In 2021, fans of the Mortal Kombat video games were treated to a new film. Now, while the film wasn’t exactly well-received as a whole, there were some things viewers could agree on: the action was great, they had a fabulous ensemble cast, and in typical Mortal Kombat fashion, there were some truly gory moments.
Now, five years later, we have Mortal Kombat II, which sees the return of Lord Raiden (Tadanobu Asano), Liu Kang (Ludi Lin), Jax (Mehcad Brooks), Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee), Cole Young (Lewis Tan), and Kung Lao (Max Huang) from the first film, and adds fan favourites from the video game franchise, including Johnny Cage (Karl Urban), Kitana (Adeline Rudolph), and Jade (Tati Gabrielle). This time around, the stakes are higher, and, as per usual, the world is in peril (would it really be the same if it weren’t?). The film balances fan service with a more developed story, making it appealing for both newcomers and longtime fans.
The champions of Earthrealm must come together once more to take on Shao Khan (Martyn Ford), the Emperor of Outworld, and stop his tyrannical rule. With plans to take over Earthrealm, Shao Khan must be stopped at all costs, so when each Earthrealm champion is selected to fight against the fighters allied with Shao Khan (or even Shao Khan himself), they know what’s at stake should they lose.
Directed by Simon McQuoid, Mortal Kombat II is a step up from the last film in terms of the story. While the 2021 film was mostly focused on training the champions, with some fights against the enemy peppered throughout, this time around, there is actually a proper tournament. Seeing the tournament finally unfold should excite fans and make action movie enthusiasts eager to watch the battles.
However, what was perhaps even better than the tournament finally happening was Kitana’s story. It was how the film started, setting the stage for the conflict that followed. Adeline Rudolph was phenomenal in the role. Not only could you tell that she was having the time of her life, but the story demanded not only a physical, but an emotional performance from her, which she delivered with ease. For me, she was easily the standout in the film.
Always by Kitana’s side was Jade, aptly played by Tati Gabrielle. Much like Rudolph, you could tell Gabrielle was having a ball. That said, I do wish we had seen a bit more of her, but I was glad with what we did see, particularly during her fight scenes.
Of course, we cannot talk about the new additions without addressing former action movie star, Johnny Cage. At this point, I feel like Karl Urban can do anything – and we need to let him. His comedic timing as Cage is great, and he really leans into the absurdity of what Cage is currently going through. While Cage consistently claims that he’s just an actor, as the film goes on, we see he’s much more than that. It was nice to see his journey and perspective change throughout the film.
The returning crew from the 2021 film are still great, particularly Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Jessica McNamee as Sonya, Mehcad Brooks as Jax, and Max Huang as Kung Lao. They’re all given much more to do this time around, and it was great to see them let loose in their respective fight sequences. There are specific moments through the story that you really feel like their kinship has grown, and they fight not just for Earthrealm, but for each other. Lin is especially great, once again embodying Liu Kang. The performance he gives alongside Max Huang’s resurrected Kung Lao is fantastic. Both Kang and Huang give their all, and their fight scene was one of the best moments in the movie.
Of course, we can’t talk about anything Mortal Kombat-related without talking about the fights and fatalities. Mortal Kombat II levels up in this regard. With the tournament in play, there was much more time spent on actual combat, and seeing some of the sets where the fights took place was cool. It wasn’t just your opponent that you had to worry about, but the arena itself, too. This added to the heightened stakes and suspense, particularly during Sonya Blade’s main event. It was a nice nod to the video games as well. Fans will want to keep their eyes on the rematch between Hanzo Hasashi/Scorpion and Bi-Han/Noob Saibot (formerly Sub-Zero), which was just as epic as the fight scene they shared in the 2021 film. Honestly, if the movie were two hours solely focused on Joe Taslim’s Bi-Han and Hiroyuki Sanada’s Hanzo Hasashi, I’d be seated.
Be prepared for some gruesome fatalities this time around. While there were some in the previous film (perhaps the most memorable coming at the hands of Kung Lao and his blade-brimmed hat when he offed Nitara), there is much more blood and gore in Mortal Kombat II. It was very much in keeping with the energy of the video games (as it should be), and I enjoyed it. Look, if you’ve ever played any of the Mortal Kombat video games, you know that the kills are some of the best parts, and the same can be said for the fatalities in this movie.
That said, I don’t know that Mortal Kombat II will be everyone’s cup of tea. If you just want fights and fatalities, you should be pleased. However, if you were hoping for a story much better than the first, you do get that, but it’s still not entirely good. It’s at least unafraid to lean into the ’90s camp of it all. For what the film gets right with the performances, fights, and comedic notes, it still suffers from some stiff dialogue and a sometimes uneven story. Perhaps if the script had focused on a single newcomer rather than multiple newcomers, it would have felt less rushed. Since the film has a relatively short runtime (coming in under two hours), it wasn’t possible to spend much time with Johnny Cage to learn about his past or why he was chosen for this task. This was possibly my biggest gripe with the movie. But in the end, I was entertained enough, so I won’t hold it against the film too much.
Look, at the end of the day, most people aren’t going into Mortal Kombat II thinking that it will be a “flawless victory,” but at least it is entertaining, and likely to be a crowd-pleaser. If you are watching the movie to see cool fight sequences, blood-curdling fatalities, and Scorpion’s signature yell of “Get over here!”, you’ll likely have a hell of a good time with Mortal Kombat II.
Muses of Media 
Leave a comment