Mortal Kombat: Legacy II Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.5

Mortal Kombat: Legacy II Blu-ray Movie Review

Come over here! I mean, um, if you want to. Whatever you're up for. I'm good either way...

Debuting in 2011, Mortal Kombat: Legacy began as a bold proof-of-concept turned studio-produced web series from filmmaker Kevin Tancharoen. The challenge? Show us it'll work, and maybe Mortal Kombat can have a big screen future. And maybe, just maybe, Kev, you'll be a part of it. With that, a fan-created, fan-driven, fan-fueled resurrection was born. Two years later, in 2013, a feature film still hadn't been green-lit but a second season of web shorts had, and the results, now available on Blu-ray, are a bit all over the place. Several episodes prioritize storytelling, performances and a surprising grasp on drama; several others serve as a reminder as to why Mortal Kombat has had such a tricky time being taken seriously outside of the videogame world. Some feature strong performances and smart casting; others feature... well, Casper Van Dien. One will impress; the next will struggle to leave its mark. One will transform blocky polygons into fully realized three-dimensional characters; the next will pit cartoon characters head to head, fist against fist. On and on and on.

But while very little of the ensuing conflict, mythos revisionism, martial arts and serialized scripting rises above Hollywood's better videogame adaptations (of which there are soooo many), there's enough here to get excited about. Fans of the videogame franchise will obviously enjoy Legacy II significantly more than your average non-gamer, but that's precisely who the series is targeting. So sit back, shrug off all the flaws as best you can, and embrace the next chapter of Mortal Kombat Legacy. A third season is already in the works -- after the cliffhanger that ends this season, how could there not be? -- and I can't help but want to know where each fighter ends up next. Minus Johnny Cage. Somebody just needs to finish him.

Mortal Kombat: Legacy II Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Mortal Kombat: Legacy II's 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation would be the highlight of the release if it weren't for one glaring issue: black levels stop well short of perfection, a problem that extends to the widescreen bars along the top and bottom of the image. (RGB Decimal = 16, 16, 16; black depth = 93.7%.) Stranger still, one brief shot in Episode 6 -- see screenshot #14 -- does feature ideal black levels (0, 0, 0; 100%), although the black bars remain dark gray (16, 16, 16; 93.7%). Moreover, the series' online webisodes and its trailers (one of which is included on the disc) also deliver deeper blacks, suggesting the BD presentation suffers from an encoding error or oversight.

Other than that, all is as it should be. Colors are often washed out, with muted primaries and cold skintones, but that's precisely the look Tancharoen and his team are aiming for. Contrast is at least consistent (black depth notwithstanding) and detail is revealing, with crisp edges, nicely resolved textures and striking close-ups. The few instances of significant aliasing, banding and macroblocking that appear are limited to VFX shots (and/or flashbacks to scenes from the first season), and there isn't any indication that anything else is amiss.

Mortal Kombat: Legacy II Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Warner's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is decent enough, faithfully delivering the web series' sound design without incident. However, the mix is, on occasion, a touch shrill, flat and/or uninvolving. Dialogue is clean and clear, with no prioritization mishaps to be found, and effects are suitably punchy (albeit a bit too canned). LFE output is loud but otherwise rather unremarkable, rear speaker activity is light and sparse when fights aren't raging or music isn't enveloping the battles, and dynamics are serviceable (though not entirely notable). All told, it's a solid lossless track, considering Legacy is a web series. Just don't expect anything in the way of feature film sonics.

Mortal Kombat: Legacy II Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

While the first season arrived with a selection of production featurettes, the only extra included on the Blu-ray edition of Mortal Kombat: Legacy II is a trailer.

Mortal Kombat: Legacy II Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In some ways, Legacy's second season is weaker than its first. In others, it's just as hit or miss. In still others, it's better, representing something of a more refined and dramatic series of origin stories and present-day clashes. Liu Kang's arc is given particular weight, with several characters, new (Kung Lao, Kenshi) and old (Scorpion and Sub-Zero especially), steal their respective scenes wonderfully. Yeah, some cheesiness and campiness creeps in (Ermac, Johnny Cage, Stryker), and yeah, a few episodes are much more satisfying than others, and yeah, the best episodes are ironically those that feature very little, erm, kombat. But no matter. Fans of the videogame franchise will be thrilled to see familiar faces granted new life. Warner's Blu-ray release, though, is actually more hit or miss than the second season. Its video presentation is problematic, its DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is unremarkable, and its supplemental package is non-existent. Ultimately, unless you pick it up at a hefty discount, this one is for diehard Kombateers only.