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 just the beginning.
Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match is the fourth of these new animated Mortal Kombat films, so far I have found these films to be quite great. Each of these films tell a pretty interesting story to tell in each installment and have this Saturday morning cartoon feel you completely get invested in.
Cage Match is no exception, it focuses on the origins of Johnny Cage a classic Mortal Kombat character who's been there since the beginning. This is yet another one of these films (much like the previous film Snow Blind) that doesn't focus on the tournaments, Cage Match has this 80s Hollywood style too it that matches well with Johnny Cage. You can actually look at this movie as a goofy love letter to the 80s which actually did surprise me a bit.
The voice cast do a solid job here, Joel McHale is immediately fitting as Johnny Cage. One of Gilbert Gottfrieds final performances is here and while it's not a huge part he still plays his part incredibly well and is definitely one of the most memorable parts of the film. The writing has its weak points as there's not a whole lot thematically going on here, it's a very basic "this person is missing and you have to find them" sort of deal. But what makes it investing is how fitting Johnny Cage really is in the film.
Johnny Cage interacting with everyone he comes across is just a lot of fun, he has that type of feel that a lot of Saturday morning cartoon protagonists had and it absolutely fits his character. Out of the four animated films Cage Match is the one that has the least connections to the Mortal Kombat franchise, while yes there's a few characters here and of course Johnny Cage himself. But the movie really is much more focused on Cage's backstory rather than throwing in connections which is a very good thing.
Cage Match does suffer a bit from having a slow start but quickly gains ground once the mystery itself kicks in, Cage's one liners can get old very quickly and depending how you feel about 80s pop culture references you might get annoyed quickly. But for the most part Cage Match is a solid addition to the series.
Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match is available on all VOd platforms.
7/10 B
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