It's a tale as old as time. Earth falls under threat of an otherworldly force, prompting humanity to cobble together a ragtag team of would-be heroes to save it from sheer enslavement and/or annihilation (take your pick). However, what separates Mortal Kombat from the seemingly endless catalog of similar stories are the unique kung-fu tournament-focused specifics of it's world ending scenario, it's crimson-stained hyper violence, a colorful cast of karacters, and of course a deep and rich bastion of fan-beloved lore. It's just such a shame that with all these wonderful toys and avenues for creativity, the MK creators just can't seem to fully step away from the original glorious outing of their universe, much less its staple karacters. But perhaps, with enough care and ingenuity, they can make the past feel as fresh and fun as their first blood spattered debut ... maybe. Let's get into it.
Mortal Kombat is a story in which the champions of Outworld and Earthrealm must fight to the death in a brutal tournament that determines the fate of Earth. MK Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge is a reimagining of that same original story that now peers through the lens of its flagship karacter, the hellfire specter, Hanzo Hisashi, aka Scorpion, rather than do-gooder monk, Liu Kang. It's certainly an intriguing idea, one filled with all the blood and brutality one would expect from an R-rated MK movie. The problem though lies in that this movie can't seem to fully commit to Scorpion's story, creating something that many would argue is far from what was advertised. But is it? And if it isn't, is it still any good?
(Warning: Minor spoilers ahead)
So judging by the trailers and title, the movie would have you believe it's going to be primarily focused on Scorpion's revenge against another principle character, a tale that will run concurrently or within the context of the original MK story. And it does achieve this in some regard. The movie even starts out with the murder of him, his clan, and family, and the eventual devil's bargain that makes him the glorious hellspawn we all know and love. From there it then cuts to the original heroic trio of Sonya, Johnny, and Liu as they discuss their charge to save earth, providing enough context for Scorpion's story and the (in this case) side story it'll eventually collide with. However, after that, it stops feeling like Scorpion’s story and quickly turns into the original MK story all over again, focusing a lot on the original trio of heroes with Scorpion as a sort of added party member. Now to the movie's credit, it does balance the now party of four fairly well in terms of screen time and does add some conceptually interesting interactions that do not exist in the original MK story. All that being said, it does unfortunately retract from the promise of the premise, a story "about" Scorpion's revenge. It instead feels like the same story "with the addition of" Scorpion's revenge sprinkled in, which all things considered, is fine.
I don't think fans or newbies would be opposed to the concept of "same story, but with anti-hero Scorpion added to the good-guy mix," especially considering that he adds a nice dynamic that shakes up the original formula. But if this is the route they're going, the title should have been something different that reflected that, like MK Legends: The Dragon and The Scorpion, MK Legends: Tournament of Champions, MK Legends: Fire and Fury, or just MK Legends. Any of those would give the proper impression that the story will be a rehash with a few new twists as opposed to falsely advertising a fully Scorpion focused revenge flick. However, at the end of the day, all that matters is if the movie is true to the karacters, offers a compelling narrative, and brings that oh-so-satisfying signature Mortal Kombat entertainment. But does it?
Scorpion's Revenge has a lot going for it for any would-be viewer. It does not pull punches when delivering brutal and bloody flights of fisticuffs. So although somewhat short, the fights are there, wanting you to fully know that you are indeed watching a Mortal Kombat movie. Add to it, the movie does strike a decent balance of providing both old and new story bits to keep it feeling fresh and familiar all at once. But that unfortunately is where the good stops and the bad begins.
The fact of the matter is that the film just has too many plot lines going on at once (at least 4), which makes it hard to garner any deep character, plot, or story investment. To make matters worse, the main plot thread they focus on is the original story of the MK tournament, centered around Liu Kang as it always is. Also, whatever tid-bits of story that are part of Scorpion's narrative, they either fly by too fast to have impact for newbies or tread too familiar a water to be interesting to fans. It's just too much crammed into too little time. In fact, the movie has more story and more characters to service than the original movie, but also 20 minutes less the run time. On top of that, the tournament aspect, like Scorpion's story, is abandoned fairly quickly, leading to less than preferred one-on-one bouts and any sort of relevance to having a tournament in the first place. And when Scorpion is on screen, minus the beginning, he's pretty much unstoppable, snuffing out any meaningful tension whenever he's present (Not that it matters, considering all his big moments are either quickly undercut or passed over).
All in all, most of the movie's problems could have been solved via some sort of time extension either by taking on another 15-20 minutes or through making this an animated series rather than a movie. In either case, it would give the world, its karacters, their stories, and their fights all a chance to breathe. And in doing so, relationships have a chance to feel more meaningful. Twist, triumphs, and failures, more impactful. And it would have allowed more of the changes from the original story a chance to resonate with the audience, instead of feeling like half-baked ideas.
Scorpion’s Revenge at the end of the day is an overstuffed, hyper-violent speedfest concerned more with stocking its time with as much brutality, lore, and fan service that can without any consideration for pacing or impact. Does this make it a fun time? In some ways, certainly, but only really for hardcore MK fans. To be clear, there is never a single second that the movie is not showing off the fact that it is indeed Mortal Kombat. However, the conviction it thrusts so incredibly hard only goes surface-deep. because if you're here searching for anything deeper than some flashes of X-ray kills, member-berry lore drops, and the same basic MK story, then you're out of luck. If you want something with more emotional substance to give the fights and story more weight, I'd recommend the original '95 movie. It may be a bit dated and not as flashy, but at least it commits to a vision and shows restraint when necessary; something that Scorpion's Revenge appears to lack.
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