Mortal Kombat II is a fistful of fun that does what it can to fix the disappointment of its predecessor. Could it have done more? I think so. But for what we got, it’s still a fun, visceral romp. Still, like Mario Galaxy, if you’re expecting deep character study, you’d better leave that at the door.
Let’s get to dicing.
The plot centers mainly on Princess Kitana (Adeline Rudolph) as she vows revenge against interdimensional conqueror Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford) for what he’s done to her kingdom. If that premise turns you away, fair enough—but I tend to think of it like choosing her as your character and playing through her campaign. But I digress. The film pulls you in with a frantic introduction through the eyes of Johnny Cage (Karl Urban), helping first-timers avoid getting completely lost. Would it have helped to see the first movie? Probably, but you’re not missing much.
The gist is that the gods enforce rules to stop despots like Kahn from running roughshod over other realms by way of the most violent game of keepsies imaginable. This time, Earth’s remaining defenders—Jax (Mehcad Brooks), Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee), Liu Kang (Ludi Lin), Cole Young (Lewis Tan), and a very reluctant Johnny Cage—are pulled into the fight.
The tournament structure keeps the pace moving, but it also means we don’t get much time to sit with major losses or big moments. That’s one of the film’s biggest issues. Some scenes needed more room to breathe, but it feels like the filmmakers overcorrected in response to criticism of the first movie. They even brought back Hiroyuki Sanada’s Scorpion—still a highlight. His fight with Noob Saibot felt more epic than Kitana’s final showdown with Shao Kahn. I also wish Chin Han’s Shang Tsung had more to do.
There were plenty of opportunities for some classic backstabbing, but they’re mostly missed. He channels Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa’s iconic take, but it ends up feeling underused. On the lighter side, Johnny Cage and Kano (Josh Lawson) carry much of the humor—and here’s my hot take: the movie should have leaned even harder into Cage.
Oh, and don’t look expectantly for Christopher Lambert like I did. Sadly, reports of his cameo were greatly exaggerated. Tadanobu Asano still did fine as Lord Raiden.
As for the fights, they’re one of the film’s strengths. The choreography is mostly on point, and you can tell which actors came in with real training versus those doing their best with what they learned for the role. Liu Kang’s fight scenes were the best in the movie for me. There’s heavy VFX use, but it blends well enough—even if it never lets you forget this is a video game adaptation. Some of the lighting effects can be a bit abrasive, and the score occasionally tries too hard to feel epic. That might just be my bias toward the 1995 soundtrack, which struck a better balance. Your mileage may vary.
One other thing. There are no end credits this time around. So you don’t need to torture your bladder.
At the end of the day, Mortal Kombat II is a very worthy addition to the franchise, despite its flaws. It’s solid, brutal fun. Does it top the 1995 version? Not for me—but there’s nothing wrong with taking second place.
*****
English (US) · 