This is the Mortal Kombat film that should’ve come out in 2021. It’s by no means a flawless victory, but it’s a much better paced, action-packed, hyper-violent martial arts flick that doesn’t take itself too seriously and delivers exactly what someone who goes to see a Mortal Kombat wants to see – namely, you know, Mortal Kombat. Yes, the first film had some one-on-one battles, but the tournament itself was noticeably absent, with the focus instead on a completely new character named Cole Young (Lewis Tan) set as the protagonist and a clunky way of explaining how the tournament participants are chosen.
Now I’m all for trying something new and fresh, but if you’re using an established IP then it’s best to not stray too far off the path. Personally, I believe that having the tournament be a part of the first film was a must. Sure, it was deemed successful enough at the box-office alongside an HBO Max release to warrant a sequel, but the movie itself was just bad. It did have some solid choreographed battles, awesome effects overall and a great showcasing of various powers at times; however, it didn’t feel like Mortal Kombat.
It made a common mistake that a number of films with franchise potential have made in the past decade or so, in being so worried about setting the stage for the future with bloated, exposition-filled world-building, that they neglect what’s right in front of them, which is properly building a foundation simply by delivering a solid first film. Plant a couple of seeds, throw in a post-credit scene if you’re feeling lucky, or end on a partial cliffhanger if you dare, but right now just focus on delivering a solid, singular story that gets audiences on board and leaves them wanting more.
It took five years for the sequel to finally hit theaters, but that may have been to its advantage. Mortal Kombat II is somewhat of a soft reboot, where we do keep some of the ideas presented in the first movie (such as characters unlocking their powers) and that Outworld is one win away from taking over Earth realm; but the first film’s protagonist, Cole Young (Lewis Tan), is relegated to the supporting cast, while the main protagonist roles are taken over by Johnny Cage (Karl Urban) and Kitana (Adeline Rudolph).
This was the biggest course correction, as through no fault of Lewis Tan, Cole Young was a terrible protagonist to play the audience surrogate. Fans of Mortal Kombat didn’t come to see someone new lead the true fan favourites into battle, and so this time we harken back to 1995’s Mortal Kombat, where it’s a bit more team oriented, even though the main character arcs belong to Cage and Kitana.
I love Johnny Cage, as he was my go-to back when the game first came out (no, I won’t count the years!) and I loved Linden Ashby’s portrayal of him in the original movie, so knowing he was going to be a part of the sequel was the only thing that gave me hope after seeing the disappointing first film. Then to find out Karl Urban was going to play him? It’s showtime! At this point in his career Cage is a washed up ‘90s action star who spends his time miserably sitting behind a lineless table at conventions, constantly being reminded that his best days are behind him as far as Hollywood is concerned. His fortunes take a turn (for the better or for the worse is in the eye of the beholder, as we are talking battles to the death here) when he’s told by Lord Raiden (Tadanobu Asano) and Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee) in a parking garage that he’s been chosen by the gods to be Earth’s fifth champion in the Mortal Kombat tournament.
As a child, Kitana watched her realm get taken over by Outworld after Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford) defeats and kills her father in front of her to win the tournament. Now, 20 years later, Kitana trains alongside her bodyguard, Jade (Tati Gabrielle) to fight for Shao Kahn and Outworld in the tenth and deciding tournament against Earth realm. Kitana shows no admiration or excess loyalty to her “adoptive” father, Shao Kahn, though she’s kept under his thumb out of love and compassion for her mother, Queen Sindel, who Kahn has corrupted and turned into a monster. Still, Kitana seeks to protect her however she can, and thus serves under him despite her hatred.
Already both are much more compelling protagonists than Cole ever was, and again, this isn’t a knock at Tan or his talents. This is just how the first film should’ve been, with a known character being the eyes and ears of the audience, which helps them get invested in the story with so much less effort. No clunky bloodlines or exposition needed, just characters we know and have grown up with throwing out witty one-liners and kicking ass.
Speaking of kicking ass, the tournament itself is a fun one, with some great matches throughout. And I don’t think I’ve mentioned all the blood, the plethora of moves directly from the games (we’re talking ones you wouldn’t expect to see and they pull them off beautifully!) and plenty of gruesome fatalities! Add in a bunch of solid, well-choreographed action taking place between the official bouts and you’ve got yourself a Mortal Kombat movie I can get on board with, and exactly what I was expecting the first time around.
Director Simon McQuoid returned for the sequel, which is great because his handling of the action in the first film was one of its only positives. Also, he, producer Todd Garner and screenwriter Jeremy Slater (both also returning) clearly heard the audience complaints from the first film and instead of ignoring them they clearly took them to heart and course corrected quite well for this second outing. The pacing is stronger, the characters feel more like themselves and just more fun to watch in general, and the story was kept a lot simpler. One could argue that that was due to the fact that so much lore was packed into the first film that its job was done, but with no mention of birthmarks or any real focus on arcana, it feels like the choice is that they’ll just leave these weaker story ideas in the past and just move forward, which is the right one.
Now the question is will there be a Mortal Kombat 3? As mentioned at the start, a mistake a lot of potential franchises make is assuming they’ll be able to build a universe instead of just making a good movie out of the gate. While Mortal Kombat II fixed a lot of its predecessor’s errors, it may still have to win some fans back over that the first movie may have lost. I’ll tell you that I really, really didn’t like the 2021 film and I’m back on board after this one. It’s clear McQuoid knows how to shoot fast-paced, bloody action sequences that fit this world perfectly, and he and Slater both know how to place easter eggs and locations into the movie that will get a cheer from fans, so I do recommend this movie to anyone even remotely interested, as a third film has yet to be greenlit as of this writing and whether one does or not highly depends on how successful this is with viewers at home. So if you see a copy of this 4K while out shopping, throw a kunai spear on a rope at it and yank it back into your possession while yelling “GET OVER HERE!” Or, you know, just grabbing it off the shelf and buying it may be the better option.
4K Blu-ray Video and Audio Review:
The film looks fantastic in 4K, and the format really showcases the strong effects and fight sequences the way they were meant to be seen, given that the film was shot in 4K. The 2160p/HDR10/Dolby Vision transfers pop beautifully all around, with the lit-up powers and backgrounds popping beautifully against the darker shadows that often surround our heroes. When they do go to visit a fan-favourite character, it’s done so in broad daylight and the details, makeup and effects look as clean there as they do in the darkness, so it’s a win for viewers all around here.
Now if you ever wanted to be in Mortal Kombat without, you know, potentially dying, well this Dolby Atmos mix is for you! The mix completely surrounds the viewer during battles and fights, with the score blasting through wonderfully at just the right moments. Everything about this overall mix pulls you into the film, which is exactly what you want. The dialogue is also clean and clear, front and center, which is always my favourite sentence to write, as it’s so noticeable when done wrong. Here, everything is done right. A flawless victory indeed.
Special Features:
Mortal Kombat II: Evolving the Saga – In this six-and-a-half-minute featurette we hear from producers Garner, James Wan and Michael Clear, as well as McQuoid and some of the cast, all talking about how the film takes the next steps in building the world of Mortal Kombat on the big screen. Wan points out that they recognized that the tournament was noticeably missing from the first film and they’ve corrected that here. Again, I don’t know the ins and outs of what allows for longer special features, but this is a really quick piece and one I feel could’ve delved a lot deeper into decisions that were made.
Building the Realms of Mortal Kombat – This featurette is just under 6-minutes in length and we see the same group return to talk about the effects and the mix of practical and CGI for the set design. I feel like these are all featurettes that could’ve easily been 12-15 minutes or so, as they feel like they’re just skimming over the tip of the iceberg when it comes to information and then moving on, which is unfortunate.
Mortal Kombat II: Choose Your Fighter – Again, just under 6-minutes in length, this one talks about Johnny Cage and Kitana to begin with, and then touches on the other characters. If you count how many characters are actually in the movie (not that they all need a handful of minutes) you know that six minutes isn’t enough to really get the meat and potatoes, but hey, I didn’t expect it to change now.
Klose Quarters Kombat – This featurette is six-and-a-half-minutes in length and showcases the fight choreography alongside interviews with the participants.
A “Boon” to Gamers Everywhere – Here we have a quick 3-minute piece that sees Mortal Kombat co-creator and the film’s executive producer, Ed Boon, and some others who return, talk about the film and the MK franchise.
Disclaimer: A review copy of this Blu-ray was sent to me to cover in honest and truthful fashion.
Warner Bros. Pictures Presents Mortal Kombat II. Directed By: Simon McQuoid. Written by: Jeremy Slater. Starring: Karl Urban, Adeline Rudolph, Martyn Ford, Tati Gabrielle, Jessica McNamee, Mehcad Brooks, Ludi Lin, Josh Lawson, Tadanobu Asano, Chin Han, Damon Harriman, Joe Taslim, Hiroyuki Sanada, Max Huang, Lewis Tan, CJ Bloomfield, Ana Thu Nguyen. Running time: 116 Minutes. Rating: R. Released on 4K Blu-ray: July 28, 2026.
About Brendan Campbell
