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Overkill and Under Deliver - MK Legends: Battle for the Realms

A pure-of-heart hero and a muscle bound big-bad square off admits a land torn asunder by vicious kombat, all the while a thousand eyes of battle weary bystanders fixate upon them with bated breath. Back and forth the kombatants wage war on each other's bodies, shaking the very fabric of the realms they desperately fight over. However, for as bombastic and terrifying as their spectacle is, in the end, no one will really care about the outcome. And why? Because the IP titans at play are little more than hollow conduits for eye-catching, ass-kicking kung fu calamity. But maybe, just maybe, they don't need to be anything more than that. Let's get into it. 


Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle for the Realms is the follow up to MK Legends: Scorpion's Revenge. This time around the heroes of earth must travel to Outworld to defend Earthrealm as Scorpion searches for an ancient artifact that, if not discovered in time, could lead to a cataclysmic end for all the realms. Essentially, this film seeks to go bigger and harder in every way imaginable (plot threads, battles, characters, blood, you name it) and all in the same amount of runtime as its predecessor. And does this amount to anything noteworthy? Well, it depends on the person.


By and large Battle for the Realms succeeds in two things. One, it is without a doubt quintessential Mortal Kombat; stylized, face-mangling might, magic, and martial arts. Two, it's a tried-n-true sequel that forwards (and in some ways rounds out) the two primary stories from the first film: Lui Kang's struggle to become the chosen hero of destiny and Scorpion's endeavor to reconcile the trauma and sins of his past. And by that, I mean they tell you the rest of the story in a sped up, spark notey fashion. Essentially getting the audience from A to B as quick as it can. And why is that? Because they're also shoehorning in a THIRD tale that follows the NEW Sub-Zero, Quai Liang, who is seeking vengeance upon Scorpion for killing his older brother (the original Sub-Zero) in the previous film as well as tid-bits of prominent story elements across seven games. And with the film clocking in at around a similar 1 hour and 20 minutes as the previous, it makes it damn near impossible to tell a fulfilling narrative.


Now to be clear, I, like many MK fans, can enjoy the fanservice offered via the hard-hitting fights and eye-gasmic iconograph. We can also follow the interpretations of stories on display because it's all pulled from what we know and love. But this WILL NOT WORK for a casual viewer. I'm sure they could follow enough, but it all flies by so fast, introducing and wrapping up so many plot threads and characters so quickly that it makes them and any intended big moments feel hollow. It almost feels like this was a highlight reel for three or four larger franchise movies or a series. So yes, there are a lot of cool clips of fights and conceptually interesting elements introduced, but nothing that has a chance to carry any weight because of how much they overstuff the film. 


Battle for the Realms is an anomaly of a film that will simultaneously leave Mortal Kombat fans wanting more and less all at once. More care for the story crafting and less stuff packed into one go. It's like getting all desserts for a seven course meal. Honestly it's a triumph that they managed any cohesive story at all. And watching it, I can only ever feel that less would have been ever so much more for both fans and the film alike. 

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