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‘Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge Review – Fantastically Brutal

By Dom Fisher
May 4, 2020
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Synopsis:

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.

Looking to scratch that Mortal Kombat itch? Want to witness some sweet fatalities without being the one getting your legs separated from your body while your torso is used as a ventriloquist dummy? Well, prepare yourself for a fantastically brutal time with Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge. It’s a nonstop action-adventure that pulls no punches unless it’s going through a chest and pulling out a heart. It’s a storyline that is reminiscent of the original live-action movie, only this time with a Scorpion twist. The detailed animation is amazing as it is very similar to Warner Brothers’ animated DC films. Along with the x-ray attacks that we know and love, it’s hard not to be immediately enthralled by the bloody melees that ensue. Scorpion is easily one of the most intriguing characters, so it’s cool to see some backstory and motivation as to why and how he became the flame-spewing ninja enforcer of the Netherrealm. It made me like him even more than before. It’s a story of revenge, destiny, and sweet carnage.

The only downside I witnessed is that it’s not solely focused on Scorpion, as I said before, it’s partly the story we already know. So it is just as much about Sonya Blade, Johnny Cage, and Liu Kang as it is about its titular character. It also didn’t allow for much development of the secondary characters as I would’ve liked. That said, we do get a chance to see many of the characters that we are familiar with such as Baraka and Kitana. Hopefully, the movie was done this way because there are sequels in the works, but we’ll have to wait and see. Overall, the movie is just pure brutal fun and with high rewatchability. The score went great with the action scenes, the voice acting fit pretty well, and the overly graphic kills is what you want from an MK movie.

Plot & Pace

After his family is murdered and he meets the same fate, Hanzo Hasahi’s soul is transported to the Netherrealm. While there he is tortured before being given the chance to get revenge on the one that killed him and his family. Once he makes a deal with the dark sorcerer, Quan Chi, Hanzo becomes Scorpion and is entered into the battle of realms known as Mortal Kombat. At the same time, Liu Kang, Sonya Blade, and Johnny Cage are recruited by Lord Raiden to defend Earthrealm so it is not taken over by the evil emperor of Outworld, Shao Kahn. Not everyone’s motives are pure and not all destinies are clear. The pacing of this movie is exactly what you want from a Mortal Kombat story. It starts fast and brutal and ends bloody and remorseless. Never really taking a break from Kombat.

Characters & Chemistry

The cast did great. The voice and character that stands out has to be Johnny Cage (Joel McHale). He was narcissistic, annoying, and a bit of a moron but he could kick some ass. It was perfect casting. The chemistry between him and Sonya Blade (Jennifer Carpenter) is always amusing to us but painful for him. Scorpion’s (Patrick Seitz) pain and anger could really be felt and made him someone you want to root for. He’s definitely not one to mess with. There are also other well-known voice actors that made this movie enjoyable such as Kevin Michael Richardson, Steve Blum, and Artt Butler.