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Gilbert Gottfried. David Doubldy. Matthew Mercer. Director. Kelly Hu. Ashrah. In Theaters At Home TV Shows. Action superstar Johnny Cage squares off against a sinister secret society that's...
- Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match Reviews - Rotten Tomatoes
Cage Match feels like the simplest version of what it’s...
- Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge | Rotten Tomatoes
Jordan Rodrigues. Liu Kang. Patrick Seitz. Scorpion. Steve...
- Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match Reviews - Rotten Tomatoes
- The spotlight’s on Johnny
- Mortal Kombat's Bizarre History of Movie and TV Adaptations
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- Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match Review
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By Matt Donato
Posted: Oct 18, 2023 2:00 pm
The Mortal Kombat Legends series hits Los Angeles where it hurts in Cage Match. Director Ethan Spaulding returns after helming the absolutely killer Scorpion’s Revenge and the less memorable Battle of the Realms, shining the spotlight on one of the more fleshed out characters from the gaming franchise, action star Johnny Cage. It’s an ’80s-fueled blast of nostalgia with Miami Vice fashion sense and neon illustrations brighter than the Las Vegas strip, taking aim at studio slimeballs with some butt-kicking fights and bloody fatalities.
Joel McHale reprises his Scorpion’s Revenge and Battle of the Realms performance as the hyper-masculine movie star Johnny Cage, and the former host of The Soup remains the perfect match for the sarcastic persona Johnny has developed in the games. Cage Match follows the Mortal Kombat nutcracker as he investigates the disappearance of co-star Jennifer Grey (playing herself), whooping butts as he confronts a demonic conspiracy with ties to Shinnok. We’re watching a Johnny who's learning about the Netherrealm and other Mortal Kombat lore for the first time, which makes Cage Match an origin story of sorts. This plays a bit odd considering Johnny’s role in the previous Legends movies, but it also allows McHale to have fun with a version of Johnny who’s dumbstruck by his otherworldly foes.
The rougher animation style of the last Mortal Kombat Legends movie, Snow Blind, was my least favorite of the series so far, so it’s nice to see a cleaner approach in Cage Match. The glitz and glamor of Hollywood is represented in bright, vibrant hues, mirroring Johnny’s red-carpet flashiness. It’s not anywhere near as bone-crushingly detailed or sensationally swift-moving as Scorpion’s Revenge, but that’s by design: Cage Match is meant to feel like a coke-binging producer’s fever dream of Mortal Kombat-meets-showbiz sleaze, as Johnny kicks the heads off challengers while pursuing culty clues that reveal who really runs the movie industry.
Johnny narrates all of Cage Match like he’s providing his own director’s commentary. It makes sense given the character’s chatterbox nature and self-obsession, but the jokes don’t always land. His interjections are sometimes unnecessary, or even distracting. It’s a way of adding exposition, but can come off as rigid, like how he explains that his clearly nerdy assistant Chuck Golden (Dusan Brown) is, indeed, exactly who his poindexter exterior suggests. Cage Match feels aggressively basic when there’s no showing and all telling, almost like the screenplay doesn’t trust the audience to pick up on any context clues. It’s a bit “Storytelling 101,” belaboring the most formulaic elements of a Hollywood satire that’s otherwise having fun taking shots at greedy executives and agents like the tyrannical David Doubldy (voiced by the late, legendary Gilbert Gottfried).
Scorpion's Revenge
Battle of the Realms
Snow Blind
As for the Mortal Kombat of it all, there’s a much less structured tournament feel to the storytelling. Familiar faces like the magical Ashrah (Kelly Hu) or warrior Jataaka (Zehra Fazal) present themselves as enemies and allies, but the body count in Cage Match might be the Legends series’ lowest yet. (There’s also a diminished hunger for the punishing finisher moves that even Snow Blind delivered with emphasis.) Cage Match is more interested in Johnny slinging one-liners laced with ’80s pop culture references than it is replicating gameplay. It’s a contained Mortal Kombat movie that feels underwhelming as a result, until a third act where Johnny squares off against Shinnok up and down Hollywood Boulevard.
Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match is a strange, R-rated Mortal Kombat movie that feels like it would play better for younger audiences. Joel McHale is the man for the job, and he’s constantly striving to improve the lackluster material he’s been given. If you’re into the idea of an ’80s Johnny Cage action movie that’s amping up all the goofiness of...
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Cage Match feels like the simplest version of what it’s trying to be – a goofy riff on ’80s action movies – even when it comes to bone-shattering moves that take down the mightiest interdimensional demons.
Matt Donato
- Matt Donato
Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match. Video. 2023. R. 1h 16m. IMDb RATING. 5.9/10. 1.7K. YOUR RATING. Rate. Play trailer1:45. 1 Video. 99+ Photos. AnimationActionAdventure.
- Ethan Spaulding
- 2023-10-17
- Animation, Action, Adventure
- 76
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Oct 26, 2023 · Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match Movie (2023) Coming full circle back to the birth of Johnny Cage in the JCVD era of the 80s, the latest Mortal Kombat Legends entry is absolutely Grand Theft Auto: Vice City come to vibrant life but it can't quite find its footing between aping both Bloodsport and Big Trouble in Little China.
Oct 17, 2023 · Cage Match feels like the simplest version of what it’s trying to be – a goofy riff on ’80s action movies – even when it comes to bone-shattering moves that take down the mightiest...
