Mortal Kombat: Legacy

So I've told you about Mortal Kombat: Legacy before.  I watched the first episode when it debuted, and it was amazing.  And I totally missed out on the rest of the episodes, so I had to catch up.  Let me tell you: they are gloriously realistic.  There's one episode left, episode 9, and I already want another season.  You can find all episodes here on youtube.  Linked is the first episode for you to watch.

Mortal Kombat: Legacy displays a harsh realistic grittiness, as close as realistic as Mortal Kombat can be in its otherworldliness.  If we had started the series with the Shao Kahn and Mileena and Kitana stories, it wouldn't have worked as well.  Rather, we start with Earth's Sonya Blade, Jax, and Stryker leading a strike force against mastermind criminal Kano, like an extreme CIA drama.  It's engages the audience and sets a tone, basing it in a reality, rather than a far-reaching fantasy. In this way, we also have a reference of Earth being lost to Kahn in the Mortal Kombat tournament.

Jeri Ryan and Sonya Blade

One of the best episodes revolves around Raiden, played by the ever-entertaining and impressive Ryan Robbins.  Raiden is held imprisoned in a mental hospital, where the doctors try to wipe his brain to rid of his grandeur of being the thunder god and protector of Earth.  It's tough to watch because it's so teeth clenching and sad, but it's so damn good.

Ryan Robbins as Lord Raiden

However, the Kitana and Mileena two-parter is infused with animated scenes.  I understand it cut the budget, and it would be an awful lot of blood and CGI, but it detracted from the stunning visuals and darkness of their story.  I think it worked, though.  It was just...slightly annoying because I sooo wanted to see a live action Kitana more.

The animated Kitana

Overall, I highly suggest it and am thoroughly glad I watched it.  The acting is great with many of our favorite sci-fi Canadian actors at work, and the introductory stories carry great weight to set up for the MK tournament.  We understand character motivations and characters themselves.