Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match

So here is the problem with the previous Mortal Kombat animated films: When kids used to play the games back in the 1990's we used to giggle at the gore and violence. It was subversive, and the Fatalities were freaking hilarious. The second and third games really leaned into the humor of the franchise not just with the Friendships and the Babalities. But the Special Pong Level says this is a funny, messed up franchise.

And while the first animated movie was all right, the second (and the third ESPECIALLY) messed up by making the violence horrific and tragic. The first film had that too, but it had a decent story to back it up. The next two movies, especially the third, didn't actually understand that people actually ENJOYED the videogames. They were not horror games. People playing them found them funny. And playing all this as horrible and soul-crushingly depressing instead of funny means the producers of the movies didn't understand the videogames or why kids played them. The filmmakers didn't get their own franchise. Problem there.

Make no mistake: Kids loved those games. Another reason making R-rated movies that are depressing and no fun is ill advised.

I'm not gonna say the movie is funny. That's perhaps giving it a comedic due it hasn't rightly earned. But the violence is PLAYED as funny. Which is how it should be. I have said there are almost no great R-rated animated films, and even good ones are super rare. I'll call this a pretty good one. That's actually me going out on a pretty big limb, but it feels true.

Jennifer is not given a last name in the movie but the credits says Jennifer Grey is playing herself. I love that.

And while I didn't find Gilbert Gottfried's role very funny, the fact that it was one of his final roles, and the that the film was dedicated to him at the end made me enjoy it nonetheless.

As far as cartoons go, I'm a traditionalist. I think actions cartoons have their place, but the good action cartoons, the ones I respond to, have a sense of humor. I think as a rule cartoons and comics should be funny. Even the supposedly dramatic stuff should have jokes in it. So it gets my stamp of approval for THAT at least. 4 stars.