With twice as many fights, twice as many characters, and twice as many fatalities, is it a flawless victory, or does it fail to meet expectations? Mortal Kombat 2 is the sequel to the 2021 Mortal Kombat, and it picks up right after the events of the first movie. This time, we finally get to see the tournament, and boy oh boy did they deliver! The fights are better, the stages are pulled directly from the games, and the brutality of the fatalities(see what I did there) is bigger. Characters were burned, sliced, impaled, smashed, and had holes put in them.
Round 1 – The Story in Outworld
In this movie, we’ve got more characters around. Shao Khan, Kitana, and Johnny Cage are a big focal point of this movie. Shao Khan feels exactly how he should. Scary, intimidating, and just menacing in every scene he’s in. Kitana and Johnny are basically the heart of this movie. As we follow both of them to be on the path of becoming the characters we know and love. Johnny is an ’80s/’90s washed-up action star on the downs and outs of life.
Until Raiden and Sonya show up and tell him he’s been chosen for Mortal Kombat. He’s reluctant at first until he gains a new perspective on the situation. He’s funny, relatable, and comes through clutch a few times during the movie. Kitana’s story is the more tragic one in all of this. Shao Khan killed her father and took over Edenia. She’s forced to become Shao Khan’s daughter as he becomes the new ruler. We’re also joined by various legendary characters such as Jade, Baraka, Noob Saibot, Sindel, and Quan-Chi. As well as returning fighters Liu Kang, Jax, Sonia, Kano, Kung Lao, and Cole Young.
Round 2 – Initial Thoughts
I loved it. It’s Mortal Kombat, and it doesn’t shy away from being what it is. Between the fights, the Easter eggs, and watching these characters interacting with one another. Kano and Johnny steal every scene they’re in and are hilarious. Baraka also ended up being a character I really enjoyed due to the way he’s portrayed in this one. Everyone gets their moments to shine, which I was really happy with.
There were a couple of deaths that surprised me and literally made yell out “What the f***?” during one while everyone else was gasping. They did a really good job as far as making you feel like anyone could be killed during any fight. I know some people didn’t like the pacing of the story, which didn’t bother me, considering we had a whole movie that essentially takes place right before the actual tournament.
Test Your Might – What could be better?
Were there some things that didn’t sit well with me? With me being a die-hard Mortal Kombat fan, yeah, some things made me go “ehhh ok”. There were minor things that I didn’t like. For example, Sindel has a few iconic moves, such as her hair being used as a weapon. The movie only highlights her banshee scream. Or the fact that a very important lore artifact was used that doesn’t come into play until later on in the series. It’s all mainly nitpicking.
I think you should definitely go see this movie. The fights are amazing, and the locations are ridiculous due to some of them being ripped from the game. The iconic moves from the game are in there, and some really cool Easter eggs. Especially if you see it in IMAX, which is flawless.
Final Round – Conclusion
For Mortal Kombat 2, I give it a really solid 4 out of 5. It’s not perfect by any means, but damn, it’s a fun and good movie to watch. A major improvement from the previous movie. That fight between Noob Saibot, which is his first major screen experience, came out fantastically. There was a mix of games, as most will notice, between a bit of Mortal Kombat 9 and Mortal Kombat 11, which show some hints of gearing up for the now-approved 3 installment. Even Ludi Lin, who plays Liu Kang, is asking for an MK Shaolin Monks spinoff movie. Sounds interesting as it follows the adventures of Liu Kang and Kung Lao.
Mortal Kombat II is in theaters now, so please check it out for yourself.