Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match

'Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match (2023)' is the latest in a series of animated movies showcasing the origins of various characters from the 'Mortal Kombat' universe. It's interesting because these films all seem to contradict one another, which makes the 'Legends' part of their title all the more apt because there's a sense that these stories have been passed down through the generations and exist to expand upon the legacies of important in-universe figures. They're almost like bedtime stories within this world, and whether or not they're factual is irrelevant to their function as folk lore. On a more practical level, the fact that these features aren't beholden to each other allows the filmmakers to go all-out with their individual efforts. The stories pretty much all work as standalone features, despite their shared characters and casts, and it's quite refreshing that you don't have to be totally immersed in a specific series of pre-existing stories simply to engage with them.

This latest effort focuses on loud-mouthed, JCVD-based Johnny Cage and depicts his rise from D-list actor to saviour of the world (and back to B-list actor). With only a handful of characters from the 'Mortal Kombat' universe (at least that I recognised), this feels far less connected to its wider canon than the other entries in its series. It's also easily the least effective of those experiences, largely because the first fifteen minutes or so are almost unbearably on the nose and cheesy. Thankfully, things do improve once the plot is properly underway and you've gotten used to the cocky lead character's bad jokes and propensity to pause the picture to speak directly to the audience (in many ways, he's like a less funny version of Deadpool). Cage has never been my favourite 'Mortal Kombat' character, but his presence as a side character is more than welcome in the other 'Legends' pictures. As the protagonist, he's a bit grating and also a bit bland. Joel McHale does a good job voicing him, though. He does exactly what he needs to and it's clear that the film wouldn't have been as enjoyable without him. Gilbert Gottfried gives one of his last performances and is entertaining as a foul-mouthed producer with something to hide, while Jennifer Grey surprises by playing an evil version of herself who has risen to Hollywood stardom by nefarious means. Other notable names in the cast include Kelly Hu, Phil LaMarr, Matthew Mercer, Zehra Fazal, Robin Atkin Downes and Dusan Brown, each of whom turn in dependable work.

The flick pushes for a stereotypically 80s aesthetic by soaking its wavy hair, shoulder pads and too-big suits in bright neon hues, ensuring almost every scene is backlit by some sort of comically unsubtle colour that typically has no basis in the scene itself. The visuals are reminiscent of a Saturday morning cartoon, which is what makes the violence all the more jarring (even though this one is considerably less explicit than its predecessors). The action scenes are mostly exciting and engaging, even if some of the animation struggles to keep up with the pace and dynamism necessary for this type of choreography to work as well as it possibly can. In addition to its frequent (and expected) fighting, the film has a fair few moments that are actually pretty funny. Comedy is quite a large part of the affair and, while much of it falls flat, the infrequent moments that make you laugh go a long way in making the movie as enjoyable as it ultimately is. It helps that it's mostly a well-paced experience that doesn't have any notably baggy segments.

In the end, this is a solid animated action-comedy with strong voice work and some humorous moments. The fight scenes are entertaining and the narrative, while incredibly generic, keeps you engaged throughout the brisk runtime. It's the least effective of its series, but it's still a fair bit of fun.

Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match is the fourth entry in the Mortal Kombat Legends DTV film series, and it is an interesting entry for me, as it not only stars Johnny Cage, one of my favorite MK characters, but is also a neat movie set in the 1980's.

In the movie, Johnny Cage is about to have his big break filming the movie Ninja Mime. However, the movie is in danger of being unfinished when co-star Jennifer Grey goes missing. Going to her mansion, she sees the place is a mess, and going into her bedroom, he witnesses two women fighting over a scroll. This puts him in the middle of a plot by a cult known as the Brotherhood of Shadow to bring their god, Shinnok, into Earthrealm.

Okay, for a Mortal Kombat movie, Cage Match not only succeeds in keeping the violence and gore the franchise is infamous for, but also making it a cheesy 80's action comedy that fits Johnny Cage's role of comic relief real well. Joel McHale returns to voice the Hollywood airhead from the first two Mortal Kombat Legends films after being absent in the last film, Snow Blind, and Jennifer Grey is in this voicing herself as well as Sareena. Also, Kelly Hu is the voice Ashrah, and Robin Atkins Downs returns as the voice of Shinnok, also reprising the role from Scorpion's Revenge and Battle of the Realms. But the greatest voice role here is David Doubldy, who is voiced by the late Gilbert Gotfried, this being his final film role before his passing (with the movie one of the few media to be dedicated to his memory).

A great departure from the past three films, Cage Match aims for being a cheesy 80's action comedy. Johnny Cage is spewing one-liners and jokes as usual, and the film embraces how cheesy it is, alongside its various references to 1980's pop culture. However, it still keeps the action as well as the violence and gore that fans of Mortal Kombat come to expect. Johnny gets a backstory to how he became skilled in martial arts, and the 80's style soundtrack is awesome.

If you are paying attention, it seems that in our new "woke" universe, merely trying to do something is now literally as good as actually doing it. By that odd logic, this film should be a "10." Because, in every scene, and with every line of dialog, it tries so darn hard to get the formula right -- yet fails repeatedly -- that the end result is almost painful to watch. The MK universe is not my favorite part of Warner Animation, but it can be fun when it works. Here it does not not work. Clearly the writing team had watched one too many episodes of Archer -- because the entire movie is mainly swagger and little else. Martial Arts? Barely an afterthought. For diehard fans of the franchise only -- and even then you may not like what you see. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

If you're gonna get hung up on the MK mythos and source material, it may not be for you; but as a fan of the 80s and the aesthetic, this movie delivers. The look, the music, even the animation style all is of that era. They do a really fantastic job with the animation and color choices to mix MK with Miami Vice. McHale NAILS the voice and cockiness of Cage and the rest of the voice cast (Jennifer Grey anyone?!) does a great job too. Adams has been pumping out fun animated scripts for years at WB and this may be my favorite that he's done. I appreciate that it's a bit of a standalone movie so that Cage can shine. If you like the character and just wanna laugh and have fun, then this movie is for you. Laughed so many times and the MK action and fighting and FINISHING MOVES are all there. Loved it.

Very funny, cheesy 80's vibe and great action. If you don't like 80's action style you won't like this. Hilarious that Jennifer Grey plays herself in this movie. Love how they use cliche Hollywood tropes in the movie while simultaneously poking fun at them. I thought the action was good and the dialog was fun. Voice acting was superb, loved hearing Gilbert as a talent agent that was hilarious. Anyone who says this movie was bad needs to take a chill pill and stop being so serious. This was intended to be campy so embrace the suck and enjoy it for what it is: a 4th wall breaking, blood and guts action/comedy cartoon.