Instantly comparing sequel to sequel, Mortal Kombat 2 scores a flawless victory over Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, the original sequel to the 1995 film that launched this franchise onto the big screen. That movie is atrocious. I probably should review it at some point, but that would require me to actually sit down and watch Mortal Kombat: Annihilation again, which feels a bit like asking someone to intentionally contract food poisoning or drive their car into a lake. We all know those are terrible ideas, and no reasonable person should be expected to volunteer for them. Mortal Kombat 2 is also better than the film it’s actually a sequel to. The 2021 reboot spent so much time setting the table that it never even got around to featuring the actual Mortal Kombat tournament. This sequel finally does.
Raiden gathers Earth’s champions together, but it turns out there’s still one more fighter out there who has yet to join the cause. In case you somehow missed the marketing, that fighter is Johnny Cage, played by Karl Urban. It’s an unusual bit of casting because Urban doesn’t immediately scream Johnny Cage to me. Honestly, his The Boys co-star Antony Starr probably feels closer to what I picture when I think of the character. Still, Urban plays washed-up, depressed, and reluctant very well, and he’s familiar enough with stunt-heavy action that his fight scenes feel convincing despite not having a martial arts background. The rest of the cast largely returns as well, with Lewis Tan as Cole Young, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Mehcad Brooks as Jax, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Tadanobu Asano as Raiden, and Hiroyuki Sanada once again making Scorpion a commanding presence.
The film opens by exploring Kitana’s backstory, revealing how her realm lost a previous Mortal Kombat tournament to Shang Tsung. As a child, she watched her father fall and was forced to become the ward of the man responsible for destroying her family. Ever since, she’s quietly waited for the opportunity to strike back. See? You can have meaningful backstory and over-the-top, gory fight sequences in the same movie. Alongside Kitana comes Jade, torn between her loyalty to Shang Tsung and her lifelong friendship with Kitana, creating one of the more interesting dynamics in the film as both women enter the tournament.
Meanwhile, Shang Tsung isn’t exactly playing fair, resurrecting several familiar faces from beyond the grave, including Kano. Once again, Kano proves he’s morally flexible enough to switch sides whenever it’s convenient, assuming the script allows him to. Some people say a man is an island. I’d argue Kano is a man without an island, just drifting through the ocean until somebody decides to claim him. The resurrection mechanic actually fits surprisingly well because Mortal Kombat has always found creative ways to bring characters back in the games, and this movie leans into that mentality. Here, each side has a limited number of lives to lose before their entire realm loses the tournament, so every defeat carries consequences that ripple throughout the rest of the competition.
One thing I appreciated was that Mortal Kombat 2 isn’t afraid to surprise you. Not every fight ends in a fatality, but when fatalities do happen, they’re exactly the kind of crowd-pleasing moments fans have been waiting to see. Kitana’s signature steel fans lead to some especially memorable kills. The tournament itself also gives Johnny Cage a solid character arc. He’s spent years relying on stunt performers and movie magic, but now he’s expected to fight for real with the fate of humanity hanging in the balance. He keeps trying to run from the responsibility, yet once he’s chosen, there’s really nowhere left to hide.
The movie also feels much closer to the video games than the previous installment ever did. The roster of fighters, the fatalities, and even several of the arenas all evoke the stages longtime players will instantly recognize. Even better, the filmmakers wisely undo one of the first movie’s biggest mistakes by finding ways to bring back franchise favorites like Scorpion and Sub-Zero. They never should have been killed off in the first place, and embracing the anything-can-happen logic of the games gives the series far more flexibility going forward.
With so much action on display, I can only assume the film is a visual feast because the audio description certainly made it feel like one. The track, which I believe was produced by Deluxe and narrated by William Michael Redman, is outstanding. It captures the brutality, choreography, and sheer intensity of every fight with enough detail that I never felt left behind. Redman brings a gritty energy to the narration that perfectly complements the film’s unapologetically violent tone, making this one of the better audio description tracks I’ve heard for a big action movie.
I can’t really rave about the performances because, honestly, everyone ranges from perfectly fine to moderately good. This isn’t Shakespeare, and it isn’t trying to be. Mortal Kombat succeeds or fails based on whether you believe these characters can throw each other through walls and survive long enough to keep fighting. The casting reflects that priority, favoring performers who can convincingly handle the physical demands rather than actors delivering awards-worthy dramatic monologues. That’s exactly the right decision for this kind of movie.
I’m genuinely looking forward to a third film, which is not something I necessarily would have said after the 2021 reboot. That movie was entertaining enough, but it spent so much time expanding the mythology that it forgot to actually deliver Mortal Kombat. This sequel finds a much better balance by giving us the tournament while still making room for Kitana’s backstory and the larger mythology. There are still countless fighters waiting in the wings, and if Warner Bros. ever decides to have some fun with corporate synergy the way the games have, who’s to say someone like Jason Voorhees couldn’t eventually show up? The games have already proven those kinds of crossovers can work.
There’s still a mountain of material left to explore, along with countless finishing moves, friendships, and yes, even Babalities. I’m honestly not convinced we’ll ever see Babalities on screen, but I’d laugh if they somehow found a way to make it work. That’s really what fuels this franchise now. The possibilities feel almost endless, and as long as the people making these movies remain as passionate about the games as the fans who have played them for decades, Mortal Kombat finally feels like it’s in the right hands. Mortal Kombat 2 won’t be showing up at the Oscars, but it’s one hell of a ride.
Fresh: 7.6/10
