MORTAL KOMBAT LEGENDS: SCORPION'S REVENGE (2020)

Studio:      WB Animation
Director:    Ethan Spaulding
Writer:      Jeremy Adams
Producer:  Rick Morales
Stars:     Jennifer Carpenter, Joel McHale, Ike Amadi, Steve Blum, Artt Butler, Darin De Paul, Robin Atkin Downes, Grey Griffin, David B. Mitchell, Jordan Rodrigues, Patrick Seitz

Review Score:

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Summary:

Scorpion enters the Mortal Kombat tournament alongside Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade, and Liu Kang to take revenge against Sub-Zero for slaughtering his family.

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Synopsis:     Show/Hide Spoilers

The Lin Kuei clan infiltrates Hanzo Hasashi’s village and murders everyone including Hanzo’s wife. Hanzo retaliates by slaughtering numerous Lin Kuei ninjas until he is taken captive. Sub-Zero then kills Hanzo’s beloved young son Satoshi in front of Hanzo before putting an ice spike through Hanzo’s skull.

Hanzo awakens as a prisoner in Netherrealm. Hanzo escapes his chains, kills his demon torturer, and fights his way to Quan Chi’s throne. Hanzo tries to kill Quan Chi too, but Quan Chi overpowers him.

Quan Chi tells Hanzo about Mortal Kombat, a fighting tournament held once in a generation where warriors battle on behalf of their respective realms. Quan Chi claims Hanzo can take his revenge there because Sub-Zero will be a participant. Quan Chi offers to send Hanzo to Outworld Island where the tournament takes place in exchange for stealing a key from Mortal Kombat host Shang Tsung, who serves as the emissary of Outworld’s emperor Shao Khan. Quan Chi explains he needs the key to release his imprisoned master Shinnock, who can supposedly return Hanzo and his family to the mortal realm. Hanzo renames himself Scorpion and agrees to fight in the tournament.

Raiden recruits Liu Kang, Special Ops soldier Sonya Blade, and conceited action movie star Johnny Cage to battle in Mortal Kombat on behalf of Earthrealm. During their boat ride to Outworld Island, Raiden explains that Mortal Kombat temporarily lifts ‘The Veil’ that otherwise prevents Outworld from merging with Earthrealm. Raiden warns that Earth will cease to exist if Shao Khan’s fighter wins the tournament.

Shang Tsung welcomes the fighters to his temple. Shang Tsung explains that any realm that wins ten tournaments will earn the right to merge with another realm and rule as they see fit, and Shao Khan has won the last nine tournaments.

Kano enters the temple with Sonya’s military mentor Jax Briggs as a prisoner. Shang Tsung entertains the room by forcing Jax to fight Shao Khan’s champion Goro.

Meanwhile, Scorpion infiltrates Shang Tsung’s treasure chamber. Raiden challenges Scorpion with a warning that Quan Chi cannot be trusted and the key he seeks will only cause more problems if he acquires it.

Goro rips off Jax’s arms. Raiden stops the unauthorized fight to heal Jax. Raiden admonishes Shang Tsung for his gratuitous display of barbarism.

Shang Tsung starts Mortal Kombat by transporting fighters to different parts of the island. Johnny defeats Baraka by escaping an exploding building that collapses on Baraka’s head. Sonya decapitates Reptile following their faceoff in a swamp. Liu Kang wins over Kitana, who yields to Liu Kang when he mercifully refrains from finishing her with a fatality.

Sonya, Johnny, and Liu Kang regroup with Scorpion. Raiden appears at their campsite to remind them they are Earthrealm’s only hope. Scorpion warns Raiden’s three fighters that they are not strong enough to survive.

Kano tries to assassinate Raiden’s warriors by unleashing an army of Black Dragon mercenaries. Scorpion tears apart dozens of the Black Dragon assassins, as does Liu Kang. Sub-Zero kicks Kano from a rooftop for his illegal interference. Scorpion refocuses for a brutal battle with Sub-Zero that ends when they fall onto a large stalagmite that impales them together.

Presuming him to be near death, Quan Chi taunts Scorpion by revealing he actually murdered Scorpion’s family by impersonating Sub-Zero. After Quan Chi leaves, Scorpion summons the willpower to pull himself off the spike.

Kano flees to continue torturing Jax. Sonya goes after Kano, who unleashes more fighters to slow down Sonya. Johnny finally summons the resolve to become a fierce combatant in order to help Sonya fight her way to Kano. Sonya defeats Kano and rescues Jax.

Liu Kang returns to the temple for the final fight with Goro. Shang Tsung oversees the battle while flanked by Raiden and Quan Chi at either side. Shang Tsung puts Quan Chi in chains for betrayal when he discovers Quan Chi tried to poison his chalice.

Goro overcomes an initial assault and begins badly beating Liu Kang. Goro prepares to tear off Liu Kang’s arms when Scorpion unexpectedly interferes by killing Goro from behind. Scorpion thus becomes the champion of Outworld.

Shang Tsung tells Scorpion he will turn over Quan Chi if Scorpion defeats Liu Kang. Liu Kang pleads that vengeance is not the way. Scorpion instead takes Shang Tsung at blade point and demands the key. Scorpion then yields to Liu Kang, which saves Earthrealm by making Liu Kang the tournament’s winner.

No longer bound by rules against interference since the tournament ended, Raiden forces Shang Tsung to return to Shao Khan through a portal. With Shang Tsung gone, Outworld begins collapsing. Raiden and Liu Kang escape the crumbling temple while Scorpion stays behind to confront Quan Chi.

Scorpion dares Quan Chi to take the key from him. At the end of their battle, Scorpion rips off Quan Chi’s head and burns his body by breathing fire. Scorpion then lets the building collapse around him.

Raiden and Liu Kang escape the island on a barge with Sonya, Johnny, and Jax. Raiden consoles Liu Kang by revealing his true destiny is to defeat Shao Khan. Elsewhere, Shao Khan tells Shang Tsung to gather their forces so they can end the game once and for all.

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Review:

How do you not fall instantly in love with a movie whose opening logo sequence features Mortal Kombat’s Scorpion strangling Daffy Duck while gloriously growling, “get over here!”

R-rated animated features based on pop culture properties can be tricky business. Warner Bros. Animation has tried it a few times with the Caped Crusader and met mixed results. “Justice League Dark” (review here) stands out as an exceptional effort, although not for being aimed at older audiences. “Batman: The Killing Joke” (review here) forcibly slammed unneeded obscenities into dialogue, which felt oddly out of place even in a story framed for implied sexual assault. “Batman: Gotham by Gaslight” (review here) barely seemed to deserve its R-rating, spurring some to wonder why the film didn’t just lean into its “adults only” label and go even harder on content.

For “Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge” on the other hand, an R-rating fits like a comfortably snug glove. “Scorpion’s Revenge” nestles naturally into a ‘just right’ Goldilocks sweet spot where four-letter words aren’t fighting to sound edgy, and mature mayhem doesn’t disappoint fans anxious to bask in the brutality that “Mortal Kombat” is known and loved for.

“Scorpion’s Revenge” shrewdly sticks to what made the “Mortal Kombat” moniker infamous by delivering a slaughter-filled yet slick style of animated action. Fatalities sometimes switch to slow motion. X-ray freeze frames highlight exploding eyeballs and shattering skulls. The film doesn’t let a single blood drop get lost in furious flurries, always ensuring your eyes can soak up visual violence while creative audio effects pump out squirm-worthy bone crunches and agonizing tendon tears.

At the same time, eviscerations and decapitations stay stylized for cartoon fantasy. Blood bursts everywhere, yet severed limbs and sliced faces aren’t designed to be gratuitously gruesome. Instead of being detailed with disgustingly spilled guts, anatomies are conceived simply and colored cleanly so it’s the action that’s exciting, not so much the gory end result.

If there’s any issue to be had with the carnage, it’s that there isn’t enough variety to the torn spines and torsos to make for many memorable murders. As sometimes happens in films built around repetitive fighting, by the time we arrive at the ending, the full-speed spectacle of kung fu kicking and weapon wielding can get exhaustingly long in the tooth too.

It’s not all about explosive eye candy though. “Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge” has a solid, albeit simple, story packed behind its punch. Scorpion’s origin has him seeking vengeance against who else, Sub-Zero, and this generation’s Mortal Kombat tournament provides the perfect playground to do so.

A fair deal of exposition falls out onscreen to establish the who, where, and why of the various participants, realms, and stakes involved in the tourney. As much information as there is to bite into, it’s not hard to follow and only includes what’s essential to get each subplot off the ground and high into the air. “Talky scenes” motivate confrontations without dousing the pace in meaningless chatter. I’ve played the games sporadically since the original arcade trilogy, so I appreciate the refresher course on people and places like Shang Tsung, Outworld, etc. “Mortal Kombat Legends” does a great job of balancing background bits so the movie remains as accessible to newbies as it is to the franchise faithful.

“Scorpion’s Revenge” also includes plenty of favorite fighters in featured roles, yet not so many that the film feels cluttered with characters. Some key entities are held back or only referenced in conversation. But keeping gas in the tank positions potential sequels to expand the mythology without playing every card right out of the gate.

Voice acting is almost unilaterally excellent, adding depth to characters who could otherwise become interchangeable punching machines. Only Liu Kang comes off as boringly bland. Jennifer Carpenter brings legitimate licks of emotional dimension so Sonya Blade isn’t merely a one-note outlet for aggression. Vin Diesel and ‘The Trailer Guy’ have nothing on Darin De Paul’s great Grand Canyon growl as Quan Chi. Even Joel McHale, who I feared might be too much of a nonchalant jokester, perfectly embodies Johnny Cage as a conceited celebrity schmuck whose comic relief warms up to be unexpectedly endearing.

My only real quibble has to do with how Sonya and Johnny’s individual arcs intersect. Starting out as an obliviously arrogant a-hole, something like a younger but fun James Woods, Johnny essentially has to evolve beyond being a narcissistic loudmouth. Sonya’s flashbacks show her enduring sexist attitudes and adversity to excel as a top soldier in a male-dominated military. She and Johnny overcome contention and one-sided romantic attraction to eventually team up, but it comes from a moment where Sonya suddenly goes from bold badass to a distressed damsel Johnny has to rescue. The gender difference makes this an outdated tactic for giving them their resolution. It’s also disappointing to suggest Sonya can’t handle herself solo, especially considering Kitana is the only other featured woman, and she unceremoniously yields to Liu Kang in the film’s limpest faceoff.

Sub-Zero has always been my go-to MK guy since he’s who I beat the early games with and his is the only move set I mostly remember. But Scorpion’s hardcore story and wicked depiction in the movie bearing his name makes me want to switch my allegiance after all these years. That’s how much of a killer character “Mortal Kombat Legends” makes Scorpion out to be.

“Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge” moves fast and fluidly. Each character possesses unique color as a powerful personality. Action continuously contributes to a consistently eye-catching adventure. I almost can’t believe an animated film that’s 80 minutes of nearly nonstop fighting can be this wildly entertaining.

Review Score: 85

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