Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match (2023)

 

The fourth instalment of this pretty nifty adult animated series based on the Mortal Kombat franchise, and arguably the least known.

This time around the plot is an origins tale for superstar Johnny Cage, somehow one of the most popular characters in the game franchise. Cage is a Hollywood action star and is trying to make a big splash with his latest action vehicle offering. After his costar Jennifer Grey (yes that Jennifer Grey) goes missing, Cage pops around to her place only to get tangled up in a battle with two mysterious women. This in turn starts to lead Cage down a dark path involving demons, scrolls, Gods, and monsters where it is revealed to him that his life and career has been a set up for some devious Netherrealm plot.

The big notable change for this fourth entry is again the art style. This time we are treated to a vivid, almost cell-shaded type of look with a heavy Miami Vice-esque neon sheen that we've seen utilised in many videogames. If you think of GTA: Vice City and that now overused retro synthwave sunset backdrop that became very popular in recent years (they actually use this in the credits), then you'll know what I'm talking about. There are also more regular animated sections with flashbacks and as the story unfolds things do get darker and less hyper 80's. Overall the visuals are very impressive and enjoyable much like the previous three entries.

Plot wise things start off a bit slow in my opinion. At first I was getting a little bored as things played out. The whole usual schtick of Johnny Cage the superstar with him having a massive ego whilst being goofy wasn't of much interest. I have never really been interested in Cage as a character. In typical 80's action fest fashion Cage gets a nerdy sidekick to add some normalcy and comedic relief to proceedings which is okay...I guess, nothing to shout about. The story is also narrated by Cage throughout in a very Deadpool/Ryan Reynolds-type fashion which feels more like copying more than anything.

Admittedly as the plot thickened I did find myself getting more engaged. Not that it was anything totally original or anything but it did slowly get my attention. I did like the few plot twists as various characters Cage knows turn out to be demons trying to lure him to his bloody fate; and I can't deny the entire finale involving the sacrifice and inevitable grand fisticuffs was good fun.

Speaking of fisticuffs, blood and gore, is there any this time around? Does this entry keep up with the claret spreading? Yes, yes it does, although the majority of it doesn't really kick in until the second half. The first half of this movie feels much more like a homage to your corny 80's action-hero vehicles of yore. You know the stuff, your typical Mel Gibson/Eddie Murphy/Kurt Russell/Dolph Lundgren affairs. But as the movie slowly progresses it starts to become more of what you would expect, a much darker with horror aspects throughout. Indeed, there is also a nice sinister BDSM vibe going on towards the finale which I did enjoy muchly (he says with a cheeky smile across his face). I should point out, the actual final fight between Cage and Shinnok was cheesy as hell, but it was also meant to be like that.

What can I say about this? It's a super turbo homage to everything 80's in the action genre, so much so it's almost vomit-inducing. The mullet Cage sports, his huge earrings, the vehicles, the snappy smart-ass dialogue, the gaudy visuals, right down to the Kenny Loggins-esque end credits soundtrack. All of this was obviously a deliberate choice and whilst it undoubtedly completes what it set out to do 100%, at this point in time the whole 80's homage angle is a tad tired. This particular direction has been well and truly miked. I have enjoyed all of these animated flicks and this last one is probably at the bottom of the list to be honest. Whilst it was solid it just wasn't as engaging as the previous three, at least not until the finale, but before that this just kinda felt like slick videogame cutscenes stitched together. But yeah, 80's overdose dude!

5.5/10

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022)

 

Somehow the first movie did well and now we have the inevitable and imaginatively titled Sonic the Hedgehog 2, although keeping in line with the videogames makes sense I guess. Nevertheless, the first movie in my opinion was utter garbage, visually poor garbage at that. Is this any better? No, no it is not.

Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) is still trapped on the Mushroom planet it seems, frankly a WAY more interesting location for a movie, but I digress. I get this is just a movie for kids but you just know things aren't looking good when Robotnik manages to escape said Mushroom planet with the most ridiculously over-the-top plan that conveniently relies on random characters being in the exact right spot or doing the exact right thing at the exact right time. 

From this point on Robotnik meets Knuckles and the pair go back to Earth so they can both get Sonic. Robotnik wants revenge and to rule the world or whatever, Knuckles also wants revenge because he thinks Sonic screwed over his ancestors or something. This involves getting some mcguffins that will grant the user the power to basically do anything they want, or something like that. Hey look, this stuff works in videogames sure, but even in a dumbs kid's movie this is shallow stuff.

Meanwhile back on Earth Sonic is living with his politically correct mixed race family and getting into all kinds of generic teenager hijinks, because teenagers. What comes next is essentially the most cookie-cutter guff you could possibly imagine. You don't even need to watch the movie because if you've ever seen any other kid's adventure type flick you can guess. Robotnik gets back to Earth and with Knuckles help and super strength they both go after Sonic with his apparent infinite amount of robot drone things. These drones look highly technical and expensive but Robotnik has gazillions apparently and it doesn't matter how many get destroyed.

So cue lots of bad CGI battles with CGI drones, lots of destruction, and some Sonic and Knuckles fanbase fodder. Seemingly out of nowhere and for no other reason than just because, Tails turns up and teams up with Sonic because videogame! Sonic learns about mcguffin from Tails and off they go on some cheesy-ass adventures in Russia, some snowy mountains, and then deep underground in an undiscovered ancient temple. All said locations essentially recreate levels from Sonic games or any other generic platform videogame. In the end Robotnik betrays Knuckles so he teams up with Sonic and Tails and everyone battles Robotnik in his huge stupid looking mech that he creates using the mcguffin power.

These movies have to be some of the most overrated in years. On one hand it's tricky to review something like this because it's mainly for kids and I'm definitely not a kid anymore. Yet on the other hand I am a retro gamer and this is or should be somewhat directed at someone like myself as part of the old original fanbase from back in the day. Alas it seems they have (somewhat understandably) gone down the kid's route and simply made something insanely dumb. The entire thing is as generic as it gets but in this day and age originality is hard to come by so I get it. 

The casting and acting are quite frankly abysmal and I can't understand why they made the choices they made. The voice casting of Edris Elba for Knuckles was completely 100% wrong in my opinion. His voice was way too deep, it just didn't sound right to me. Carrey merely tries to recapture his 90's lunacy and fails, much like he did in the first movie. His time is mostly spent with weak jokes and quips surrounding his moustache. Everything involving James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, and Natasha Rothwell was painfully bad. The entire wedding sequence just seemed like a reason to give Rothwell and Shemar Moore more screen time for comedy which was a huge mistake. 

I mean, what can I say? I really didn't like this and it probably doesn't help that I really didn't like the first movie either. The whole franchise so far is overly simplistic and juvenile (I know I know) with bad acting and so-so visuals. It just feels like they're relying on Jim Carrey to carry the whole thing and unfortunately he isn't, or can't. Yeah sure Sonic and his old pixel friends look like their videogame counterparts and there are some nice touches dotted here and there, but the bulk is just puerile and cringe.

3/10

Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind (2022)

A third entry in this pretty decent adult animated Mortal Kombat movie franchise? Who knew! Well I didn't for sure so as eager as I am I was quick to view this pronto, stay tuned to find out what I thought. Oh wait, I mean have a gander down below at my humble scribbles.

Long after the Defeat of Shao Khan Earthrealm has come under the control of 'The Black Dragon Clan' and their now cybernetic leader Kano. The entire realm has, somehow, become a massive desert wasteland strewn with death, destruction, and isolated cities. Out of nowhere the young warrior Kenshi pops up to try and defeat Kano and his clan. But Kenshi will need the help of an aged Sub-Zero (now a humble farmer) and a magical mysterious sword called Sento.

So this third entry takes a distinct different route in terms of visuals. First off, the hand-drawn style is very clearly different from the previous two outings and offers a more lowkey appearance, dare I say slightly cheaper animation. Or at least that's how it appears to me. The art on display definitely has less detail and looks a bit more like a Saturday morning cartoon, albeit a decent one. The actual animation, while respectable, is a bit more choppy or jerky, not as fluid as the previous two movies (both of which had a very Genndy Tarkakovsky-like style). Overall the visual presentation is solid but not as good as the previous offerings. Unfortunately the CGI in the finale of the movie is pretty terrible, was that on purpose? Cos it seriously stuck out that bad.

The setting for this movie also has a distinct vibe about it. Set in a desert wasteland, outback/western looking locations, people dressed in various barbarian-esque style attire, the mad vehicles etc...Yup, it's clear as day to anyone that the folk behind this have taken a big page out of the 'Mad Max' franchise, with a little bit of 'Star Wars' thrown in. That's not a bad thing, in fact it works really well, but it is obvious.

Of course continuity wise this third movie is still a thoroughly adult affair with blood and guts flying all over the place...and that's a good thing. In fact, I might actually hazard a guess and say this movie is possibly the bloodiest of the three movies. In fact, I'd say the lowkey animation actually kinda enhanced the violence and gore on display because it looks much more gritty and somehow more nasty. Naturally being Mortal Kombat you'd also expect there to be more characters involved, and you'd be right. This time we get a nice roster of old and new with the likes of Tremor, Kobra, Erron Black, Kabal, Jarek, Drahmin, Dairou, Ferra/Torr (total Mad Max rip-off character), and Kira. Whilst at the same time we have stalwarts like good old Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Shang Tsung.

Story wise there is nothing specifically unique going on here, we've seen this sort of thing all before. But I can't deny that the gang of bad guys are suitably evil in their deeds and it is certainly satisfying to see them get their comeuppance via various blades. Kano is also a top sadistic villain here with his (I think) Aussie accent, again makes you think of that desert-set Aussie cult classic. All the sequences of Sub-Zero training Kenshi are also somewhat generic, think of any hero training moment in any other movie. But essentially this is most definitely your standard Western Clint Eastwood revenge thriller set within a violent cyberpunk/Mad Max world with sprinkles of Far East mysticism thrown in, and that's no bad thing. 

At first I thought this was gonna be complete poo as the visuals were somewhat jarring after watching the slicker earlier movies. But blow me down this was actually really good, in fact I'd go as far as to say this is the best of the bunch, so far. It helps being an adult animated feature I think, had this been a live-action movie it would probably disappear into obscurity amongst tonnes of other wannabe action fantasy flicks. The plot moves at a nice clip but never feels convoluted or slow. The voice acting is again on top form across the board (at least for me). The characters are great fun and the violence is gooey and disgusting. The only downside for me is the silly movie subtitle, Snow Blind? Really?

9/10

Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms (2021)

 

The inevitable sequel to 'Scorpion's Revenge' sees Shao Khan and his many many minions waging war on Earthrealm. At the same time another Mortal Kombat tournament kicks off, only this time it could be the final battle. Raiden enters the deadly tournament as a regular Human to help Earthrealm. Scorpion is still being used by the bad guys, this time Shinnok. Characters new and old pop up as expected...but is it enough this time?

Well the movie starts off really well with Shao Khan's forces of Netherrealm demons and Outworld warriors attacking a monastery being held by the good guys. This entire sequence is essentially a rip-off (homage?) from the 'Battle of Helm's Deep' in the classic 'The Lord of the Rings' franchise. Thick towering stone walls lined with arrow-wielding monks fending off legions upon legions of demons both on land and in the air. Beasts of burden dragging huge wooden siege towers loaded with Tarkatan warriors all hell-bent on killing anything Human. Hordes of demons marching mindlessly into incoming arrow fire and just stepping over fresh arrow-ridden bodies. There's even a very similar wall breach moment in the thick of the action.

Naturally we see all the usual faces back again. Hero regulars Jax, Sonya, Cage, and Lui Kang are present and correct. This time they have assistance from Stryker and Kung Lao. On the baddies side we get new appearances from Kintaro, Reiko, D'Vorah, Jade, and Baraka, with cyborgs Sektor, Cyrax, and Smoke also. Gotta say the choice of characters for this sequel is odd and seemingly random. There are still many regulars missing yet they pick someone like D'Vorah from Mortal Kombat X? I do like how well-known characters are killed off, makes things more interesting not knowing who will make it to the end, to a degree at least.

Story-wise it's a bit convoluted really and things aren't really addressed. Sub-Zero and Scorpion are STILL battling it out in their little subplot but with the cyber Kin Kuei thrown into the mix. This doesn't last too long before the plot fixes everything and moves on. Kitana (Mileena anyone?) isn't really explored whereas Jade is a mere cameo. Shao Khan is still invading Earthrealm with no consequences from the Elder Gods? Yet they know about it? They just allow another tournament and Khan to carry on with his clearly evil plan. Shinnok still manages to carry out his plan to unleash a super being that will destroy all existence (why would you want to do that?). Personally, I didn't really like the finale of the movie with everyone fighting this Marvel-esque super God-like being and Liu Kang morphing into a huge dragon because he has the power of Grayskull or whatever. Meh just went off the rails and became some generic superhero-type crap.

But anywho, the visuals are on par with the first movie with the same animation style (obviously all made at the same time in one go). This is a good thing of course. Likewise all the brutal violence is still here and just as gooey if not more so! We get some nice tournament fighting within the classic MK arena showcasing some nice nods for the fans (although they still leave out SO much). All the action is just as kinetic as before and again the voice casting is spot on (same cast from the first movie obviously). Both this sequel and the first entry have followed the Mortal Kombat blueprint to a tee, no question about that. Highly enjoyable and engaging but still just lacking the final killer blow that would knock this out of the park making it a full-blown classic.

6/10