I loved the most recent incarnation of the Mortal Kombat film series, and Mortal Kombat II understood the assignment of being a sequel to that film and delivered in a way that works. This series takes the key elements of the games and builds a film universe that feels authentic, fitting for the games, and just as bombastic and ridiculous. Mortal Kombat II picks up where the first instalment left off and manages to dive deep into an ocean of camp that may be divisive for viewers, but still feels fun enough to be a game-inspired romp.
Mortal Kombat II picks up with a brief history of the Mortal Kombat tournament, along with a quick backstory for Kitana, played by Adeline Rudolph, and how she became the adopted daughter of Shao Kahn. From here, the perspective shifts, giving us a taste of Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage, his washed-up career and how he gets pulled into the tournament as Earthrealm fights for its very survival.
With so much on the line, it is up to the champions of Earth to try to take on the combatants from Outworld and fend off a takeover. It is the bones of a story we have all seen in countless instalments in the Mortal Kombat franchise, and it gives just enough to draw you in while delivering the level of over-the-top action and camp you can expect from a series like this.
Everyone we got a taste of in the first instalment is back for Mortal Kombat II, but it is clear the filmmakers are looking to make Johnny Cage and Kitana the focus this time around, and you know what, it works. Karl Urban brings his usual level of dedication to the role and the campy ’90s action-movie swagger, without making it feel like a one-note joke for the full movie.
“Everyone we got a taste of in the first instalment is back for Mortal Kombat II, but it is clear the filmmakers are looking to make Johnny Cage and Kitana the focus this time around…”
We get just enough of his character, the fame he once had and how, even with all the roles he once got, he never felt like a genuine fighter. Urban nails the character’s feel and plays him with enough winks to the audience to let them in on the joke, without feeling pandering.
Adeline Rudolph’s Kitana does a good enough job delivering some ridiculous lines while still feeling like an authentic part of the universe. The overarching storyline feels pulled right from the game, or a sword-and-sandals action film of the ’80s and ’90s, complete with vague fantasy realms, extras that do not quite fit the universe they are in the background of, and oddly vacant locations that look equal parts pulled from the games and built on a studio backlot. It is clear that Mortal Kombat II does not take itself too seriously and is very much in on the joke, and even with all of that, I had a blast.
I will be honest, just because I had a good time with the movie, it does not mean it is a work of art. Mortal Kombat II is much better than the ’90s take on the universe, but it is very much cut from the same cloth. The budget is larger, the effects look better, for the most part, and the acting is overall more in line with what you would expect from this universe.
But the actors are still saying some insane things, we still get random cameos, and we still get some camera angles that make a scene in a movie feel like you are just watching someone play the game. Despite, or because of, all of that, the one-hour, 56-minute runtime flies by, with Mortal Kombat II not letting up on the gas until well into the third act.
“Mortal Kombat II is much better than the ’90s take on the universe, but it is very much cut from the same cloth.”
This is a film that knows how to move and keeps things interesting without being confusing. The fights, for the most part, are bloody, brutal and fun. And if you are a fan of the fatalities from the games, the filmmakers managed to slot enough of them into the movie to keep things interesting, with some notable kills that feel shocking in how they all play out. Mortal Kombat II does not seem reluctant to kill off characters or bring back past characters, and it all feels natural to how this universe works. This is a brutal reality, where everyone could die at a moment’s notice, and the film revels in that fact.
I will also commend the filmmakers for using plenty of practical effects in how everything looks. It does, at times, make some characters look very cheap (I am looking at you, Baraka), but for the most part, the effects feel natural and more like part of the universe they are in. It gives the film the feeling of a ’90s kung fu film, with wire work, over-the-top moves and bombastic energy, and that is exactly what this series needed, a sense that it is ridiculous and that is okay. Mortal Kombat II is fun, devilishly good fun, and it manages to make even the campy moments feel tense and enjoyable.
I would not go so far as to say Mortal Kombat II is a great film, but it is one that delivers on the promise of the first instalment and manages to have a blast doing so. Karl Urban brings charm to the role and adds a much-needed sense of fun to the film as a whole. The filmmakers know what they are making, and on that front, they delivered. I do not need a high-art take on the source material, and I walked in expecting a ridiculous fantasy fighting game movie, and that is exactly what I got. I hope people turn out to this one. I cannot wait to see where the series goes next.
