as the situation grows from bad to worse as the movie progresses being true to the “R” rating.
Ethan Spaulding, directs the film, who is known for his work behind Batman: Assault on Arkham, Son of Batman, and Justice League: Throne of Atlantis. Spaulding takes the story in different directions than the acclaimed Mortal Kombat lore in previous years. Therefore, classic encounters remain unpredictable and devastating as the movie leads to its ultimate conclusion.
A strong list of veteran voice actors take charge with this film being Steve Blum, Jennifer Carpenter, and Ike Amadi. Together these actors bring forth the emotions and action to the forefront of the movie.
Style and art direction of the film takes its ideas from the long history of video games but more recently of the reboot trilogy being Mortal Kombat (2011), Mortal Kombat X (2015), and Mortal Kombat 11 (2019). Key moments of conflict introduce X-Ray style attacks as the characters continue to defend Earthrealm from total annihilation. Overall the animation style is befitting of any cartoon or anime being simple in detail and heavy outlines.
The conclusion of the film leaves a powerful cliffhanger that leaves the viewer with questions. Potential for a sequel is strong leaving the possibility for an animated franchise. I recommend this title for anyone who wishes to explore the Mortal Kombat history outside of the classic video games.
