Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match [4K Ultra HD]

Director: Ethan Spaulding

Cast: Joel McHale, Jennifer Grey, Gilbert Gottfried (VOICES)

Release Date: October 17, 2023

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 8/10
Disc Rating: 6.5/10

Synopsis:

Neon lights… Suits with shoulder pads… Jumping from explosions in slow motion… In 1980s Hollywood, action star Johnny Cage (Joel McHale) is looking to become an A-list actor. But when his costar, Jennifer (Jennifer Grey), goes missing from set, Johnny finds himself thrust into a world filled with shadows, danger and deceit. As he embarks on a bloody journey, Johnny quickly discovers the City of Angels has more than a few devils in its midst. He faces off against a sinister secret society plotting a nefarious scheme, but the brutal fight against the bloodthirsty warriors of the Netherrealm is just beginning. Can Johnny, alongside other Mortal Kombat legends, save humanity…and, more importantly, his career?

Please Note: Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray I reviewed in this Post. The opinions I share are my own.

‘Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match’ takes viewers back to the neon lights and bright, baggy fashions of Hollywood in the 1980’s and joins cocky action star Johnny Cage who is filming an action flick called “Ninja Mime” that he hopes will help propel him to A-list star status. But when the movie’s future and release is threatened following the mysterious disappearance of his beloved co-star Jennifer, Johnny sets out with some help from his dedicated assistant to try and locate her. Before long Johnny and his assistant find themselves thrust into one deadly and unexplainable situation after another that Johnny must fight his way through, but this star isn’t about to give up on his career or his co-star, no matter just how much insanity and danger might stand between himself and stardom.

‘Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match’ offers fans a drastically different type of film than the previous three installments in the animated movie series, and perhaps one of the most enjoyable ones yet in addition. As opposed to the style of the previous three animated features or that of other Mortal Kombat screen films ‘Cage Match’ is basically a wild, loud, bloody and splendidly cheesy ‘80s action flick starring Johnny Cage, merely animated. It delivers one wild, violent and hilariously fun sequence after another that sends our hero of sorts into the dangerous depths of Hollywood’s seedy underbelly as he searches for his beloved co-star whose disappearance might mean the end of his career and throws Johnny and his faithful assistant into one violent and dangerous situation after another.

Utilizing his witty charm and cocky attitude, Johnny refuses to relent on his mission and is never hesitant to fight his way out of any and every surprise encounter or dangerous confrontation he comes across and the result is a wildly enjoyable and fast-paced good time that should prove to be a great deal of fun for anyone that enjoyed the cheesy and violent action movies of the 1980’s that this takes its inspiration from. It may be quite the change from the typical Mortal Kombat story, but it’s ability to so perfectly embrace and mimic those action films of old and the impeccable placement of Cage within that sort of world quickly allow this one to become something special and quite clever in its own right; not to mention a ride that you’ll definitely want to strongly consider taking. The new film is capably guided along by director Ethan Spaulding and further benefitting from a great voice cast that includes Joel McHale, Jennifer Grey, Gilbert Gottfried, Dusan Brown, Grey DeLisle and more that each do their own part to contribute to the fun along the way.

Overall, ‘Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match’ is a massively enjoyable, goofy and often quite violent new installment in the animated film series that breathes some fun and unique new life into this animated movie series and also perfectly utilizes Joel McHale who again proves to be utterly perfect in the (voice) role of Johnny Cage. ‘Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match’ is highly recommended, especially for fans of the previous ‘Mortal Kombat Legends’ animated movies, as well as anyone that enjoys the fun, cheesy and violent ‘80s action flicks which clearly serve as the inspiration for this clever and delightfully goofy ride. If you’re already even mildly interested in this one it should be well worth taking the time to rent a copy and give it a whirl whenever possible, and fans of the series and character shouldn’t be too surprised if you end up also wanting to purchase a copy sometime thereafter.

VIDEO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match’ features a full 2160p Ultra High Definition presentation with HDR-10, presented in its original 1.78:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks great as a whole and offers a clean, sharp and richly detailed presentation from start to finish that holds up nicely throughout and never suffers from any noticeable issues or faults to be uncovered along the way. It shows rich detail and clarity down to nearly every animated line with character faces and clothing, buses and city backgrounds, plus plenty more looking clean and sharp. The HDR-10 addition also contributes nicely to the overall appearance and provides bright, vivid colors that look warm and full-bodied throughout. Overall, this is a very nice Ultra High Definition video presentation that looks good every step of the way and should easily please fans.

AUDIO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release features a 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This multichannel soundtrack makes a splendid complement to the onscreen fun and excitement, delivering a clean, crisp and at times quite aggressive audio presentation throughout. It consistently utilizes all five available channels throughout in order to send music, along with vehicle, action and nature effects, plus plenty more regularly zipping throughout the various speakers at every fitting opportunity, while never resulting in any dialogue or other audio elements that might be occurring simultaneously becoming distorted or negatively affected in the process. Overall, this is a solid 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack that does its job well and shouldn’t leave viewers disappointed.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match’ includes a couple of noteworthy extras that fans of the series should enjoy. Included on the release is an ‘Audio Commentary with Producers Rick Morales and Jim Krieg and Screenwriter Jeremy Adams’, in addition to the Featurette ‘What Would Johnny Cage Do?’ (running approximately 10 minutes in length). Also included is the faux movie trailer for “Ninja Mime” (running approximately 1 minute).

*Please note: The above images are taken from the film’s Trailer and are not reflective of the actual 4K Ultra HD release or its quality. A standard Blu-ray copy of the film was not included in the release that could be used for screenshots therefore the above images were utilized. All content and images from the film are the property of Warner Bros. Discovery and any other respective owners.

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Film Rating: 8/10
Disc Rating: 6.5/10

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‘Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match’ is Now Available to Own on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray & Digital from Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment

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