Karl Urban declaring “I’m just incredibly handsome,” before throwing punches as Johnny Cage, wasn’t something I knew I needed, but the latest Mortal Kombat II trailer proves otherwise.
Adaptations of the video game Mortal Kombat have often been met with mixed success among moviegoers. The 1995 adaptation, which currently holds a 47 percent Tomatometer rating on Rotten Tomatoes, was so poorly received by critics that Vox once described it as “the essence of ‘so bad it’s good.’” The 2021 remake fared a little better (it has a 55 percent Tomatometer rating), but audiences felt that it held back a little on the graphic violence.
But now, it looks like director Simon McQuoid’s sequel to his 2021 film is delivering exactly what fans have been looking for. The trailer shows crushed bones, souls pulled out of armor, and unsuspecting bodies split in half, perfect for fans wanting the franchise to stray less from the graphic violence of the game.
While the 2021 Mortal Kombat centered around characters like MMA fighter Cole Young (Lewis Tan), Special Forces military officer Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee), and Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada), Mortal Kombat II includes a host of new characters from the game. Johnny Cage, Hollywood’s biggest heartthrob and martial artist, will be joined by Kitana (Adeline Rudolph), Jade (Tati Gabrielle), and the movie’s big bad, Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford), and more.
McQuoid and company have remained tight-lipped about the sequel’s storyline; however, the film’s official synopsis states that it will see the kombatants pitted against one another in an ultimate, gory battle to defeat the evil Shao Kahn and protect the Earthrealm from destruction.
Mortal Kombat II will open in cinemas worldwide on October 22.
