Overview: Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms picks up shortly after the explosive finale of Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge, the 2020 blockbuster hit that initiated these animated films – which are based on one of the most popular videogame franchises in history.

In Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms, our team of heroes are besieged by the enemy forces of Shao Kahn – forcing Raiden and his group of warriors into a deal to compete in a final Mortal Kombat that will determine the fate of the realms.

Now our heroes must travel to Outworld in order to defend Earthrealm and, simultaneously, Scorpion must find the ancient Kamidogu before it’s used to resurrect the One Being – which would mean certain destruction of all things in the universe.

Time is short and the stakes are high in this action-packed continuation of the Mortal Kombat journey.

4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Verdict: Studio Distribution Services / Warner Bros. is expanding their 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray catalog offerings this month with the release of the spectacularly colorful and thrillingly graphic Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms coming to 4K Ultra HD video format this August 31st, 2021.

For my money, this Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms: 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital combo packs sharpness takes a fairly large step forward from others in their 4K Ultra HD catalog and even comes with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for the complete 4K Ultra HD experience, of course.

So, what we have is Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms presented to us as a two-disc combo pack with a sheet for a Digital HD Copy. Other stand out points you should know are: Codec: HEVC / H.265 Resolution: Upscaled 4K (2160p), HDR: HDR10 and Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1.

Featuring Dolby Vision and HDR10 for brighter, deeper, and way more lifelike colors, as with most all 4K UHDs, everything that we watch features these qualities - but somehow, this film gloriously shines within them all.

Noticeably crisper with the overall clarity receiving an obvious boost here on this release, what is more is that it is enjoyably noticeable.

As for the story itself, well, as aforementioned, the movie picks up right after Scorpion’s Revenge where the heroes are attacked by Shao Kahn, which will force Raiden and his group of warriors into a deal to compete in a final Mortal Kombat that will determine the fate of the realms.

This forces the good guys to travel to Outworld defend Earthrealm while Scorpion journeys to find the Kamidogu (a mystic relic made by the almighty Elder Gods) before it is used to bring back the mysterious One Being, who would destroy the universe.

Joel McHale (Community, Stargirl) and Jennifer Carpenter (Dexter, Batman: Gotham by Gaslight) return to their lead roles as Hollywood star-turned-fighter Johnny Cage and all-business warrior Sonya Blade, respectively.

Also returning for the sequel are Jordan Rodrigues (Lady Bird) as Liu Kang; Patrick Seitz (Mortal Kombat X) as Scorpion & Hanzo Hasashi; Artt Butler (Her) as Shang Tsung & Cyrax; Robin Atkin Downes (Batman: The Killing Joke) as Shinnok & Reiko; Dave B. Mitchell (Mortal Kombat 11) as Raiden, Kintaro & Sektor; Ikè Amadi (Mortal Kombat 11) as Jax Briggs & One Being; Grey Griffin (The Loud House) as Kitana, Satoshi Hasashi & Mileena; and Fred Tatasciore (Robot Chicken) as Shao Kahn.

In truth, I personally love this kind of warner animation, BUT you should be very aware - all those parents out there with kids wanting to see this - that if you click on the Green and Red Band Trailer links below you will quickly not only see the HUGE difference between the two choices, but exactly what you are allowing your kids to view (so be careful!)

Anyway, moving on and as I’m sure you are all well aware by now, Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms is relentlessly aimed directly at the hardcore Mortal Kombat fans (of which there are just oh-so many, even after all these years).

Overflowing with tongue in cheek references, most all of which true fans will get, the others they will simply fly over their heads, it also comes complete with an abundance of bone-crunching scenes of gratuitous violence (as alluded to above).

As you can imagine, the visuals here are most always spot on, but can still feel a little rushed, a little off color in some of the faster scenes.

That said, the backgrounds are simply divine, fully orchestrated for integration into a scene at any time, and overall do a wonderful job of expressing the true look of the locations chosen from the games (stand outs for me personally were both the Lin Kuei Temple from MKX and Kahn’s Arena from MK2).

As for the characters overall, their designs are upgraded here, that’s plainly evident, but we still get presented with heavily-chiseled faces with chins that could seemingly break stone!

Again, the animation does more than its fair share of carrying the movie forward in the series and with some fun fight choreography thrown in for good measure, it definitely starts to take on the look of the game.

In closing, Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms is a thoroughly entertaining near 90 minute adventure that will most definitely appeal to hardcore Mortal Kombat fans all around the world. Highly recommended.

Extras & Special Features:
● The God and the Dragon: Battling for Earthrealm (Featurette) - Go behind the scenes and inside the creative process of bringing Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms to action-packed life on screen.

● Voices of Kombat (Featurette) - Join Joel McHale, Jennifer Carpenter, and the cast as they detail the process of creating unique and compelling voices for the larger than life characters in the film.

● Kombat Gags: Gag Reel (Featurette) - Step inside the VO booth with the cast of the film for all of the flubbed lines and outrageously improvised lines from the cutting room floor.

● Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms Audio Commentary (Audio Only) - Producer Rick Morales and Screenwriter Jeremy Adams take the audience inside the art of writing and animating the film in this feature length audio commentary.

The fate of the universe once again hangs in the balance as warriors come together for one final clash in Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms, an all-new, feature-length film produced by Warner Bros. Animation in coordination with NetherRealm Studios and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

The film arrives from Studio Distribution Services / Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on Digital, Blu-ray, and 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack on August 31st, 2021.

Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms will be available on Blu-ray (US $29.98 SRP; Canada $39.99 SRP) and 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack (USA $39.99 SRP; Canada $44.98 SRP) and Digital.

The Blu-ray features a Blu-ray disc with the film in hi-definition and a digital version of the movie. The 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack features an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc in 4K with HDR, a Blu-ray disc featuring the film in hi-definition, and a digital version of the movie.

Pre-orders will be available for the Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack beginning June 28th, 2021, and for Digital starting on July 8th, 2021.

Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms | Green Band Trailer | Warner Bros. Entertainment

Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms | Red Band Trailer | Warner Bros. Entertainment

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