Directed by Simon McQuoid, Mortal Kombat II follows the champions of Earthrealm, joined by Johnny Cage (Karl Urban), who are forced into battle as they attempt to resist the rule of Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford), whose rise threatens the survival of Earthrealm and its defenders.
Mortal Kombat is one of the most iconic video game franchises to exist and has remained strong even today with the most recent installment, Mortal Kombat 1. When it comes to adaptations, Mortal Kombat has always struggled with its multiple adaptations in both live action and animation, with most of them not always hitting that well with fans or audiences. The 2021 Mortal Kombat adaptation, despite its many imperfections, did manage to do well and win over a lot of people, despite mixed reception from critics and a less-than-stellar box office run due to the pandemic. This leads us to the new sequel of that adaptation, which promised to deliver more of what fans wanted from the first film and improve upon things that were criticized heavily about in the past. So did this adaptation live up to its promises? Well ,I can say that while I don’t deem it as a “Flawless Victory” like some do, I do think it is a good time that lives up to most of its promises.
Mortal Kombat II is bloody fun and energized sequel that is mostly a vast improvement over the previous film. It fixes a lot of the issues that fans criticized about the first one, while fully embracing more of the source material and the 90s era tone of the early games, making it highly entertaining in all the right ways. Now I don’t see this film winning over most critics or certain audiences, but I feel it will mostly satisfy fans, even with its flaws. Let’s get into the good, the bad and the mixed with round 2 of Mortal Kombat.
We have the main cast of the first film return for the second film, and have a bunch of newcomers joining them as highly anticipated characters that all put forth great performances for their respective characters, minus one individual. Rather than focus on one character and offering a singular perspective like in the last film, the sequel offers a multi-character perspective narrative like in the story modes of the recent games, which I liked. Some characters get more of the spotlight than others, leading to certain characters feeling underutilized again, just like in the previous film, but I don’t think it was as bad in this film in comparison.
The major standouts for the newcomers were Johnny Cage, Kitana, Jade, Baraka, and Shao Kahn. Karl Urban as Johnny Cage was truly perfect casting as he absolutely nails everything from the egotistical personality to the badass action to the hilarious humor that the character is famous for. He was definitely my most anticipated character of the film and he definitely did not disappoint at all with the way he is written and performed by Karl Urban, who continues to show his amazing range as an actor.
Kitana ends up playing a surprisingly major role in the film, serving as the heart of the story and is given the most development as well as a fantastic performance by Adeline Rudolph, who I feel fully embodies the character. She has the strength, the grace, and the strong will the character is known for, and it is all beautifully done by Adeline, making you really root for the character, especially when you get to see what she’s had to endure under the rule of Shao Kahn.
The portrayal of her bodyguard and friend Jade is also really good, with Tati Gabrielle really nailing the character’s conflicting loyalties in her performance as well as her badass skills. The dynamic the two of them share is almost exactly like the games so I really appreciate the filmmakers adapting their friendship extremely well.
Baraka, played by CJ Bloomfield, was an unexpected gem in this film, being simultaneously ferocious and funny at the same time. When I first saw him in the trailers I wasn’t too keen on him mostly due to how wonky his effects looked, but in the actual film he looked absolutely amazing with the awesome mix of practical and CGI effects. On top of that his role in the story was great, even when brief, and CJ Bloomfield does a brilliant job portraying the character in a way I didn’t expect but absolutely loved.
And then there is Shao Kahn, the fearsome emperor of Outworld and the main villain of the film played by a titan of a man named Martyn Ford, who is absolutely f**king phenomenal! From the very moment he steps into the film he proves himself to be the ultimate villain that is monstrous and merciless to the core, just like in the games. After being slightly let down by Shang Tsung in the first film I was a bit worried about how Shao Kahn would be portrayed but it seems the filmmakers knew they needed to live up to fans’ expectations and give the true menace everyone wanted, which is exactly what they delivered. Martyn Ford looks, sounds and brutalizes his foes like the character through his performance, truly embodying him in every way, and I couldn’t be happier.
The standouts from the returning cast were Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Kano, Scorpion and Bi-Han aka Noob Saibot. Liu Kang and Kung Lao, reprised by Ludi Lin and Max Huang respectively, had some great moments in the first film though didn’t really have that have much impact on the story except for the shocking death of Kung Lao at the hands of Shang Tsung. Kung Lao now returns as a resurrected revenant in service of Outworld, forcing Liu Kang to fight him in what I can only describe as the best fighting sequence in the entire film. Not only is there a great sense of emotional stakes between them in their conflict but the fight itself is crafted to complete perfection as we see the two actors really committing to their characters when doing the stunts themselves and making it a truly memorable fight that feels impactful to audiences on various levels. The performances by both actors are extremely solid and it’s clear there is more to be fleshed out between them going forward.
Kano, reprised by Josh Lawson, is brought back from the dead in this film and once again manages to steal the spotlight with his unhinged humor and vicious cunning. Given that he was one of the best parts of the first film that people loved, it makes sense why he was brought back and how they didn’t fix what wasn’t broken while finding a fun way to include him in the story.
Scorpion and Bi-Han, now reincarnated as Noob Saibot, only appear mostly in the later half of the film but both of them are once again absolutely awesome thanks largely to the amazing action sequences they are given as well as the incredibly dedicated performances by their respective actors, Hiroyuki Sanada and Joe Taslim. In a film featuring a lot of characters I can understand why these two aren’t as focused on as the others and I can accept their short roles given how greatly built up they are throughout the film leading to the ultimate pay off, which is their rematch in the Netherrealm.
As for the other characters, most of them were a bit sidelined but they do deliver good performances and have their own moments to shine throughout the film. However, there was one particular character I thought was adapted poorly and that was Quan Chi, played by Damon Herriman. Quan Chi in the games is a very powerful and manipulative sorcerer who was just as threatening as Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn, but in this film he’s portrayed as a pathetic lackey to Shao Kahn who gets constantly mocked by Kano and treated like an absolute joke. On top of that, he’s given a pretty poor performance by Damon Herriman who may look the part of the character but definitely doesn’t sound or act like the character in the slightest. Everyone else in the cast puts forth an effort to play their characters to the best of their ability but Damon Herriman was the only one who didn’t seem to be even trying. It was hugely disappointing to see such an awesome character be reduced to such lows and end up being the worst character of the film.
The narrative of this film is definitely a major improvement over the first film in terms of structure and pacing, while simultaneously embracing a lot of entertaining elements of the games within the narrative, including a cheesy 90s tone that was honestly very welcomed. Unlike the first film that felt so overly serious at times in places it didn’t need to be, this film decides to be more self-aware and have more fun with itself, using the characters and world to its advantage by not limiting itself to the boundaries of reality. It follows more of the exact plot of the games where it jumps around from place to place or arena to arena followed up by a fight that actually progresses the plot along. The stakes also felt way higher in this film as it makes clear early on that no main character is truly safe, which is one of several bold decisions and twists this film throws in that I actually found myself really liking.
There are a few strange narrative choices made with certain characters that I wasn’t completely onboard with but the good choices vastly outweighed the bad ones in my view. This film’s story was nonstop bloody entertainment that has plenty of satisfying moments and fun fan service to go around that may not be appealing to critics and certain audiences but are definitely going win over fans of the games. And given the way this film ends, it is clear there is likely going to be a third installment coming, which I hope can allow for things to improve further.
The biggest upgrade this film has over the first film is the technical elements. The bloody action is better, the editing is better, the cinematography is better, and even the effects are better for the most part. While not all of the fights in the first film were bad, they weren’t all the best in terms of how they were shot, edited, and choreographed, but thankfully in this film every fight is executed way better and given a lot of flair that pays tribute to the relentless brutality of the fights in the games. The Liu Kang vs Kung Lao fight is the best of the film in my opinion, but overall the fights are awesome and each have their own satisfying sequences and hyper-violent fatalities. Practical effects, sets and choreography is used as much as possible throughout the film looking truly fantastic, especially with the story taking place mostly in Outworld instead of Earthrealm. As for the CGI, most of it looks good for certain environments and character power moments but there are definitely a few moments of undercooked effects present throughout the film that were hard to ignore.
The music is done by composer Benjamin Wallfisch, who once again does a fantastic job elevating the film with his score that kicks just as much ass as the action that it is paired with.
Mortal Kombat II may have its various faults, but it’s certainly a step up from the first film in many ways, showing that the filmmakers of this adaptation of the beloved franchise are listening to the criticisms the fans are giving them and they are actually trying to improve upon things. It’s an enjoyable second round of Kombat that left me mostly satisfied and makes me hope for more to come in the future if they choose to continue the series. I’m going to give Mortal Kombat II a B+ = 88.
You can find more of my writing on instagram, and check out my channel on YouTube!