Mortal Kombat Legacy

Note: this is season one, you can see and read our review on season 2 here.

Based on the hugely popular video games (which I grew up playing nonstop!), the Mortal Kombat movies and TV series have been very up and down.

The first movie is a classic but there’s been some pretty ordinary adaptions since.  But Mortal Kombat Legacy, telling the story of characters before the MK tournament,  changes all of that with the web series which now has fans anxiously awaiting a second season.

So I thought I’d take a quick look at each one, and give each a very quick review!

If you really want to get comfy and watch all of these, the playlist can be found here!

Episode 1 – Sonya, Jax and Kano

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The first episode is a pretty good way to start off the series.  Sonya (Jeri Ryan) is spying on Kano’s (Darren Shahlavi) operation when she is captured.  Jax (Michael Jai White) and Stryker are moving in to to rescue her.

It’s got some decent names and a cool amount of action.  We see Jax pulling off some cool moves against Kano’s men.  But the fun begins when we see Jax and Kano go at it with a shorrt little back forth with some nice martial arts action.  The style is no nonsense and has Michael Jai White written all over it – a very good thing. Of course this episode ends in a cliffhanger and we’re left waiting for the second episode.  But all in all a top little short film introducing some of MK’s most popular characters.

Episode 2 – Sonya, Jax and Kano

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Sonya has freed herself and is joining the game with Jax and Stryker against Kano and his men.

Straight back into the action, Sonya shows off some of her moves this time.  Once again Jax and Kano go at it with some cool action and  Michael Jai White showcases some kick boxing style moves and even a little Wing Chun trapping hands style movements on Darren Shahlavi, playing Kano.

Like the last episode the action is well done and definitely worth a watch.  It’s probably my favorite of the series (I mean it has Martial Arts star Michael Jai White!). What’s really cool is how it tells the story of how Kano got his red eye, and how Jax ends up with destroying his arms to make way for the ‘bionic’ style arms he’s known for in the video games.

Episode 3 – Johnny Cage

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This little flick is dedicated entirely to Johnny Cage as he is played by Matt Mullins. We learn of his past, his successful career and how it fell to a new low.

While telling the story lots of various bits and pieces of footage of Matt Mullins XMA style competitions are shown, and as he pitches a new idea for a TV show, even more awesome martial arts action – I particularly like the ‘Package Check’ – a move where Johnny drops to the splits and punches his opponent in the nuts.  Johnny does the package check in this video as he did in the video games – a nice little tribute.

When he is screwed  over the by some TV execs, Johnny goes wild and takes out everyone who comes near him – a nice final piece of action for the Mortal Kombat fan. This short film was a  pretty cool short story and does a good job of bringing Johnny Cage’s frustration to the surface, while showing off some good action and even laughable poses he adds into his ‘reality action show’.  Another episode worth a watch.

Episode 4 Kitana & Milena

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This short film tells the story of what happened the Royalty of Adenia after Outworld took it over (from winning 10 victories in Mortal Kombat).

We’re introduced to Katana and her Mother Cindell as well as Shao Kahn and Baraka.  As Kitana’s father, the king of Adenia flees for his safety, Shao Kahn marries Cindell, who kills herself shortly after to merge her soul with her daughters – to protect her from turning evil. In fear of Kitana turning against him, Shao Kahn clones her and creates Mileena.  We get some insight into the childhood of these two fighters and Shao Kahn’s manipulative methods.

As a mixture of live action and animation, I was a little disappointed in this episode, I felt it was a decent enough story but wasn’t told very well.  The style get’s a little confusing at times and it just wasn’t that entertaining.  I don’t plan on watching this episode again!

Episode 5 Kitana & Mileena

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This second half of the Kitana and Mileena story picks up with an introduction and one really cool fight scene between Mileena and Kitana.  With speed and some very impressive moves we see the two face off in front of Shao Kahn and it’s performed really well.

The story then continues and the two are sent to find King Jared (Kitana’s father) and murder him.  Once she find him, Kitana learns of the truth, that Shao Kahn is not her father but she cannot save King Jared before he is killed by Mileena.  This is the event that kind of rocks Katana’s world before the Mortal Kombat tournament begins.

This episode was very quick, but not bad.  It seems they saved all of the good bits for this short film and left the boring scenes for the first!  Once again a mixture of live action and animation make for a pretty mixed visual style, but it’s done a bit better than the previous episode.

I enjoyed this one, its unfortunate that you’d have to watch the previous one to understand it though.

Episode 6 – Raiden

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This is a very interesting short film which shows a unique twist on the Mortal Kombat Universe.

This episode is about Raiden – the god of Thunder & Lightning being trapped in a mental institution.  As they address his ‘dilusion’ they explain his purpose and also try their best to keep him sedated. Since he is a god in a mortal body he has to use what he has to plan an escape.

It’s very interesting and even without a lot of action is a very smart and entertaining episode.  Check it out!

Episode 7 – Scorpion & Sub Zero

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This is a cool episode also, which builds up for another with it’s cliffhanger ending.

We meet Hanzo Hasashi, aka Scorpion as he trains his son.  A General of the Shirai Ryu Clan, Hanzo is an important figure for the safety of his village. We’re shown Scorpion and his wife discussing plans on looking to the future of their son when suddenly Scorpion must attend to some duties he runs into Bi-Han, aka Sub Zero.

Sub Zero has frozen Hanzo’s Lord to death and we see the beginnings of what could be an awesome fight between the two when the ‘To be Continued’ text appears.

This episode isn’t bad, but it’s more of an introduction and build up to the second episode.  It does however offer some cool insight into the characters of Scorpion and Sub Zero, before getting to the action.  So check it out if you intend on watching part 2!

Episode – 8 – Scorpion & Sub Zero

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This second half start with a bang showing off a very cool fight between Scorpion and Sub Zero.

Acrobatic kicks and flashy moves make for a pretty cool scrap between the two men. Afterwards Scorpion returns home to find his wife and child frozen to death, just before he is killed by Sub Zero.  But it’s not over! As we learn about how Scorpion becomes the fiery evil looking character we remember from the Mortal Kombat video games.

The rivalry between Scorpion and Sub Zero is  a big favorite among fans, so it’s hard not to like this episode.  Obviously you do have to watch the previous one to understand the full story.  But overall it’s pretty slick.

Episode 9  – Cyrax & Sektor

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Ending Season one is a story which tells us about the origins of Cyrax and Sektor.

We start off seeing a pretty nice fight with these two guys (as humans) in the beginning.  Fast pace and some nice moves, it’s as exciting a martial arts fight as you could expect. As fighters giving their lives over to a cybernetic transformation program that will erase their memories, you can expect some CGI in this one but it is done well.

Showcasing some cool moves and fancy techniques, Sketor and Cyrax fight Hydro in a pretty nice little CG animated fight.  However, the it isn’t as interesting as the real thing.

Overall this is another top epsiosde, and a good way to wrap up the first season with some cool action, and once again, a little insight into the characters of the Mortal Kombat Universe.