Mortal Kombat II is bloodier than the 2021 reboot. If the first Mortal Kombat had its fair share of light to moderate bone-breaking savagery and satisfying moments of “fatality,” the sequel doubles down on the gore-fest, including gouging eyeballs, copious amounts of blood spraying, and skulls splitting wide open.
The sequel, set years after the events of the first film, stars Karl Urban as the washed-up ‘90s Hollywood action star Johnny Cage. In this adaptation, Urban realizes that he has passed his prime. His not-so-glitzy-and-glamorous life suddenly took a turn when he encountered the first movie’s protagonists, Raiden and Sonya Blade, who chose him to participate in the tournament organized by the film’s big baddie from the Outerworld, Shao Kahn, alongside his adopted daughter Kitana, who aim to rule Earthrealm by defeating its mortal challengers. From there, the film spends time balancing its protagonists’ arcs to show that the stakes are higher for everyone involved.
Double-Edged Camp
Johnny Cage and Kitana are the hearts of Mortal Kombat II. The former is an overly confident, braggadocious action star who can only talk smack behind other fighters’ backs, while the latter is the vengeful daughter who jumps through several realms to uncover the secrets of the tournament.
Beyond the lore and the gore, the Warner Bros. film throws in a ton of movie references between jokes, especially for Urban and Josh Lawson’s character, the eye-laser Aussie Kano. But where it gets frustrating is the mentions of John Wick, The Lord of the Rings, and Voldemort in their dialogue. We get it, you have the right to name-drop those movies that your studio produced for cheap laughs. Give us a break.
The campy one-liners are effective fan service to followers of the original source material. In one scene, Shao Kahn and Cole Young go toe-to-toe in a level inspired by “The Dead Pool” from the video game. The camera then zooms out to show them in a stare-down, replicating a literal side-scrolling video game, with hanging bars acting as metaphorical health bars. In another scene, Cage wears his shades and says, “It’s show time” while Kitana wields her iconic fan blades; And what about Hanzo Hasashi’s Scorpion line, “Get over here!” from the depths of hell? My inner child wouldn’t say no to that.
A Hero’s Tale
The first Mortal Kombat followed MMA fighter Young, whose fighting spirit goes back to his ancestors, on his path tobackground to becoming a champion. The reboot, however, struggled to make viewers sympathize with a character who isn’t even part of the video game franchise, creating a disconnect between him and the rest of the cast. Unlike in the sequel, where Cage and Kitana are given proper arcs that show why you should care about them, especially in terms of their lore.
If that isn’t enough to make viewers care about the characters, we also get a Cage versus Baraka scene that stands out as one of the film’s highlights, showcasing Urban’s quick-witted action and comedic quips (zero mentions of a random Warner Bros. movie this time). Not to mention his incapable, awkward demeanor makes his portrayal of a ‘90s has-been action star more endearing. Cage, and to an extent Kitana, both have redemption arcs that land, and from there, it becomes an action movie with characters to actually root for.
Historically speaking, video game-to-film adaptations have had a bad reputation among fans. Take Uwe Boll’s infamous attempts at recreating franchises like Alone in the Dark, House of the Dead, and BloodRayne, or even the hammy DOOM starring Dwayne Johnson, or the needlessly long Resident Evil franchise with Milla Jovovich. Mortal Kombat II avoids that curse right away with badass fight scenes. It’s got kickflips, blood, and an action star who lives up to the name of the tournament. What more could you ask for?
Mortal Kombat II is now showing in cinemas.
