Mortal Kombat II

The time has come at last.  The fate of Earthrealm shall once again be decided in a tournament where death is the only means of victory.  Should Outworld be victorious, Shao Kahn claims dominion over our world.  Standing in his way: a rag tag group of fighters including a washed up action movie star and a beautiful Princess. Together, they must trust in their own abilities and fight like they never have before.  The fighters are gathered.  The stage is set.  The time has come again for MORTAL KOMBAT!!!

2021’s Mortal Kombat reboot might not be as timeless as the first 1995 classic but it does still offer a more authentic MK experience for franchise fans thanks to its R Rating allowing for actual blood, gore and fun fatalities.  After five years and a stupid delay from its original October 2025 release window, Mortal Kombat II arrives to make good on the promises of the first film, mainly an actual Mortal Kombat tournament with more characters, more fatalities, more everything.  Those dreading this might end up being a case of history repeating itself with an overstuffed and poorly executed mess like Mortal Kombat: Annihilation rejoice: this isnt that movie.  Heck this may be the best Mortal Kombat movie ever brought to screen and is so good it makes you wonder if the 2021 movie was even necessary (I mean it’s still a fun watch, don’t get me wrong).
 
Of the 2021 films many shortcomings, the film was way too heavy on exposition, essentially being a lead into the titular MK tournament.  Fret not, while there are still character histories to explore and character development to be had, MKII wastes no time getting right to the nitty gritty and setting the terms right there.  It knows why you’re here and it is here to please.  One could almost accuse the movie of being all action with very little story in between them…and yeah that is the case but also that’s kind of your standard Mortal Kombat gaming experience.  While the action in the 2021 film was well done, MKII expands on it with longer and more numerous showdowns with nicely randomized and rotated characters.  The usage of sets is great and there’s plenty of weight in every battle.  It is called Mortal Kombat after all and it effortlessly delivers on both aspects of the name.  There’s truly no telling who is the next to get a joyously blood fatality in the ring and that unpredictability keeps things exciting. 
 
Leading the cast of returning faces and new fan favorites are Johnny Cage and Kitana.  Despite having only one significant sequence together, the pair co lead the film nicely from their respective journeys.  For Kitana, it’s about freeing her people from their oppressive ruler of 20 years and avenging her fathers death.  For Johnny, it’s about finding the bad ass inside and stepping up to help save the world from certain annihilation.  Karl Urban and Adeline Rudolph are excellent in the fan favorite roles.  Urban adds another beloved nerdom character to his lengthy roster bringing a world weariness but also loveable charm, smart assery and that patented Karl Urban bad ass vibe that makes roles like Billy Butcher and Judge Dredd so beloved.  Meanwhile Rudolph isnt just a pretty face but a woman capable of dispatching enemies mercilessly while never losing her kind heart that yearns for her peoples freedom.  One downsinde to the film is that outside their first fight, Johnny and Kitana don’t really interact as much and that’s a shame.  Being the leads of the movie you’d think they’d share more screentime and connect their experiences in some way.  Feels like a missed opportunity.
 
As for everyone else, MKII makes much better use of its expansive cast than Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.  Yes some do get lost in the shuffle or are there for basically fan service like Sindel and Quan Chi (though we do get a nice Deadly Alliance nod with a quick sequence with him and Shang Tsung).  For the most part though, characters are positioned and utilized where they need to be for the story to proceed, even if their overall screentime is on the short end like Scorpion and Noob Saibot.  Still, everyone gets a fight and a moment to shine and show off from Liu Kang to Sonya to Jax to Jade and even Cole Young, the original character from 2021 isn’t as sidelined as you might think given the main character status is now on Johnny and Kitana.  Once again, a resurrected Kano steals the show with Josh Lawson’s hilarious line delivery reminding everyone why he was perfectly cast in the previous film.  I’ve also gotta applaud their look of Shao Kahn, is it wrong he looks a little better and more menacing than Skeletor in the forthcoming Masters of the Universe reboot?  And while it may feel cheap to resurrect dead characters like Bi-Han and Kano: 1. This is just what Mortal Kombat does, shut up and 2. They serve their purpose in the end.  Heck arguably the best fight scene in the whole movie is Liu Kang vs. an evilized Kung Lao bringing all the intensity, brutality and clever fight choreography of the games complete with a spinning hat of doom flying all over the place to amp up the tension.
 
It’s strange to think of Mortal Kombat II in the same way some think about Dune and Dune: Part 2.  The first film was all setup with good action but not as much as one might want.  The second film takes advantage of having the exposition out of the way so it can make good on all of its promises without any unnecessary impediments.  The action is bloody, brutal and crowd pleasing.  The cast is having a blast bouncing off one each other in terms of line delivery and trading punches and kicks.  It looks and feels bigger and really sells just how important this tournament for the fate of worlds really is.  With a pair of strong leads and a cast game to show off and a desire to really play with what makes Mortal Kombat Mortal Kombat, MKII feels like the new definitive live action big screen experience for the franchise.  Annihilation this is not.  This, Ladies and Gentlemen, is Mortal Kombat, pure and simple.
 
8.5/10