Throughout the 1990s, the Mortal Kombat franchise experimented somewhat extensively with media outside of video games. Since the series reached its first peak in popularity at the time, it made sense for studios and companies to adapt Mortal Kombat to film and television. The series’ multimedia ventures took an extended hiatus throughout the 2000s and 2020s aside from Mortal Kombat: Legacy, but now that recent mainline installments like Mortal Kombat 11 have sold like hotcakes, it seems that Warner Bros. has felt emboldened to restart Mortal Kombat’s multimedia campaign. A new Mortal Kombat film released earlier this year while garnering major commercial success, and now Warner Bros. has revealed the red band trailer for Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms, a new animated film set in the Mortal Kombat universe.
The red band trailer wastes no time in showcasing the brutal, over-the-top violence that made the series famous. It begins with three Tarkata maiming two parents before Raiden comes in and causes the killers’ bodies to explode with his lightning powers. And the violence continues to escalate from there. Battle of the Realms‘ premise sees Shao Kahn and the warriors of Earthrealm agreeing to one last tournament that will decide the fate of all realms. Along with the trademark violence, numerous characters from throughout the series make their appearance, and the trailer just cannot seem to resist adding yet another “get over here” reference.
A sequel to a surprise hit
Battle of the Realms serves as a sequel to 2020’s Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge. Much like the sequel, Scorpion’s Revenge featured many of the series’ recognizable faces, but it mainly focused on Scorpion as he sought revenge against Sub-Zero for murdering both him and his family. The film actually received a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a rarity for these kinds of video game adaptations. Because of this, fans have plenty of reason to get hyped over the trailer and Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms in general.
