DVD Corner

Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match 4K UHD Review

“Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match” takes a different approach than the previous entries in the series.

Set in the 1980’s, “Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match” serves as an origin story of sorts for fan-favorite character Johnny Cage. As a child, Johnny was bullied as a kid until he signed up for a martial arts class and learned to defend himself. Eventually he trained in martial arts across the world before setting his sights on California to pursue a career as an action movie star. Cage becomes a C-List movie star but is still looking for his big break. He hopes his new movie “Ninja Mime” will be the breakout hit he so desires. While in production on the film, his co-star Jennifer goes missing which leads Cage to seek her out. Cage and his assistant Chuck soon find themselves getting caught up in a dangerous plot involving a scroll, the Brotherhood, a demon named Ashrah, and a plot to bring the destructive ruler of the Netherrealm (Shinnok) to the Earth Realm.

For those expecting a darker tale in the vein of the previous animated ‘Mortal Kombat Legends’ films, you should know that ‘Cage Match’ is entirely different in tone. This is a much more comedic tale that sends up everything from the 80’s including action movies, cheeseball rock songs, satanic panic, the karate craze, and “Miami Vice” (with a dash of neo-noir). Sure, there’s some gory action here and there including the big climactic battle, but for the most part, this is a character centric adventure with the wisecracking narrating Cage (perfectly voiced by Joel McHale). 

As a fan of the previous entries, ‘Cage Match’ felt like a step backward. While it has its moments (especially the Hollywood material), the story quickly wears thin and tries too hard to recapture the 80’s flavor. Some viewers and “Mortal Kombat” fans may be drawn to the more lighthearted take, but for me, the big ensemble narrative story was missed. Yes, some of the MK mythology is touched upon here with Shinnok playing a key role, but this is still Cage’s story through and through.

On the plus side, the WB Animation team clearly had a lot of fun here. There’s a myriad of retro styles and colors that are used to recreate that 80’s vibe to great effect. 

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.78:1 2160p. How does it look? The colorful and stylish animation shines on 4K.

Audio Track: 5.1 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? While it would have been preferable to have a higher quality audio track for the 4K, this track still delivers a layered audio experience. 

Extras:
* Digital copy
* Commentary by writer Jeremy Adams and producers Jim Krieg and Rick Morales.
* “Ninja Mime” trailer. A faux Johnny Cage movie  trailer.
* “What Would Johnny Cage Do?”- A featurette on the movie with cast and crew interviews, story discussions, and more.

October 16, 2023 - Posted by nicklyons1 | 4K UHD Review | Johnny Cage, Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat Legends, Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match 4K UHD Review