If someone tried to tell you he was a thunder god and that the world was doomed, would you believe him?
After what could generously be called a couple of “low weeks” following the action-light and exposition-heavy pair of episodes featuring Mileena and Kitana, Mortal Kombat: Legacy has upped its game with what could very well be the best episode so far.
This week’s episode focuses on the thunder god Raiden, played by Ryan Robbins, who also appeared in Battlestar Galactica and Caprica. Where previous episodes have stuck quite closely to the videogame continuity, this installment really breaks away from it, and does something new. In fact, the episode actually opens with a disclaimer from director Kevin Tancharoen, saying that this won’t be the Raiden that viewers are necessarily familiar with.
There’s actually very little fighting in the episode, but Tancharoen and the actors maintain a great atmosphere, so you don’t really notice. The story hinges on Raiden not being able to convince his captors that he’s telling the truth about who he is, and why he has to leave. It’s not the most original idea – the first two Terminator movies got to it a long time before Tancharoen did – but it works very well. It’s also the episode most like Tancharoen’s stunning short, Mortal Kombat: Rebirth, which is what got people excited about a live action Mortal Kombat project in the first place.
Along with Rebirth, this episode shows that there’s a lot that can be done with the Mortal Kombat canon other than slavish recreation. If future episodes continue in this vein, this show could make for some pretty compelling viewing.
Source: Machinima
