Hollywood tackled the popular Mortal Kombat franchise with a live-action reboot a few years back; however, it fell short of delivering what the audience wanted to see. The sequel, Mortal Kombat II, gives more of what the fans want, blending martial arts action and a bloody good time.
As the first film introduced us to the main characters and gave them an origin story, Mortal Kombat II brings in some more characters while also focusing on the tournament itself. Filmmaker Simon McQuoid has the difficult task of telling a story in a fighting game adaptation that has a lot of lore to explore.
What he gets right is a more focused narrative during two-thirds of the film to help lay out the plot of the film.
There’s a course correction that the film makes that does improve upon the first installment while also introducing some new players in the mix. Some make a comeback and are better than ever. It seems like McQuoid saw what worked in the first film and listened to the audience in delivering a worthy sequel that every fan of the games would really enjoy.
Mortal Kombat II introduces Princess Kitana (Adeline Rudolph), who becomes the main focus of the story. She witnesses her father die at the hands of Outworld’s tyrant Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford) as he gains control of Edenia. Now the bloodthirsty ruler is out for Earthrealm as he and Kitana must face Earth’s champions to determine the fate of their worlds.
Back on Earth, we get to meet Johnny Cage (Karl Urban), a washed-up action movie star who has lost his sense of pride as his glory days are behind him. He finally has his calling when Lord Raiden (Tadanobu Asano) recruits him to join his team of warriors chosen to fight in a tournament to the death to save Earth from Outworld.
Mortal Kombat II definitely feels like a sequel where we are getting reacquainted with the characters from the first film, but it doesn’t feel like much explanation is needed on who they are. The only time things are explained are the magical objects the characters encounter and the rules of the tournament. There is so much lore the film dives into, so sometimes it can be a bit long at times when it is clear that audiences want to see the fights.
Some things just don’t add up, but the film does take place in a fantasy martial arts tournament, so it’s beyond belief. Shao Kahn gets the power of immortality in a fight, so it doesn’t exactly make things fair for our fighters. Just picking out the flaws of the film would take away from enjoying the sequel, full of bloody fatalities and some worthy character moments.
What makes the film so much fun is not just the fights, but the performances from some of the cast. Karl Urban is clearly a standout with his outlandish take on Johnny Cage. He goes deep into Johnny’s charm and stardom, which somehow works in the movie. His comedy bits and witty personality help deliver some humor in this grim and dark tone.
We even get some funny moments with Josh Lawson, who returns from the first film as the dimwitted and conniving Kano. He gave a standout performance in Mortal Kombat, so it’s no wonder that he can still give audiences that lightheartedness in the sequel. Sometimes the jokes don’t land as well as they should, but what fans want to see is what the title of the movie entails.
There are a lot of callbacks from the games that fans can pick up on, showing that McQuoid made this for the nostalgia that the games bring. Some top-notch fight scenes would make audiences scream for joy, like the fight between Liu Kang (Ludi Lin) and his deceased brother Kung Lao (Max Huang) or even Cage against Baraka (CJ Bloomfield). The choreography is well put together, so props to the stunt team for delivering on the thrills of these fights.
Despite being an ensemble film, it is both Kitana and Johnny Cage who are front and center for most of the movie’s runtime.
It is a bit worrisome that some of the characters are put in the back and aren’t given much screen time. We do get some follow-up fights like with Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada) and a newly revived Bi-Han (Joe Taslim), who goes by Noob Saibot. This was truly something that the crew wanted to make just for the fans.
Mortal Kombat II is a worthy sequel that gives the story a necessary reset from the first film to deliver on the fights and its roster of characters. The humor works well thanks to Karl Urban’s Cage, and the narrative is mostly on point and stays grounded. A great second round that deserves its props, giving fans wanting more from this big franchise.
Mortal Kombat II is now in theaters.
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Mufsin Mahbub
Mufsin Mahbub is a TV and film fanatic who loves all things superhero, sci-fi, horror, and mystery. Outside of writing, he enjoys traveling, gaming, and watching some anime.