Mortal Kombat. It’s a name synonymous with many things. Mortal Monday from the ’90s. Super Nintendo codes for the missing gore. Techno themes from mid ’90s cult classics. Fatalities and over the top gore. There’s absolutely no shortage of Mortal Kombat media. Even in 2021 the latest video game entry Mortal Kombat 11 gets regular support and updates, and a long awaited theatrical film is now playing in theaters and on HBO Max.
But in 2020, WB’s animation division most known for their DC comics adaptations released something surprising. They released Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge, an animated film that not only adapted the first game in the series but served as an origin for the fan favorite/titular character Scorpion. Most importantly though it featured something that was a first for Mortal Kombat media outside of the actual games:
It was rated “R” by the MPAA.
This was truly the first time fans got to see a proper official adaptation that could deliver the violence that one comes to expect from the series. The film follows Scorpion (Patrick Seitz), as the title would suggest, from his beginnings as Hanzo Hasashi and the slaughter of his ninja clan and his family by rival clan the Lin Kuei and Sub-Zero (Steve Blum). From there we see his rebirth in the hellfire of the NetherRealm by Quan Chi (Darin De Paul) and his subsequent entry into the Mortal Kombat tournament hosted by Shang Tsung (Artt Butler).
Along for the ride are the heroes from the first game, Liu Kang (Jordan Rodrigues), Sonya Blade (Jennifer Carpenter) and Johnny Cage (Joel McHale). The film has no shortage of bloodshed and action set pieces. With a runtime of only about 80 minutes, it’s all killer and no filler. Seeing accurate representations and stories of these characters is also a huge treat to longtime fans of the series. We all love the 1995 live-action film but admittedly it took some liberties with the source material. That’s where Scorpion’s Revenge differs; it embraces its gory video game roots rather than trying to present the material in a different, more mass appealing way. It knows what Mortal Kombat fans want and aims to deliver that tenfold.
That’s where I feel past adaptations have fallen. Mortal Kombat needs the violent over the top nature of the video games. It’s embedded into the very DNA of the franchise; an IP so violent that it was a direct cause of the founding of the ESRB. To take away any part of that would be to take away part of its soul. Scorpion’s Revenge wears its love and respect for the source material on its sleeve, while in the process delivering a kick-ass entertaining animated movie. It’s a movie that fans far and wide should seek out. It was released in a weird year, to say the very least, and feels like it may have got lost in the shuffle as a result.
With the release of a new Mortal Kombat film this year, the latest game reaching record numbers, and a general sense of excitement in the air about this wonderful series, it’s now as good of a time as any to seek out Scorpion’s Revenge. If not to get yourself hyped for the new movie, than to see the first time an adaptation actually got to play around with a proper “R” rating.
Besides, who doesn’t need badass ninjas and gory Fatalities in their life?
source https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3661755/mortal-kombat-legends-scorpions-revenge-movie-finally-delivered-rated-r-gore/
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