Flawless Failure
USA Network, 1996
When it comes to the fighting games genre, none have spawned as many controversies as the Mortal Kombat series. The over the top violence, blood, gore, and gruesome fatalities spurned the anger of parental groups, and eventually lead to the birth of the ESRB rating system. But like the saying goes, controversy creates cash, and MK would become one of the most successful fighting game franchises ever. And with any successful franchise in the 80's or 90's, of course there would be an animated series based on it. And MK: Defenders of the Realm was created as part of the USA Network's "Action Express" Lineup. But how could you take a franchise as violent and brutal as Mortal Kombat and make it a kid's cartoon series?
Plenty of Neutering, that's how.
So let's begin the battle, and review the first episode of Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm
As the opening stated, the plot takes place somewhere during the Mortal Kombat 3 game, considering that the outworld is invading the earth realm, and our heroes are made up of characters from MK3 and UMK3.
We begin the first episode with...
A guy wrestling a wolf. Is this some sort of crazy animality situation? No, it's just Nightwolf and his wolf Kiva. I guess brawling with one another is their form of playing, which says more about Nightwolf than I ever thought I'd need to think. It appears that Nightwolf is the standard computer guy of the Kombat Team. He informs Liu Kang and the others that Cybers lead by Sektor and Cyrax are invading. After informing Kang of the situation, Nightwolf then says "Mortal Kombat begins again". Uh, by the looks of things, it's been underway for long before the Cybers showed up.
The group consists of Liu Kang, Jax, Sonya Blade, Kitana, and Curtis Stryker. While Stryker wants them to take it slow, Sonya, being the battle hungry nut jumps into battle, shouting the show's catchphrase "Kombat Time". Well, it's no "Let's get warty". The group follows suit (Except Kitana), and begin to battle to robots, using their many different special moves from the games. Kitana battles with Sektor, who may have easily the most annoying voice I've heard in a cartoon almost ever. It sounds like the noise the Cybers make in MK3, only in English.
Kitana easily disposes of Sektor, and is followed with the arbitrary "Kang and Kitana love each other" situation. As more Cybers lead by Cyrax show up, the group is saved by Sub Zero. The group, who at first are wary of Sub Zero due to his past, decide to join in and help him. Sonya yells Kombat Time again, and they chase off the rest of the Cybers who escape into the portal they came in. Stryker uses some device inside his nightstick to close the portal.
Through Kang's memory we see the battle with the original Sub Zero, and Kang. This battle is ripped almost exactly from the original movie, which Kang defeats him with a bucket of water. Probably the best thing in this episode so far, considering it actually feels like something from Mortal Kombat. Back in the present, Sub Zero warns them that Scorpion is coming from the Outworld. And suddenly Raiden shows up to say the same thing, as Sonya continues to pretty much be a total bitch. After some corny dialogue, Raiden says "Kick your jets and jam" (????), as the group enter their Dragon Jets and head to their hideout.
This cartoon is already feeling less MK, and more G.I Joe. and not in the good way.
The group head to their base. after some explaination of the current situations, more lame puns, and Sonya being bitchy, the group learn of another attack. Not by Scorpion, but by the Nomad (AKA Baraka creatures). And, considering she's been a loudmouth since the beginning, Sonya immediately blames Sub Zero. As Raiden deals with Sub Zero, the rest do battle with the Nomad in a rather underwhelming aerial battle. as Raiden leaves to create a portal, the base is Invaded by more of the Nomad.
Kiva jumps into Nightwolf, which gives him his super powers, as he and Sub Zero defeat the Nomad that enter the cave. After defeating them, Raiden banishes the Nomad to a dimension of no return. Sub Zero proves himself to the others, and Sonya apologizes. But before they can relax, it appears Scorpion has arrived.
So after looking at the first episode, it shows just how lackluster this show is. It takes the cool characters of the Mortal Kombat franchise, and throws lame puns, and even lamer G.I Joe style stuff with them. If the show had a PSA at the end, one could say it was a soulless carbon copy. Though to be fair, the majority of action cartoons in the 90's were either trying to be a Turtles of Joe clone, so it's not the only one.
Still, it could be worse, It could be this..
A crappy CGI, and even crappier traditional animated direct to video mess.
But that will have to wait until next time.