Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Second verse, not as good as the first.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III August 31, 2021

I haven't played a Mortal Kombat game in years. In fact, I probably lost interest in the brand more than two decades ago, just a few years after the original game pulled in crowds like a magnet at arcades worldwide. I first glimpsed the original MK at a local bowling alley and still remember skipping a few frames to gawk at its unique graphics and bloody fatalities. That bowling alley finally closed its doors after six decades in business but Mortal Kombat lives on, doubling down on the bone-crunching action and ridiculous, over-the-top finishers with each new installment. Over the years it's grown from a controversial Street Fighter wannabe to a full-blown franchise with two earlier live-action movies, comics, action figures, socks, a "blood, sweat, and tears" scented candle, and more. Warner Bros. has re-ignited its cinematic flame three times in the last two years: the surprisingly solid animated origin film MK Legends: Scorpion's Revenge, an uneven live action reboot... and now this animated sequel to Scorpion's Revenge, Battle of the Realms.

As if the front cover didn't give it away, Battle of the Realms is mostly Liu Kang's show just as Scorpion's Revenge belonged to, well, you know who. Opening with his parents' brutal death at the hands of bloodthirsty Baraka-like creatures and the infant's rescue by thunder god Raiden, it weaves a complicated narrative during 70 minutes that packs in plenty of characters, fan service, violent deaths, and loads of MK lore that, if I'm being perfectly honest, feels awfully squished and scattershot for such a short feature. The main crux of this story revolves around an Outworld-hosted tournament involving many familiar faces: Shao Khan, Kung Lao, Kitana, Shang Tsung, Stryker, Jade, a couple jobbers, returning Raiden and Kung Lao, and many more, which ends up spilling into a vivid merged-realm finale that lets other characters get in on the action including Johnny Cage, Sonya, and Jax. Scorpion and Sub-Zero show up too, but they're mostly confined to various subplots involving Bi-Han, the Lin Kuei clan, Shinnok, Cyber Initiative, and The One Being, a deep-voiced creature first introduced in the 2004 game Mortal Kombat: Deception.

It's a lot to take in, and the multiple detours are broken up regularly by ultra-violent tournament fights that see a number of A and B-listers get killed off in fitfully shocking fashion. But where Scorpion's Revenge weaved a pretty solid narrative in with all the fighting, Battle of the Realms struggles to maintain that tricky balance. It's action first and too-much-story second... which might please fans just looking for straight-up bloodshed, but Battle of the Realms ends up feeling less streamlined than its 70-minute runtime suggests and, as such, a few of its most dramatic moments don't have time to build up enough weight. And while its hasty conclusion hints lightly at the prospect of another sequel, Mortal Kombat's main story is mostly tied up by the end credits, which leads me to believe that the creative team crammed in a bunch of extra stuff that might have gone into a second or even third follow-up.

Don't get me wrong: Battle of the Realms is still pretty damn fun in spots, with mostly great voice work (Johnny Cage steals the show again) and crisp, angular animation that fits in well with its foreboding, painterly backgrounds. Even the climactic showdown, which aims for a blown-out and surreal color scheme, looks pretty neat. But as appropriately hard-hitting as all the action is, most of it doesn't quite land with the same impact due to those nagging story issues, which draw attention away from Mortal Kombat's best characters and the journey they've possibly concluded. I'd call Scorpion's Revenge the clear winner between the two, but anyone who enjoyed that film as much as I did (or more) should wring some enjoyment out of this one. Not surprisingly, Warner Bros. serves up a similar amount of support on home video with this welcome 4K UHD release, which offers a near-identical A/V presentation and a few decent bonus features too, including another full-length audio commentary with members of the creative team.

Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Since it features an animation style and overall aesthetic similar to Scorpion's Revenge, fans should know what to expect here. Fundamentally, this film looks great for (proportionately) low-budget animation, with angular line work and bold colors that capture the franchise's traditionally dark and gloomy atmosphere. As usual, this 4K disc's 2160p transfer easily outpaces its Blu-ray counterpart, if not more so this time around: the line work and bold contrast levels look more refined and collectively give the overall image a smoother and more pleasing appearance, while black levels also run deeper without succumbing to obvious signs of crush or loss of detail. But the bigger difference here lies with color values and saturation quality: Battle of the Reams makes outstanding use of HDR enhancement during several scenes, none more so than the merged-realm climax which features near-fluorescent color values that often overtake traditional outlines; these chunks of color pop nicely without any noticeable bleeding. Other moments look great too, with varied backgrounds and costumes that run the gamut between icy blue, glowing orange, and muted colors that stand in contrast with its rich primaries (including red, obviously). Even a few glowing "special effects" hold up better here, thanks to superior bit rates afforded by a disc that holds almost three times more than the single-layer Blu-ray. Overall, a rock-solid presentation that's definitely the way to go if you're set up for the newer format.

Please note that the screenshots on this page are sourced from the included Blu-ray disc. For information about that disc's 1080p transfer (as well as 20 additional screenshots), see my review of the standard Blu-ray.

Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Similarly, the DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix serves up another extremely supportive sonic atmosphere with plenty of hard hits and squishy sound effects, many of which use strong channel separation, discrete panning, and rear channel presence to heighten Battle of the Realms' frequently intense atmosphere. Dialogue and background effects are balanced nicely, whether it's in the massive Outworld arena, more intimate moments, or during the Helm's Deep-style battle involving Kung Lao during the opening scenes, with individual characters spaced out nicely to create a relatively wide and immersive sound stage that's regularly supported by plenty of action. The merged-realm climax sounds great too, with a wide and expansive overall presence suited to the size of its final villain. While Battle of the Realms' original score didn't immediately grab my attention, that's not exactly a complaint -- the Mortal Kombat games I'm familiar with didn't always rely heavily on dramatic, sweeping cues to sell the brutality either. Simply put, this is another effects-focused and often punishing lossless track that gives die-hard fans exactly what they want.

A few foreign dubs and subtitles, including English (SDH), are included during the main feature and select extras; these are formatted nicely with no blatant errors and synced perfectly with the audio tracks I sampled.

Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Similarly to Scorpion's Revenge. this two-disc release ships in a dual-hubbed keepcase (not eco-friendly this time around) with colorful artwork, a matching slipcover, and a Digital Copy slip tucked inside. The bonus features listed below are all found on the included Blu-ray. Again, why no audio commentary on the 4K?

• The God and the Dragon: Battling for Earthrealm (7:05) - Another short and mostly promotional behind-the-scenes featurette with comments from a few key cast and crew members including director Ethan Spaulding, MK co-creator Ed Boon, voice actor Jordan Rodrigues (Liu Kang), storyboard artist Milo Neuman, and more.

• Voices of Kombat (8:34) - Several of the same participants return -- along with a few more voice actors, of course -- to speak about the on-set experience (with studio footage) and their respective characters.

• Kombat Gags (4:06) - A short gag reel with more in-studio voice work, some of it creatively layered over still frames and clips from the finished film. Lots of Johnny Cage and plenty of cuss words, too!

• Audio Commentary - Producer Rick Morales and screenwriter Jeremy Adams return for another feature-length track to discuss plenty of odds and ends. Highlights include the second "WB Animation" opening gag, picking up where Scorpion's Revenge left off, setting the proper tone, comparisons and contrast to the first film, reuniting with the cast, early drafts of the script, other unused ideas, a few character backstories, returning to R-rated territory, storyboards vs. finished scenes, dream fights, Easter eggs, and much more.

Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Ethan Spaulding's Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms, like its predecessor Scorpion's Revenge, is a bold and violent animated adaptation of a beloved franchise that, for many die-hard fans, will play better than this year's live action reboot. But it's a step down from that earlier animated film, going all-in on the blood, carnage, and gory deaths while cramming too many subplots into its remaining runtime which, at only 70 minutes, never gets enough room to reach a truly satisfying conclusion. But it's well-done otherwise with great fundamentals, including solid voice work and striking, angular animation with kinetic special effects sprinkled throughout, so fans will obviously find much to enjoy here anyway. Warner Bros.' 4K package follows the template of Scorpion's Revenge, pairing a top-tier A/V presentation with a handful of lightweight and enjoyable bonus features. Recommended to the right krowd.