Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge (2020)

I’m not going to lie, when I learned about Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge, I was afraid it was going to be bad as most of the Mortal Kombat media adaptations have been. From the horrid direct-to-video Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins, to the so-so Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm animated series and Mortal Kombat: Conquest live action show, this franchise hasn’t had the best track record when it comes to media outside the 1995 movie (we’re not going to talk about Mortal Kombat: Annihilation because…yeah).

I’m so glad to say the curse has been broken with this latest animated feature as it follows the MK source material faithfully while adding in just the right amount of humor, along with loads of awesome action scenes with a ton of gore and violence that comes straight from the latest entries in the game series. The plot reminded me a lot of the 1995 film where are heroes Liu Kang, Sonya Blade, and Johnny Cage are brought together by Rayden to fight in the Mortal Kombat tournament.

Their goal is to defend our Earthrealm from Shang Tsung and his master Shao Khan from taking it over and flooding the world with chaos and death. The heroes will not only have to fight various monstrous opponents such as the four-armed Goro and the acid-spitting Reptile, they’ll also have to overcome personal obstacles as well, such Sonya tracking down Kano, leader of the Black Dragon mercenaries who kidnapped her leader and friend Jax, and Johnny overcoming his self-centeredness to be a true, butt-kicking star.

Another hero of sorts thrown into the mix is the fan favorite Scorpion who starts the film off with a sad tale that leads to his transformation into the killing machine we all know and love. Get over here!

I really enjoyed how the movie brought all of these characters and their stories together and made them work. It has just the right amount of everything and well done pacing to keep you into the movie from start to finish as there’s rarely a dull moment. Even when there’s talking going on it’s really well done, especially with Joel McHale as Johnny Cage who completely nails his quirky humor, and Jennifer Carpenter does a pretty nice job as Sonya who takes kick-ass to new levels.

The animation is also great as all of the violence you’ve come to expect from the game series is here and then some. Fans will be happy to know this movie does not disappoint in the action and gore department, but the artwork is another story. I mean it works and serves its purpose, but it’s just okay and has weird quirks such as everyone looking like they’re carved out of sharp angles and having black squares on their knuckles for example.

Small things aside, Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge is hands down the best MK film out there as it contains everything fans could want and then some. Good animation, crazy and violent action scenes coupled with great voice acting and humor make this a fun time you’ll want to get over here and check out.