User reviews

Some of the fight scenes have stage transitions and the fights end in bloody defeat for the other character, that was enough for me to like it.

Enjoyed the art style, even if it was for yet another 80's themed movie aesthetic.

So apparently I can't post a review that short. Now I have to fill up this review with words just to post about a movie that I enjoyed. It makes sense why some of the reviews on here that I've read seem to drag.

By the time I hit the word count I'm probably going to dislike the movie.

The performances from the voice actors were fine, although hearing Gilbert Gottfried's voice was a lovely surprise.

When this movie was first announced, I got super pumped up. Johnny Cage has always been one of my favourite personalities in the Mortal Kombat Universe.

Therefore, I was eager to see his side of the story, but alas! My expectations were not fulfilled, mainly due to a lacklustre direction that had opted for style over substance.

Considering it was supposed to be a 'Johnny Cage' extravaganza, I wouldn't have been bothered by it if only this approach hadn't compromised the natural flow of the narrative, which lacked both charm and spirit and surprisingly so!

P. S. I cherished the 80s-inspired Music. It did not come as a surprise, though; I have always admired such style of tracks, and this was no exception.

If you are paying attention, it seems that in our new "woke" universe, merely trying to do something is now literally as good as actually doing it. By that odd logic, this film should be a "10." Because, in every scene, and with every line of dialog, it tries so darn hard to get the formula right -- yet fails repeatedly -- that the end result is almost painful to watch. The MK universe is not my favorite part of Warner Animation, but it can be fun when it works. Here it does not not work. Clearly the writing team had watched one too many episodes of Archer -- because the entire movie is mainly swagger and little else. Martial Arts? Barely an afterthought. For diehard fans of the franchise only -- and even then you may not like what you see. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

'Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match (2023)' is the latest in a series of animated movies showcasing the origins of various characters from the 'Mortal Kombat' universe. It's interesting because these films all seem to contradict one another, which makes the 'Legends' part of their title all the more apt because there's a sense that these stories have been passed down through the generations and exist to expand upon the legacies of important in-universe figures. They're almost like bedtime stories within this world, and whether or not they're factual is irrelevant to their function as folk lore. On a more practical level, the fact that these features aren't beholden to each other allows the filmmakers to go all-out with their individual efforts. The stories pretty much all work as standalone features, despite their shared characters and casts, and it's quite refreshing that you don't have to be totally immersed in a specific series of pre-existing stories simply to engage with them.

This latest effort focuses on loud-mouthed, JCVD-based Johnny Cage and depicts his rise from D-list actor to saviour of the world (and back to B-list actor). With only a handful of characters from the 'Mortal Kombat' universe (at least that I recognised), this feels far less connected to its wider canon than the other entries in its series. It's also easily the least effective of those experiences, largely because the first fifteen minutes or so are almost unbearably on the nose and cheesy. Thankfully, things do improve once the plot is properly underway and you've gotten used to the cocky lead character's bad jokes and propensity to pause the picture to speak directly to the audience (in many ways, he's like a less funny version of Deadpool). Cage has never been my favourite 'Mortal Kombat' character, but his presence as a side character is more than welcome in the other 'Legends' pictures. As the protagonist, he's a bit grating and also a bit bland. Joel McHale does a good job voicing him, though. He does exactly what he needs to and it's clear that the film wouldn't have been as enjoyable without him. Gilbert Gottfried gives one of his last performances and is entertaining as a foul-mouthed producer with something to hide, while Jennifer Grey surprises by playing an evil version of herself who has risen to Hollywood stardom by nefarious means. Other notable names in the cast include Kelly Hu, Phil LaMarr, Matthew Mercer, Zehra Fazal, Robin Atkin Downes and Dusan Brown, each of whom turn in dependable work.

The flick pushes for a stereotypically 80s aesthetic by soaking its wavy hair, shoulder pads and too-big suits in bright neon hues, ensuring almost every scene is backlit by some sort of comically unsubtle colour that typically has no basis in the scene itself. The visuals are reminiscent of a Saturday morning cartoon, which is what makes the violence all the more jarring (even though this one is considerably less explicit than its predecessors). The action scenes are mostly exciting and engaging, even if some of the animation struggles to keep up with the pace and dynamism necessary for this type of choreography to work as well as it possibly can. In addition to its frequent (and expected) fighting, the film has a fair few moments that are actually pretty funny. Comedy is quite a large part of the affair and, while much of it falls flat, the infrequent moments that make you laugh go a long way in making the movie as enjoyable as it ultimately is. It helps that it's mostly a well-paced experience that doesn't have any notably baggy segments.

In the end, this is a solid animated action-comedy with strong voice work and some humorous moments. The fight scenes are entertaining and the narrative, while incredibly generic, keeps you engaged throughout the brisk runtime. It's the least effective of its series, but it's still a fair bit of fun.

The final instalment of the Mortal Kombat Legends Kollection series stars Johnny Cage as the lead in a retelling of his story from youth to star during the 1980's time period.

The animation is outstanding as is the entire series of films yet this film has a different atmosphere to stand out with the 1980's retro vibe by the bright fluorescent lights of purple, pink, orange, blue and other bright colors.

The story isn't too bad but it's still enjoyable to a degree. It becomes a little over the top in the second half when Johnny finds his co-star Jennifer (ironically they never mention her last name- as we find out its actress Jennifer Grey portraying an exaggerated version of herself as the end credits say "Jennifer Grey as Herself") then it becomes this demon, devil satanic underworld realm type of film air over the top characters turning into monsters and demons. The violence and gore turns up a notch.

Overall it's still highly enjoyable and possibly the second best of the series (Scorpion's Revenge is still superior) especially for fans of Mortal Kombat as well as Johnny Cage fans.

I can see why having the second one, which is tied to the first, puts you in a corner, but this one makes NO SENSE. Where are the MK characters? I get the third one was somewhat experimental, elseworld, whatever, but it actually had fights and MK faces.... this... I was expecting John Constantine to pop out, the difference being that John Constantine is more serious and better written. This does nothing for the MK franchise and the movie is very very weak. How did we go from Scorpion's Revenge to this I have no idea. I would not recommend this movie to any MK fan or martial arts movies fan or gore fan.... because it has none of that. The blood in this seems so out of place and in no way in line with the movie, if it does something it makes the movie worse, not better. It's a mess. Usually WB does great animations, better than the live action movies a lot of the times, but this is.... Shazam 2 level.

If you're gonna get hung up on the MK mythos and source material, it may not be for you; but as a fan of the 80s and the aesthetic, this movie delivers. The look, the music, even the animation style all is of that era. They do a really fantastic job with the animation and color choices to mix MK with Miami Vice. McHale NAILS the voice and cockiness of Cage and the rest of the voice cast (Jennifer Grey anyone?!) does a great job too. Adams has been pumping out fun animated scripts for years at WB and this may be my favorite that he's done. I appreciate that it's a bit of a standalone movie so that Cage can shine. If you like the character and just wanna laugh and have fun, then this movie is for you. Laughed so many times and the MK action and fighting and FINISHING MOVES are all there. Loved it.

Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match is the fourth entry in the Mortal Kombat Legends DTV film series, and it is an interesting entry for me, as it not only stars Johnny Cage, one of my favorite MK characters, but is also a neat movie set in the 1980's.

In the movie, Johnny Cage is about to have his big break filming the movie Ninja Mime. However, the movie is in danger of being unfinished when co-star Jennifer Grey goes missing. Going to her mansion, she sees the place is a mess, and going into her bedroom, he witnesses two women fighting over a scroll. This puts him in the middle of a plot by a cult known as the Brotherhood of Shadow to bring their god, Shinnok, into Earthrealm.

Okay, for a Mortal Kombat movie, Cage Match not only succeeds in keeping the violence and gore the franchise is infamous for, but also making it a cheesy 80's action comedy that fits Johnny Cage's role of comic relief real well. Joel McHale returns to voice the Hollywood airhead from the first two Mortal Kombat Legends films after being absent in the last film, Snow Blind, and Jennifer Grey is in this voicing herself as well as Sareena. Also, Kelly Hu is the voice Ashrah, and Robin Atkins Downs returns as the voice of Shinnok, also reprising the role from Scorpion's Revenge and Battle of the Realms. But the greatest voice role here is David Doubldy, who is voiced by the late Gilbert Gotfried, this being his final film role before his passing (with the movie one of the few media to be dedicated to his memory).

A great departure from the past three films, Cage Match aims for being a cheesy 80's action comedy. Johnny Cage is spewing one-liners and jokes as usual, and the film embraces how cheesy it is, alongside its various references to 1980's pop culture. However, it still keeps the action as well as the violence and gore that fans of Mortal Kombat come to expect. Johnny gets a backstory to how he became skilled in martial arts, and the 80's style soundtrack is awesome.

Very funny, cheesy 80's vibe and great action. If you don't like 80's action style you won't like this. Hilarious that Jennifer Grey plays herself in this movie. Love how they use cliche Hollywood tropes in the movie while simultaneously poking fun at them. I thought the action was good and the dialog was fun. Voice acting was superb, loved hearing Gilbert as a talent agent that was hilarious. Anyone who says this movie was bad needs to take a chill pill and stop being so serious. This was intended to be campy so embrace the suck and enjoy it for what it is: a 4th wall breaking, blood and guts action/comedy cartoon.

Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match fully embraces the personality of its self obsessed title character and it makes this entry the best since they started these. This has such a unique personality to it, helped by the fact that it's focusing on the best character. The one off story approach really works for these, so far.

Joel McHale remains a great choice for Johnny Cage, it's his third and best time as the character. He once again nails that complete lack of modesty and it's particularly impressive that despite being the lead as well as narrating the whole thing, he never becomes grating.

Ethan Spaulding's direction is helped massively by the 80s setting which allows him to imbue everything with so much more style than the previous ones (lots of neon in this one). The score by John Jennings Boyd and Eric V. Hachikian also benefits a lot from the 80s setting, giving it the opportunity to go very synth heavy.

Holy freaking heck.

How does these guys make animated movies better and better every freaking time? I have no idea! But I think 5.8 at the moment is a LOW offer. The movie has massive amount of references and easter eggs, and is super funny too! I loved watching it.. and especially because t was first animated movie with Retrowave theme! It was absolutely awesome!

I never really would choose cage to start with, so although of course its a popular character in Mortal Kombat games and in the first movie... I wouldn't think there can be as awesome movie to make about him. I am much impressed! Congratulations to the studio, and thank you!

Cheesy fun action. The film is hilarious! I hope they make more Cage films!

When i sat down to watch this i had no expectations of what to expect, i went in totally blind and it blew me away. The voice acting is great. The writing is fun cheese, don't go in expecting a heavy drama or anything like some people have oddly bemoaned. The creators knew exactly what they wanted to make and made it. The fighting is furious and fast, though this is definitely more of a komedy than a pure action film.

The 80's style was fun. Animation was solid. I liked the use of colors. Some of the music was riffs of classics, which was a bit odd, but maybe the budget didn't allow for eye of the tiger.

Mortal Kombat Legacy: Cage Match - Review A slow-burner with 80s flair - 9/10

Mortal Kombat Legacy: Cage Match takes a unique approach, blending Die Hard-inspired action with wuxia fantasy. While the pace is slow, it builds tension and atmosphere, paying off with compelling character moments and intense martial arts sequences.

Joel McHale shines as Johnny Cage, bringing his signature charm and humor to the role, while Kelly Hu's Ashrah offers a grounded and determined presence. A poignant highlight is the late Gilbert Gottfried's final performance, delivering a memorable and fitting send-off.

With its 80s-inspired action and a focus on character depth, Cage Match stands out as a surprisingly intricate and heartfelt addition to the Mortal Kombat legacy.

I watched it 2 years ago and now i am making my review of it ... It was amazing like the other mortal kombat animations before I request that you make another one for 2026... Thanks.

I watched it 2 years ago and now i am making my review of it ... It was amazing like the other mortal kombat animations before I request that you make another one for 2026... Thanks.

I watched it 2 years ago and now i am making my review of it ... It was amazing like the other mortal kombat animations before I request that you make another one for 2026... Thanks.

I watched it 2 years ago and now i am making my review of it ... It was amazing like the other mortal kombat animations before I request that you make another one for 2026... Thanks.

Easily one of the best the Legends animated movies have to offer! I should also address that a lot of the fan base is, for lack of a better word, "split", on how they feel about this adventure. They seem to feel a little mixed about it, due to it's lack of the traditional lineup, but this movie is endless fun, filled with badass 80s rifftrax, and anything a fan could ask for!

Admittedly, it's a shame that there weren't a lot of other characters from the game, such as Scorpion and Sub-Zero, but I won't let that ruin this movie for me. Also, Raiden was beyond underused in this movie, but it brings back a lot of obscure, and/or forgotten characters from the classic Midway era, and that's enough to make up for that. Also, technically Scorpion is actually in the movie, but just his 1995 sprite recycled for the PlayStation 1 or Nintendo 64 compilation Mortal Kombat game, just minus the actual voice.

If you want a Johnny Cage movie, this is definitely the one for you! Always worth the watch everything you revisit it! I enjoyed this one as much as the '95 movie, as well as Scorpion's Revenge, Snow Blind, and to a lesser extent, Battle of the Realms, and the recent movie from a few years ago. Johnny Cage is the vessel for anyone over 30 years old to go back to their childhoods, renting Van Damme VHS tapes from Blockbuster Video, and feeling like they've truly returned to their youth! For those who haven't seen this one yet, and/or plan to see it, prepare yourself!! Check out that kick ass album from the 90s, too, in order to get that reference! Finish it!!

Incredible. Ignore the negative reviews, if you love 80s vibes, colors, gore, mortal kombat, have an open mind, humor...this is for you. I found some parts could be better but darn near perfect in my eyes. The sound track rips. Moments when Johnny was down then power up , and the music kicks in..was super badass. This movie is mostly badass.

This movie was still a fun movie to watch but I felt it was much slower and it felt more like a completely different story with mortal kombat characters simply added to it. It was fun to watch Johnny be joined by ashrah as the two protagonists. I enjoyed seeing ashrah get the spotlight in the movie since she has never been in one. Jennifer gray and sareenas combination in the storyline was also kind of cool but a little weird too. Shinnok makes a good villain in this film as well. It was also cool to see characters like raiden and also Kia make an appearance and play a role. I expected Kia to play a larger role since she is on the front cover of the movie but she was still played well by Grey delisle, who played kitana in mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpions Revenge and Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms. Although her role wasn't as big since she got taken out hilariously by the bus, it was fun to see her in the movie. Overall still a good watch but not necessary to see as a mortal kombat fan.