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Oct 26, 2023 · This year's Cage Match had the potential to do a number of things: first and foremost to go full tilt in its 80s throwback action movie vibe. But Cage has always been more of a comedy-infused character, so the second option would be to fashion more of a send-up, Archer-style.
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Action superstar Johnny Cage squares off against a sinister secret society that's plotting a nefarious scheme. However, the brutal fight against the bloodthirsty warriors of the Netherrealm is ...
- (4)
- Ethan Spaulding
- R
- Action, Adventure, Animation
Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match: Directed by Ethan Spaulding. With Joel McHale, Jennifer Grey, Dusan Brown, Grey Griffin. In 1980s Hollywood, struggling martial arts actor Johnny Cage searches for his missing co-star amidst a Los Angeles filled with bloodthirsty fighters.
- (1.9K)
- Animation, Action, Adventure
- Ethan Spaulding
- 2023-10-17
- The spotlight’s on Johnny
- Mortal Kombat's Bizarre History of Movie and TV Adaptations
- What's your favorite Mortal Kombat Legends movie so far?
- Verdict
- Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match Review
- More Reviews by Matt Donato
- IGN Recommends
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...
Review scoring
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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 is a 2023 American direct-to-video adult animated martial arts film based on the Mortal Kombat franchise, and produced by Warner Bros. Animation.
Jul 24, 2023 · Warner Bros unveiled the official trailer at San Diego Comic-Con for the latest direct-to-video animated Mortal Kombat movie. This one is called Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match, and it's the ...
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Oct 8, 2023 · Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match takes us back to the 1980s with Johnny Cage on a mission in Hollywood to become a famous actor. However, his world is about to change when his Ninja Mime movie co-star Jennifer Grey disappears, prompting him to track her down.
