Hello guys, did You saw the new MK animation? Or are You not sure if that's good? Then You may read my review but be careful for spoilers.
Although I was waiting for this animation, I had slight concerns. Mainly because of the plot and line, which seemed to me not to be in the world of "Mortal Kombat". It didn't take me much time to get used to it, just a few minutes. As for the script, this coincides roughly with that of the 9 parts, in which the story from the first game was repainted. I do not know the universe exactly, so maybe I did not see any nuances that distinguish the film from the game. I really enjoyed this procedure while playing, so it's difficult for me to have any complaints. The universe was in a tragic position after being eaten to the max by unnecessary products (see WoW and unnecessary add-ons that add more and more quirks to Warcraft), and one magic trick made shit become gold. One of the best retcons in gaming history, IMO.
The plot is simple, as it is in an electronic fight-games. If you are nerds, fans of pop culture, you would hardly even come across this title. It is not necessary to play or watch but to know something from memes, from interlocutors of friends, etc. Well, let's assume that you have not encountered each other and the abbreviation MK is unknown to you. We have Earth, more or less present times, the Ancient Gods invented the Mortal Kombat tournament. It takes place once per generation, the winner receives a long life and super power. It is attended by beings of different worlds - that of Shao Kahn (Outworld), Shinook (Netherrealm) and Raiden (Earthrealm). I haven't played too many MK parts (1-4, 9 and a few games for some titles), I don't remember the plot exactly, but you don't need to have a good memory to remember the residual scenario of one. If one wanted to make her faithful adaptation (ie move a few screens of text to a character with her perspective on participation in the tournament, combine it with fights, add a rudimentary context as in "Scorpion’s Revenge"), this would be material for a 1.5 hour movie. If we removed the elements from the two and extended them a bit, by 30 minutes, we would have faithful film adaptation. I can't say that "The Scorpion Legend" remarkably faithfully transfers games to the film language, but I can write with full awareness that it does so in 80-90%. The changes, if any, did not catch my eye. The characters are the same as in the game, and the events mostly coincide with those of the games. In addition, the creators made a good decision that they focused on Scorpion. His story is one of the better and works great as an introduction.
In addition, there are a lot of familiar locations and elements known from the games - Liu Kang's blows from the final fight, various paths to the palace, which in the game were a determinant of the level of difficulty (from the easiest and shortest, to the longest and most difficult), ninja clans, Black Dragon robbers, Test Your Might mini-game, familiar boards (slightly changed forest from two, or the palace underground or The Pit board, from which you could dump your opponent in the form of fatality). Unfortunately, because of the length, maybe the budget, it wasn't possible to put many other things here and explain exactly what many characters are talking about or what is going on. The characters speak mainly at the exhibition, throwing names that will not necessarily be understood by viewers unfamiliar with, for example, the plot of the film from 1996, or 1, 2 and 9 parts of the game. Well, the charms of movies for fans, I kind of belong to them and its understanding did not cause me the slightest problem.
Since I mention 9 so often, we have some X-ray in the movie, a little less scenes with the effect of slow-motion, splashing on the screen. Most of them were cool, some were a bit forced, but there were not enough of them to bother me. There were no strengths that I would remember and like to come back to, but I had a lot of fun during the screening. Well, maybe except Goro, who is impressive, I can look at his paws more than once. Generally, it is raining, it is brutal, a little exaggerated, as in this series. A few texts, such as the one about Tom Cruisie, or some gags with Johnny were fun and well discharged the atmosphere, so that it would not be too serious. Just like in the game.
To sum up, a good movie. This is not a work of art, but a solid shareholder, which will give us a nice screening and cool humor. I'm not sure if I can recommend it to non-fans, but if you associate something with the 1996 movie, I think you can watch it safely. I am hoping for a good sequel there, especially after recent scenes with Shao Kahn and Raiden's conversation with my Chosen One. Are we looking forward to the "Legends of Liu Kang"? After what happened, this karateka character will get blush for me. Ie. not that I liked him, because even in 9 I didn't really like him, but at least he will become interesting for me. I rate 7.5 / 10 with a big heart.
