Hello, my friends. Throughout our world of pop culture, various long-running media franchises have endured the test of time in order to leave their mark upon our consciousness. For one particular series, it’s left a bloody mark within the hearts & minds of its fanbase. As I mentioned in a companion-sized retrospective, Ed Boon & John Tobias’ fighting game creation is celebration a milestone.
While looking over its entire comic book library was a thrilling good time, the series has delved into other media. In particular, I’ll be delving into a certain set of adult animated movies that have been brought onto our realm. In order to properly cover them, I welcome you to a special mini-review series called…
For out first entry, we have the familiar setting of a crucial contest with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. While that’s going on, a certain warrior will find himself thrusted into these events and also be driven towards certain end goals. With all of that in mind, we’ll begin our journey in an animated outing called…
Released for Digital Download on April 12, 2020 before coming out on DVD, Blu-Ray and 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray on April 28, this particular piece sees Ethan Spalding in the director’s chair while Jeremy Adams took care of the script. So how will this fight to defend the planet from utter doom handle itself here? Let the opening round begin as we ultimately find out.
We open with Hanzo Hasashi (voiced by Patrick Seitz) and his son Satoshi (voiced by Grey DeLisle-Griffin) observing a scorpion that’s viciously fending off a swarm of ants. The boy wants to help the scorpion out, but his father tells him that because life is cruel, he has to face it entirely head-on. He then uses the scorpion as his example, since it continues to fend off the ants due to its strength, agile swiftness and above all, its will. After Hanzo has Satoshi promise him to harness his own willpower within his mind and heart, he lets his son ride on his back while he dashes back to their house.
By the time they reach their Japanese village, night has fallen. However, Hanzo notices how there seems to be no one else around and that the whole area is eerily quiet. Just as he and Satoshi enter a narrow alley, they’re suddenly approached by a blue-cladded ninja who attempts to assassinate them. Fortunately, Hanzo disarms his foe and uses the man’s own blade against him by viciously killing him. Just then, another ninja pops up and uses the chain attached to his kunai to strangle him. Thankfully, Satoshi manages to bite the guy’s hand before he slips out. From there, Hanzo flips the ninja over and slays him.
He then takes out two katana-wielding ninjas in brutal fashion before another group of blue-cladded assassins runs in. Hanzo retrieves Satoshi before they attempt to flee from their pursuers as more ninjas join in and attempt to slay them.
Hanzo and Satoshi manage to briefly evade them by hiding inside a building, but they horrifyingly discover that those same ninjas have murdered other members of their village. Hanzo manages to silence his son before he worries about his wife Harumi, when he suddenly hears the pitter-patter of the approaching ninjas. They manage to escape towards the roof just before the opposing assassins burst in.
Hanzo and Satoshi then manage to reach their house as the former tries to search for his wife. Unfortunately, the son discovered that Harumi was also among the brutally slayed. Just as he’s approached by several opposing ninjas, Hanzo’s rage fills up as he manages to viciously slice his enemies up and claim a few of their weapons. From there, he proceeds to unleash his fury and mutilate several more enemy ninjas. While Satoshi tearfully watches from afar, a certain chill begins to fill the room.
Back with Hanzo, his brutal slayings have scared a few more ninjas as they try to escape. However, he manages to slice them up. Even when another blue-clad assassin manages to impale him with a bladed staff, Hanzo fights the foe off and removes the weapon from his body. From there, he gets surrounded by the remaining ninjas as he proceeds to slaughter every last one of them.
Suddenly, he gets approached by their leader who turns out to be Bi-Han a.k.a. Sub-Zero (voiced by Steven Blum). Not only that, but he has Satoshi by his neck. After warning Hanzo that he’ll kill his son should he come closer, Bi-Han then orders him to kneel. After Hanzo complies, he then gets blasted by a vicious ice shot that mostly pins him within the vicious frost. Afterwards, Bi-Han proceeds to crush Satoshi’s neck within his chilling grasp and murder the boy. Having just lost his family, Hanzo furiously attempts to break out of his cold prison. However, he’s only able to get his arms free as Sub-Zero forms an ice shard and brutally shoots it into Hanzo’s mouth, effectively killing him.
Following the title card, we then shift over to a Shaolin Temple as Liu Kang (voiced by Jordan Rodrigues) is in the middle of some self-meditation. Suddenly, the candles go out before he notices that an intruder has swiftly gotten in. He then finds himself under attack as the shadowy figure gets a few hits on him before moving around again with lightning-fast precision. Fortunately, Liu calms himself down and closes his eyes, allowing him to hear his attacker approaching. As such, he manages to counterattack and pin the figure who turns out to be the Thunder God himself: Raiden (voiced by Dave B. Mitchell). After being let up, the Elder God praises Kang for his skills before he uses his electric power to reignite the candles. He also informs Liu that the moment that they’ve been preparing for is at hand and that they must head out, especially since Raiden has a few other notable fighters who will be joining them.
We then shift over to a beachside house as martial arts movie star Johnny Cage (voiced by Joel McHale) unsuccessfully tries to convince a young woman to stay with him, especially she sees him as an immature, self-centered celebrity. As such, she storms out of his home. Afterwards, Johnny heads over to his couch as it’s revealed in details that his career has hit a struggling section, especially financially when compared to his promising past. Just then, his cell phone rings as he answers it and learns from his agent that he managed to get “something different” for him. As such, Cage will need to get to China as he gets excited about this newfound opportunity.
Over in Shanghai, a crowd of people have gathered to watch a street fight as some of the patrons have even placed their bets. It turns out that Lt. Sonya Blade (voiced by Jennifer Carpenter) is fighting a tough guy as she initially scores a few hits. Unfortunately, he turns the tide by catching her kick before he knocks her down with a vicious headbutt. From there, the man tells her how “this is no place for a little girl”.
We then transition into her past when she was in military training. Because her officer named Jackson Briggs a.k.a. Jax (voiced by Ike Amadi) caught her smirking, he now decides to push her even harder. By the end, she manages to make it through his rigorous training before he calls her into his office and informs her that he’s putting a special task force together that will deal with “high-level spec-op stuff”. Not only that, he wants her to join as she ultimately agrees to do so.
Back in the present, she manages to get back up and continue the fight. Ultimately, she manages to grab the man with her legs and fling him onto a car’s windshield. However, the guy still has some fight left within him as he rips a pipe from a nearby wall and attempts to hit her with it. Fortunately, she disarms him and delivers several hits with it before she viciously hits his face with enough force to knock several of his teeth out in a bloody mess. From there, she finishes the fight by slamming her foot down onto his face and driving him into the ground.
Afterwards, she notices an informant as he gives her a scroll about the upcoming competition. With this serving as to where her target will be hiding out, she proceeds to take her leave towards said destination.
We then shift over to Hanzo who wakes up and discovers that both his arms & legs are being held by kunai spears. Not only that, but he finds himself within a hellish landscape filled with demons. From there, one such creature known as a Demon Torturer (voiced by Fred Tatasciore) arrives with great anticipation towards mutilating him. Hasashi soon learns that he’s not in Hell, but in the NetherRealm and that he’ll be an eternal prisoner within this plane. As the various sounds of other unfortunate souls scream in agony, the torturer tells Hanzo that his painful wails will join theirs and please the NetherRealm master named Shinnok. The torturer then shows him the central hub within the realm before he cuts his own hand in order to test the sharpness of his own blade. Hasashi notices the strong acidic nature of the being’s blood before the torturer plunges his sword into his gut.
While the demon tells him that they’ll be doing this for the rest of time since he can’t die here, Hanzo discreetly grabs the chain from one of the impaled spears and begins to whisper. The torturer leans in and wants to know what he’s saying, to which Hasashi takes advantage by biting onto the demon’s ear and ripping it off. From there, he flings it onto the chain as its blood eats away at the chain and severs it. From there, he uses his chain to free himself and remove the sickles from his body. Afterwards, he engages the demon and manages to disorient him with a brutal punch to his knee. From there, he manages to grab a blade from a nearby table and ultimately slice the torturer in near half.
Afterwards, he takes some cloths from the demon for himself before he’s met upon by a giant horde of other demons. As one of the creatures says how there’s many of them for him to face, Hanzo simply uses the chain and kunai spear to decapitate the being before the other demons rush in to engage him.
Afterwards, Hasashi has defeated every last one of them in bloody fashion before he makes his way to the central hub. He then comes across a man whom he thinks is Shinnok, but he tells Hasashi that he’s been “indisposed” before he introduces himself as Quan Chi (voiced by Darin De Paul) and that he’s in charge of the realm until his master returns. Hanzo then demands to be sent back to his home in order for him to get some revenge, but Quan Chi tells him that he’s unable to get home. Hasashi then pins him to a pillar and demands him to fulfill his request. However, Quan Chi demonstrates some of his magic skills by blasting him away before he magically bends Hanzo’s body, even telling him that a vengeful spirit has its own limits. Thankfully, Quan Chi subsides and tells him of something that he’ll actually want.
He then talks about a tournament that occurs “once a generation” when a veil gets lifted, allowing various warriors to come together in order to fight each other for their own realms. Quan Chi offers to send Hasashi there, especially since Sub-Zero will be amongst the gathered fighters. When Hanzo asks him what he’s in need of, Quan Chi explains that his master Shinnok wound up “unjustly imprisoned”. However, there is a key that will free him and that it’s currently located upon an island temple where the tournament will take place, hosted by a man who’s in favor for the Outworld emperor. As such, Quan Chi wants Hasashi to retrieve the key for him in order to help free Shinnok. In return, his master will help reunite Hanzo with his fallen family upon the realm of the living. With no other choice, Hasashi agrees as he says that his past self is no more and that he wants to be called Scorpion.
We then cut to the next day in Hong Kong as a massive boat departs for the destined island while Johnny uses the dock to hop onto it at the last possible moment. After a minor stumble, he finally meets Liu and Sonya. Despite Kang saying that he’s spent several years training for this event, Johnny assumes that it’s just a major movie that his agent has signed him up for. Just then, the group is met upon by Raiden who informs them that they’re about to cross the veil. Still under the assumption that it’s all pretend, Cage asks him what the veil is, to which the Thunder God explains that it’s “the space between realms” and that it’s what’s preventing Outworld from forcefully merging with Earthrealm. Lt. Blade then asks him who’s trying to merge those two realms together, to which he tells her that if Outworld’s emperor and his representative fighters win this tournament, then their world will fall into his devious hands. Johnny vows to prevent this from happening, though he only sees Raiden as a mentor in a movie.
Later, Liu questions the Thunder God about his choices for Earthrealm’s protectors. Raiden then tells him that it’s what’s inside these fighters that should matter the most to them. He then informs Kang that Sonya has had to constantly prove her own worth to others, as well as assuring her doubters that she’s not “a weak girl”. As for Cage, the Thunder God says that his self-centered desire towards serving his own wealth will help him stay alive long enough for him to discover something beyond himself and properly forge his own true purpose. During this, Johnny is unable to get a connection before he furiously throws his cell phone out into the water. Suddenly, he discovers a creature swimming by their boat as Liu tells him to stay within the seacraft, due to it being under Raiden’s protection.
Shortly afterwards, the Thunder God informs his group that they’ve arrived onto the island. As they approach it, a bigger boat sails past them towards the same destination as they notice Scorpion upon it. Once they arrive on the island, Cage starts handing out autographed pictures of himself. Kang then tells Raiden that their comrade is clueless of their current situation, to which the Thunder God says that his journey will focus on self-discovery. As the group make their way towards the main temple, Hanzo is met upon by Quan Chi who proceeds to remind him of his mission.
After a lengthy trek, our main group finally arrive at the temple where they come across the numerous fighters from various realms that will be participating in the tournament. Raiden warns his group to be alert, yet Johnny obliviously decides to stock up on some provided food. Even though the meals are unworldly, he still manages to get a small snack (with a quick cameo from Nitara). Shortly after Quan Chi sends Scorpion out to fulfill his mission and the gathered combatants have finished their meals, the main host arrives as the fiendish spellcaster named Shang Tsung (voiced by Artt Butler) uses his magic to explain the tournament’s origin.
At the beginning of time, the Elder Gods created this competition in order to protect the realms from immediately invading each other. Taking place once every generation, the best warriors from every realm are gathered together to fight each other in order to protect their homes while looking to win an extended lifespan as well as “great power”. If a realm win the tournament ten-straight times, then they can claim another realm and absorb it into their own. From there, Shang Tsung also mentions that he’s Outworld’s emissary and that his realm has already won the last nine tournaments against Earthrealm.
Deep within the temple, Scorpion makes his way towards a lower chamber as he easily takes out of pair of guards with his chain-link spear. From there, he uses his sword to open a secret passageway behind the emperor’s statue before heading inside.
Back in the central hall, Shang Tsung decides to provide some entertainment for his participants. As such, he summons the infamous Black Dragon mercenary named Kano (voiced by Robin Atkin Downes) and a pair of guards. While seeing the former amongst them angers Sonya, she’s then shocked to discover that the guards have carried a weary Jax onto the main stage. She tries to reach her Special Forces partner, but she finds out that the stage is protected by a force field. The two of them talk to each other as it’s revealed that Briggs had infiltrated the island and that Lt. Blade wanted him to wait. Unfortunately, his decision to head in ahead of schedule led to Kano catching him. Jax then demands to be set free, to which Shang Tsung seemingly allows before a door opens up. However, the fiendish spellcaster mentions a certain hang-up in that he’ll only accept the request if his champion gets defeated.
From there, the combatants realize who’s coming out as they begin to chant his name. Soon enough, it’s revealed to be the Shokan Prince of Pain himself: Goro (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson, reprising his role from the 1995 live-action film). Despite Sonya wanting him to refrain from it, Jax ultimately decides to fight the four-armed fighter. Even though he delivers the initial hits, Briggs is unable to inflict any significant damage. By comparison, Goro punches Jax with enough force to launch him into the force field.
Meanwhile, Scorpion reaches the treasure room and is about to reach the key that will free Shinnok. However, he’s met upon by Raiden who instantly knows why he’s here to begin with. Despite the Thunder God telling him that Quan Chi isn’t someone whom can be trusted, Hanzo says that he doesn’t have a choice. Raiden assures him that he always has a choice and that he can either “live in the past or live for the future”. He then tells Hasashi that acquiring the key will only cause the creation of bigger problems and that his own revenge is too much for him to carry. As such, the Thunder God wants him to start acting like “a free man”.
Back with Jax, he continues to get smacked around by Goro. With Briggs defeated, the Shokan Prince then picks him up and begins to pull on his arms. Sonya tearfully begs him to stop, but Shang Tsung tells Goro to “Finish Him”. Ultimately, Jax has his arms ripped from his body. Despite the brutal act, Johnny thinks that this was just a shoddy special effect.
Just as Goro is about to further mutilate Briggs, Raiden arrives to stop the fight. Shang Tsung tells him that the rules prevent him from interfering, yet the Thunder God reminds him that the tournament hasn’t started yet. As such, he uses his electric powers to cauterize Jackson’s arm wounds while also sending a potentially-interfering Goro across the stage. Afterwards, Raiden reminds the fiendish sorcerer that they’re all here for a tournament and not for his perverted enjoyment.
From there, Kano and a guard proceed to drag Briggs away while Lt. Blade promises to rescue her partner. Afterwards, Shang Tsung officially declares for the tournament to begin as he uses his magic to send the fighters to different parts of the island.
Cage suddenly finds himself at a mountainside building before he naively wanders around. He comes across a room filled with barrels and crates before he discovers one of those storage units to be filled with gunpowder. As he takes his leave, he’s unaware that someone is discreetly watching him.
Johnny then makes his way into a rundown kitchen and is unable to find much in terms of food. Suddenly, he hears a noise before he’s met upon by the Tarkatan mutant himself: Baraka. The otherworldly being begins to swipe away at him with his retractable blades, while Cage dodges his strikes and assumes that he’s a costumed stunt double. However, he soon discovers that Baraka is being serious with his strikes as Johnny tries to run from him. He makes it back to the room filled with gunpowder-filled barrels before he’s forced to dodge more of Baraka’s blade swipes. During one strike, the Tarkatan fighter causes some sparks that inadvertently set the room on fire. Ultimately, Cage retreats towards the roof with Baraka giving chase.
The blaze then reached the gunpowder and caused it to explode, severely damaging the building in the process. With the whole structure beginning to collapse, Johnny ultimately reaches the roof and jumps off. While Baraka gets buried within the rubble, Cage manages to safely land on a nearby tree.
Meanwhile, Sonya makes her way through a swamp. Suddenly, she starts getting repeatedly hit by an invisible adversary. Being forced to flee, she ultimately finds a spot to recover before the transparent foe catches up. Thankfully, she reacts and draws her gun onto her foe who turns out to be Reptile.
However, he’s able to smack her firearm away before he spits some acid onto one of her gauntlets. Seeing how fatally corrosive it is, she’s forced to disarm it before she begins to evade his constant acidic spits. After she runs away, Reptile once again camouflages himself and catches up before attacking her again.
Thankfully, Lt. Blade notices some mud on her foe as she trips him into the water and makes him visible. They proceed to fight each other for a bit before she brings their scuffle to an end by grabbing a leaping Reptile with her legs and crushing his ribs with them.
Afterwards, she manages to wrap some garrote wire around his neck before she pulls hard enough for it to decapitate him. From there, she proceeds to head out.
Over within the nearby forest, a Lin Kuei ninja is being pursued. After getting dragged down by Scorpion’s chained spear, Hanzo proceeds to easily beat him up. The opposing warrior then realizes that his adversary’s attack movements are exactly like the Shirai Ryu clan, shortly before Hasashi says that he’s looking for revenge. From there, he manages to wrap his chain around the Lin Kuei ninja’s neck and begins to strangle him while demanding to know where he can find Sub-Zero. However, the ninja only spits his blood at him. From there, Hanzo vows to exterminate every single Lin Kuei member that’s on the island before he pulls his chain within enough force to slice the ninja’s head off and teleports away.
Meanwhile within the courtyard, Liu is in the middle of a fight against the Edenian Princess herself: Kitana (also voiced by Grey DeLisle-Griffin). She provides a fierce challenge to him, even scoffing at the notion that Raiden chose him as a representative. From there, she incorporates her razor-sharp fans into the scuffle, but Kang fends her off and says that he has no intention of hurting her. However, she retaliates by using her fans to create a whirlwind and lift him up in order to kick him. Fortunately, he’s able to dodge her further attacks before he ultimately throws her to the ground. He then stands over her and tells her to yield, especially since he doesn’t like harming worthy adversaries. However, he’ll do whatever he has to do in order to ensure Earthrealm’s safety by winning the tournament. She then warns him that Outworld’s emperor can’t be beaten and that he’ll ultimately conquer his realm. Liu promises to never bow towards the vile ruler before Kitana ultimately yields. She then asks Kang why he’s confident towards winning this contest, to which he tells her that he has the one thing that nobody within Outworld has: Hope. She then gets genuinely surprised by his response before taking her leave.
Back in the palace, Shang Tsung, Raiden and Quan Chi are overlooking the whole competition. While Shang Tsung commends the Thunder God for how well his chosen warriors have progressed thus far, he also compliments Quan Chi for the imposing figure his NetherRealm representative has become. Raiden then tells the fiendish sorcerer that no matter how many combatants get tossed at his chosen fighters, his group will still reach the end of this competition. However, Shang Tsung has informed him that several Black Dragon agents have just made their way onto the island and that they’re looking to exterminate the Thunder God’s group. Raiden then accuses him of bringing in an outside group in order to disrupt the tournament, yet Shang Tsung simply says that he didn’t do so since he would’ve faced the Elder Gods’ wrath for breaking the contest’s rules. From there, the Black Dragon agents proceed to make some progress on the island.
Over with Johnny, he’s recovered from his recent fight. Suddenly, he’s met by Sonya as he essentially tells her how he’s starting to believe that he’s not at a movie shoot, especially since he fought someone that he can’t properly explain. Thankfully, she believes him and says that she can help him escape, as long as they stay together and find a place to hide before they properly learn what they’re going up against. Liu then comes in and tells them that things are only going to get worse. However, Cage says that he’s not a stunt man before he wraps his arm around Lt. Blade and tells her that they should flee. Suddenly, she swiftly kicks him in his crotch and tells him not to touch her without her permission. She then learns from Kang that he knows where they are, but he tells her that they’ll need to the set up camp since nighttime is approaching. Suddenly, they hear a blood-curling scream in the distance as the group proceeds to investigate.
They soon discover that Scorpion has slaughtered a group of Black Dragon agents. While Liu and Sonya are both eager to fight Hanzo, Johnny steps in to ease the tension. Lt. Blade then recognizes the recently-maimed agents and the group that they worked for, while Kang says that they have to engage when Mortal Kombat gets declared. Thankfully, Johnny learns that neither his comrades or Hasashi actually did so and thus, he’s able to make peace between both sides.
Later, they make a campfire as Kang assures Cage that their situation and all of the various elements surrounding it are true, especially with Outworld being one win away from claiming EarthRealm as its own. Sonya then says that with the fate of their world hanging in the balance, she would like to find a radio and bring in some reinforcements. Raiden then teleports in and tells her that it’s not that simple, especially since even the most powerful weapons & artillery from EarthRealm are effectively minuscule within their current location, mainly because the island is located “in a place between realms”. Johnny then wants Raiden to immediately send him and his friends home, but Liu tells him that the Thunder God is unable to do so since he’s barred from interfering with the tournament, given that it was a rule that was created by him in order to prevent EarthRealm from being invaded all those years ago. Raiden then tells his group that they’re the last glimmer of hope for their world before he tells them to head towards the temple in order for them to take part in their own climactic battles. Afterwards, he warns them that there will be others looking to prevent them from accomplishing their goal before he teleports away.
While Liu believes that they can pull this off, Scorpion tells them that Shang Tsung has several numerous foes and Goro standing in their way. As such, he wants them to hide in the jungle and wait for the tournament to end. Fortunately, Sonya says that she’s not willing to do so as Liu tells her that Hanzo hasn’t “known anything worth dying for”. As such, Kang is still willing to fight to the bitter end. However, Hasashi says that they’re naively dooming themselves before he warns them that their next meeting won’t be peaceful as he heads out. Johnny then starts rambling about how Scorpion is no longer cramping their surroundings now that he’s just left, shortly before Lt. Blade gets him to shut up by kicking his groin again. From there, the group decides to depart towards the temple. Unbeknownst to them, a Black Dragon agent was discreetly watching from afar and contacts his superior on how he’s found them. Suddenly, Hanzo attacks him with his chained spear.
Later, our trio has reached the outskirts of the main temple where they get instantly surrounded by a massive group of armed Black Dragon agents. Kano shows up at the main gate and informs our heroes that this whole group has been hired to exterminate them. With things looking grim, Liu suddenly notices that one of the opposing agents has the familiar chained spear before his tells his comrades to get ready.
Suddenly, three Black Dragon agents get their heads impaled by the same spear before their skulls get ripped out along with their spines as Scorpion makes his presence known. Several agents respond by opening fire upon him as the armor goes limp and falls apart.
Fortunately, Hanzo had teleported out of the suit before he slaughters two more enemy agents. A few other foes then fire their guns at the main group before they proceed to engage their adversaries. Just as Johnny is about tussle with them, Sonya knocks him down with a leg sweep and saves him from some unexpected attacks. Because he wasn’t paying attention to his surroundings, she tells him to stay down while she acquires an enemy agent’s gun and fires away at her foes, all the while Cage begins to romantically admire her.
Meanwhile, Kang is tussling with the several agents that have engaged him in hand-to-hand combat. Just then, he’s surrounded by more armed foes who’re about to shoot at him. Thankfully, he calms himself down and anticipates their shots before he’s able to dodge them with impressive agility. From there, he responds with several rapid-fire strikes before he moves on to crippling other agents. Even when a few of them manage to grab him, he’s able to break free and beat them up.
Afterwards, Kano emerges and proceeds to open fire upon our main group, forcing all four of them to take cover. Suddenly, Kano’s guns get encased within a severe frost as he gets met upon by Sub-Zero as he chastises the fiend for dishonoring this whole contest. From there, Bi-Han kicks him off the main gate.
Scorpion then sees him from afar and becomes enraged as he finally has his chance to get brutal revenge for his family’s murder. As such, he teleports in and kicks Sub-Zero onto the main walkway. Hanzo then tells him that he’ll die for his past action, yet Bi-Han is subtly puzzled by his statement.
From there, they proceed to fight each other as Sub-Zero successfully counters Hasashi’s moves. Even when they switch over to weapons combat, Bi-Han is able to get in a quick stab. However, Scorpion is able to turn the tide of battle when he dodges an attempted frost-filled jab before he breaks Sub-Zero’s arm with his elbow.
Even when Bi-Han manages to hit him with a few ice shards, Hanzo reuses one of them by stabbing his foe and tells him that this strike was for the murder of his clan. He then viciously punches Sub-Zero in the face in the name of his wife before he picks his weary foe up and performs one last act for his deceased son. Hasashi then dives into the pit with Bi-Han before they both get impaled on a rocky spike below.
Back on the main grounds, Kano recovers before he gets discovered by Sonya. While she chases after the perp in the hope of saving her partner, Liu then tells Johnny about how Raiden mentioned that his destiny would ultimately become clear. With Lt. Blade becoming a truthful part of his destiny, Cage decides to follow after her while Kang makes his way towards the main palace.
Meanwhile within the pit, Scorpion gets met upon by Quan Chi who expresses his disappointment in him. Just then, the devious necromancer reveals to him that Sub-Zero wasn’t behind his family’s murder. It turns out that Quan Chi had magically disguised himself as Bi-Han in order to discreetly manipulate the Lin Kuei to his every whim. From there, he tells Hanzo that despite his otherworldly powers, he’s not immortal. As such, Quan Chi decides to leave him there and slowly waste away. After the fiend magically takes his leave, Hasashi recalls his past statement to his son about a scorpion’s strong will. Thankfully, it gives him the determination to painfully push himself off of the rocky spike.
Back over with Sonya, she heads down into a dungeon-esque chamber. When she ultimately reaches its lowest level, she discovers Kano holding a tied-up Jax within the central room. The fiendish thug then pulls on a lever as a small army of outherworldly creatures get unleashed upon Lt. Blade, where she proceeds to fight her way through. Though she does make some good progress, a centaurian manages to smack her down and allow the other creatures to surround her.
Meanwhile, Liu reaches the main temple as Shang Tsung is impressed with how well he’s done in the overall contest. However, he soon summons Goro as the Shokan warrior confronts Kang. From there, Shang Tsung makes a proposition towards Liu: Surrender and head to Outworld where the emperor will mercifully let him live within a fabulous lifestyle. Thankfully, Kang declines his offer as he proceeds to tussle with Goro.
Almost immediately, the Shokan Prince of Pain lives up to his championship title as he delivers the initial harsh blows. While they observe the fight, Shang Tsung mocks Raiden for having to be beholden towards the tournament’s rule of non-interference before he tells Quan Chi to prepare some drinks for the inevitable victory. As the fiendish necromancer pours some drinks into a pair of goblets, he then adds a green toxin into one of the cups. As the battle between Liu and Goro rages on, Quan Chi gives Shang Tsung his goblet as they proceed to toast to both Outworld and its emperor.
Back with Sonya, she gets severely beaten up by the various monsters. Kano then gives them the order to finish her off, yet Johnny manages to arrive in the nick of time and kicks them away. Having just saved her, he takes her off to the side in order for her to recover.
From there, he finally makes use of his martial arts skills as he plows through his otherworldly foes, even performing his signature split and groin punch. With Kano rightfully stunned by this turn of events, Sonya is equally impressed with Cage’s fighting skills. As such, they proceed to team up and take down every last opposing creature.
Back over with Kang, he begins to get the best of Goro as he uses a ceremonial flag to wrap around one of the Shokan’s arms before delivering a flurry of kicks. Even when Goro manages to free himself, Liu then unleashes a fiery barrage of bicycle kicks as he drives the four-armed fighter into a column before the structure buries him. Shang Tsung then expresses how impressed he was from that physical display, but he then tells his champion to not hold back anymore.
From there, Goro emerges from the rubble and withstands a series of punches before he begins to deliver a severe beatdown.
Meanwhile, Johnny & Sonya manage to reach Kano, but the fiend holds a dagger up to Briggs’ neck and threatens to cut his throat if they get closer. Thankfully, Jax bites the thug’s hand as Lt. Blade receives enough of a distraction to deliver a flying roundhouse kick upon the perp. She then picks up a mace and prepares to slam it onto him, but Kano destroys the weapon with his eye beam before he sends her flying with a punch.
She manages to grab onto a chain and use it to evade his eye beam before she picks up a hammer in order to smash his face, thus destroying his cybernetic eye. Afterwards, Cage comes in to free Jax before he and Sonya help their armless comrade out. Before they leave, Jackson decides to deliver one final hit upon Kano as he stomps onto the perp’s face.
Meanwhile, Kang continues to get brutally pummeled. As they observe this, Shang Tsung tells Quan Chi that in order to win, one must be “a few steps ahead” of their foes. He then pours his drink onto the floor as he reveals that he’s found out about the necromancer’s failed heal turn. From there, he traps Quan Chi within a magical hand as he also informs him that he’s discovered about his ploy to swipe the key that would’ve freed Shinnok. Shang Tsung then says that Outworld will belong to his emperor before he tells Goro to finish his opponent off.
As such, the Shokan fighter picks Liu up and not only grabs his arms, but his legs as well. From there, he begins to pull on Kang’s limbs. Liu tries to break free, but it’s no use. Just when all seems lost, a familiar spear and chain bursts through Goro’s head before it retracts with enough force to rip the Shokan warrior’s skull and spine from his head.
It turns out that Scorpion has returned as Kang, Raiden, Shang Tsung and especially Quan Chi are stunned to see him standing in front of them. Shang Tsung then tells Hanzo that because Goro has finally been slayed, he must take his spot as Outworld’s champion. However, Hasashi says that he wants no part in this contest and that he’s only come back to get Quan Chi. As such, Shang Tsung makes a deal with him: Kill Liu in a fight and he’ll hand the necromancer over to him. In addition, Outworld’s emperor will give him everything he’ll ever want.
From there, Hasashi and Kang take their places against each other as Shang Tsung tells Raiden that Scorpion never had a choice in the matter. Thankfully, the Thunder God mentions how “there’s always another choice”. With those familiar words ringing in his head, Hanzo starts to dash towards Liu. Suddenly, he teleports behind Shang Tsung and holds the fiendish spellcaster up with a kunai spear at his neck. With him finally deciding to live “for the future”, he demands to be given the key. Shang Tsung proceeds to hand it over before Hasashi tells Kang that he yields.
With the tournament concluded and Outworld having fallen one win shy of conquering Earthrealm, Shang Tsung gets released before the Thunder God orders him to retreat and inform his emperor of his failure, especially since he’s now allowed to oppose him again. As such, Shang Tsung reluctantly leaves through a portal. Now that the fiendish sorcerer isn’t present to keep the island in tact, it begins to fall apart. Liu asks about Scorpion, but Raiden tells him that “his path lies elsewhere”.
As Kang and the Thunder God head out, Scorpion confronts Quan Chi as the devious necromancer feigns praise for his chosen warrior before he asks for the key. Fortunately, Hanzo tells him to come take it from him. From there, they proceed to engage each other in a climactic fight. Hasashi manages to dodge Quan Chi’s magic blasts before he sends out his chained spears. However, the necromancer is able to grab the chains before he uses his magic to shock him. From there, he pulls on the chains and slams Scorpion onto the floor before he uses them again to strangle Hanzo.
Fortunately, Hasashi manages to deliver a vicious headbutt onto Quan Chi’s nose before they resume their brawl, even while the palace continues to crumble around them.
Meanwhile with Liu and Raiden, they manage to reach the dock. With the island falling apart, they’re ultimately able to rejoin Johnny, Sonya and Jax upon the boat as they proceed to cast off.
Back with Scorpion & Quan Chi, their tussle continues to get ever-more hectic and vicious. They ultimately engage each other in weapons combat for a bit before Hanzo delivers a double stab onto the necromancer. From there, Hasashi delivers a barrage of brutal hits before he impales his chained spears into Quan Chi’s arms and rips them off.
Scorpion then sends his chained spear through the necromancer’s chest (and even out his back) before he drags Quan Chi over to him. Even though his defeated foe claims that his god will avenge him, Hanzo proceeds to finish him off by ripping his head and spine out of his body. Hasashi then unveils his fiery skull head and incinerates Quan Chi’s body, finishing the necromancer off for good before the whole structure finally collapses.
As the island crumbles away, our remaining heroes begin to sail back to Earthrealm as Johnny celebrates with a few victory hugs, even getting permission from Sonya to hug her. From there, Liu tells Raiden that he’s failed him since he was unable to defeat Goro. The Thunder God assures Kang that he hasn’t let him down, since his true destiny has him ultimately besting Outworld’s emperor.
And so, the film ends back in Outworld as a bloodied and beaten Shang Tsung grovels at his master’s feet. With a new problem for them to contend with, Shao Kahn (also voiced by Fred Tatasciore) orders his sorcerer to gather their forces in order for them to put a permanent end to this.
Now that this contest has come to a close, let’s get into my character analysis. Starting things off a heated note, we have our titular ninja himself: Scorpion. From the moment the movie begins and he’s introduced to us, he’s shown to be a caring father towards his own son. As the movie progresses, there’s also the hint of him being a devoted husband to his wife. Granted, the audience never gets to meet her since she’s slaughtered by the time that he and Satoshi reach their home, but the subtle mentions are there. From the moment of the initial attack from the Lin Kuei, Hanzo begins to display his lethal skills in both hand-to-hand and weapons combat. While becoming Quan Chi’s chosen fighter does grant him a few supernatural abilities and his signature chained spear, he’s still a fierce combatant throughout the whole proceedings. For his character arc, it sees his life getting unfairly uprooted by the same necromancer whom he’ll serve under since he’s tempted with a promise that will most likely never get carried out, even if he completed the mission of retrieving the key to free Shinnok. Because of how he wound up in his condition, he’s led to believe that he has no say in any matter. Through the combination of Raiden reminding him that everyone is capable of choosing for themselves and Liu Kang’s hopeful & optimistic reminder of fighting for someone (which obviously meant his own fallen family), he finally takes his opportunity for change after he’s mutilated Goro and forces Shang Tsung to release the key to Shinnok’s cell, only to let Quan Chi know that he’s not giving it up without a fierce fight. It’s handled as nicely as it could be, but I wish that the movie was a little longer in order for his progression to play out a bit more naturally and to let it build towards that key moment. Despite that, it’s still a good start for this iconic character and Patrick Seitz brings some neat range to his role. From the interactions and the emotions that he delivers, he sets a strong foundation for his run as Hasashi within this series and it’ll be interesting to see what he’ll go through as we progress within this line of films.
Finally, we have our heroic trio. First up, let’s get to the White Lotus warrior himself: Liu Kang. Because of his position within the Chinese-based society of monks, he’s the most physically and spiritually believing of this whole ordeal. He’s honorable, hopeful and steadfast with protecting Earthrealm from impending doom. While he knows that he’s more than capable of handling this monumental task, he’s initially skeptical of the other two chosen warriors that Raiden also sees as vital towards keeping this realm out of Outworld’s hands. Maybe it could’ve been something that Liu would have for an arc where his doubt over his comrades and their ability to help him with the mission nearly costs them, only for Kang to fully trust them and it leads to a monumental turnaround for them. As is though, his time throughout the tournament does see gain some comradery & teamwork with his fellow Earthrealm fighters while also fighting and defeating a royal ally that looks to play an important part for the next entry. Despite the lack of a major arc (especially since his character was built as the main hero throughout the original series’ timeline), Jordan Rodrigues was still very solid as he presented the right mannerisms, tone and delivery for him to establish within his role and potentially build upon for the next chapter of this saga. Next in line, there’s our military powerhouse herself in Lt. Sonya Blade. As noted during her establishing background reveal, she’s constantly proving her own worth within the armed forces, ultimately impressing Jax and joining his newly formed Special Forces. She was already in hot pursuit of the devious felon Kano, but things became personal for her when he caught Jackson due to him going into the island ahead of her and without her knowledge of said action. Aside from Liu Kang, she’s the most prepared in terms of how to survive within the fierce wilderness of Shang Tsung’s island. As such, she’s initially annoyed with Johnny Cage due to his obliviousness with the seriousness of the situation. Because she also hasn’t had any firsthand experience with his actual hand-to-hand combat skills, she’s had to look out for him during the near-climactic encounter with Kano. By the end, she gets genuinely impressed when he comes to her rescue and helps her defeat Kano, resulting in her willing to put up with his antics a bit better than when she initially met him. However, I wish that this arc was allowed to flow a whole lot better, since my description makes it seem like it progresses a lot better than it actually does. Maybe a slightly-extended run time would’ve allowed this arc to shine a little bit brighter, but it still serves the story as it’s presented. Jennifer Carpenter continues her hot streak of voicing tough women within animated projects. Following her time as a modern day Natasha Romanoff to a Victorian Era Selina Kyle, she gives a nice vocal performance that allows Sonya to have a tough, determined and even a confidently witty personality. On that note, she helps Lt. Blade compliment the story very well and also lays the groundwork for some further development within the next tale. Finally, we have the action movie star himself with Johnny Cage. When we first meet him, he’s gotten complacent within his status. He’s gotten lazy with the tidiness of his house, he can’t make relationships work and he’s gotten out-of-touch with the martial arts background that he previously built within his past. By the time that he gets what seems like a break for a new movie role, he’s still within his smug, self-centered and pampered world, completely oblivious to the horrors of the tournament that’s unfolding around him. Obviously, he has the most defined character arc where he has to discover how serious his situation actually is and that he has to strive for a cause that’s bigger than him. His fellow Earthrealm comrades do help him out with that task, while Sonya serves as his reminder of being the better version of himself. When she rejects his advances and even smashes his crotch when he gets too smug for his own good, it serves as personal messages for him to wake up and start improving himself in a hurry. By the end, he sees her as a worthy cause to strive for and gets to prove himself to her when he saves her from the onslaught of various Outworld monsters. When they team up, he’s finally proving his worth to someone whom he could potentially share some important moments with and lays a nice start to his progression for future installments. Joel McHale excels in the role, confidently presenting the charm, overconfidence and swagger that comes with this fictional celebrity. His presentation was wonderful throughout and I look forward to seeing how his performance as the action movie man evolves moving forward.
The biggest thing that this movie has going for it is the furious action scenes and the brutal violence that the franchise is known for. Just like the live-action movie “Logan”, the bone-crushing & vicious strikes hit hard and leave a meaningful impact on its viewing audience. Obviously, this film is taking its bone-breaking moments from the first three soft rebooted games within the series (MK 9, 10 & 11) and the creative team managed to do a solid job in translating this element over to 2-D animation. Unlike the infamous “Mortal Kombat: Annihilation” which was criticized for placing an overabundance of fight scenes over story & characterization, this movie does a far-better job of placing its narrative at the forefront and having the action scenes help it progress. It also helps that the story sticks more in line with the original MK game where there’s a martial arts tournament with the fate of the planet on the line. Sure, Quan Chi gets added to this tale and he helps bring some important emphasis onto Scorpion, but both Hanzo’s storyline and the narrative concerning our original Earthrealm trilogy never completely dominates over the other. For both sides, their key interaction with each other following the slaughter of several Black Dragon agents helps to prep each other for their own climactic clashes as they weigh their own optimistic and pessimistic perceptions with each other, thus shaping how they’ll confront their big baddies by the end. What also connects them together is that Raiden has key interactions with both groups. Out of the Earthrealm trio, the Thunder God obviously hangs out with Liu Kang a bit more by comparison due to the Shaolin warrior’s spiritual connection. Fortunately, he does offer as much wisdom as he can, especially since the tournament forbids him from physically getting involved. The same holds true with Raiden’s key meet-up with Scorpion during the latter’s initial attempt to swipe the key to Shinnok’s cell, as the Thunder God hears and vocally helps out when he learns about Hanzo’s dilemma where he seemingly has no decision in the matter of someone powerfully looming over him. For being held within this limiting situation, Dave B. Mitchell still handled the role as expertly as he can and I look forward to seeing how he’ll progress with this Elder God within the next entry. As for our dual villains, it is a bit of a magical power struggle between Quan Chi and Shang Tsung. While the latter is the more traditional foe as he was the final boss in the inaugural arcade game, the former is more of the central antagonist for this film. The devious necromancer is a manipulative being who tries to work others towards his own end goals and even relies on some slight-of-hand tricks in order to push some figures & elements into his favor. The motivation for his action is clear and the central figure involved there can possibly come back to bite our heroes in a later installment, so it does set itself up for a potential reckoning down the line. Darin De Paul succeeded in bringing a sinister tone to the role, allowing it to compliment the character’s strong magical prowess despite his ultimate fate. As for Shang Tsung, he mainly serves as the main host of the tournament and doesn’t really do much through the proceedings of this movie. Thankfully, he did display a small amount of his own dark magic before he was forced to retreat where he had to answer to his stronger superior for his actions. While Artt Butler was fairly nice with his limited role, he should be able to get more room to make this devious fiend shine within a grim light. Last up in terms of voice actors, we have Fred Tatasciore. He mainly operated as the Demon Torturer for one scene before dawning the vocal presence of Outworld’s emperor for the final scene. He was effective in the former, especially since he’s an absolute pro at his job. As for the latter, he’ll get his chance to really make this famous antagonist all his own when we reach the next chapter of this saga. Finally, let’s get to the animation as it flowed really well for the most part without any hint of severe stutters. As a result, it greatly helped the pacing within the narrative, the action scenes, the severe hits and the movements of our central characters. Even though there was a live-action Mortal Kombat movie on its way to theaters the following year, Warner Bros.’ animation department still managed to bring some hard work & care towards this project in order to help it stand tall within the franchise’s various entries and deliver some knockout entertainment.
Overall, this was a fatality-filled fun time for its adult audience. The characters were nicely handled within their own development, the pacing was strong, the action scenes were thrilling, and the signature violence was translated with precise care. It lays a nice and blood-soaked foundation to this adaptive story saga that looks to expand upon our main fighters, while still providing a standalone experience that also brings the big brutality-sized hits. Whether you’re a dedicated or casual fan of the series, then aim your chained spear towards this film and tell the good times to “Get Over Here!”.
Next Time: Outworld has lost its chance to conquer Earthrealm and that doesn’t please Shao Kahn. While the evil emperor looks to unleash his vengeful wrath, our main heroes must join forces again in order to fight back against this looming terror. Not only that, but Hanzo discovers that the frozen fighter that he murdered has a family-sized figure that he’ll need to look out for in order to atone for his past sins. Worlds (as well as a bigger cast) will collide as we delve into “Mortal Kombat: Battle Of The Realms”.
Mortal Kombat (created by Ed Boon & John Tobias) is owned by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.
