The first Mortal Kombat film in 2021 had some good elements and felt closer to the games. However, it had a lot of problems, and there were definitely some odd creative choices made. Still, there was potential for the sequel to be a major improvement. Is that the case with Mortal Kombat II?
Right from the get-go, I appreciate that the director and writer listened to the feedback and criticism surrounding the first film. One of the major issues with the original was the boring and dull movie-original protagonist, Cole Young. This time, they have replaced him with the far more charismatic Johnny Cage and the more interesting Kitana, both of whom are actual characters from the games and are played wonderfully by Karl Urban and Adeline Rudolph. Johnny Cage serves as the fish-out-of-water character: a washed-up actor who is thrown into the Kombat tournament. He is funny, cynical, and charming, with a character arc that is far more enjoyable to invest in. Kitana acts as the other main character, driven by her desire for revenge against Shao Kahn. You see the loss she has suffered, and you root for her as she secretly plans against him behind the scenes.
Liu Kang, one of my favourite characters from the games, is given much more to do in this entry. The director does a great job illustrating why he is Earthrealm’s greatest fighter without taking the spotlight away from the main characters. Kano, who was the standout character from the previous film, also returns and still steals every scene he is in. Josh Lawson continues to play him phenomenally. We do, however, have to address the elephant in the room: Cole Young. He is notably absent from much of the marketing due to the negative reception of the character in the first film. Despite that, I think they handled him surprisingly well here, and the fight scene he gets is actually very well done.
Another major improvement is the fight choreography. Aside from the Scorpion and Sub-Zero sequences, many of the fights in the first film were poorly edited and lacked strong choreography. Here, the fights are significantly better. While there are still some quick cuts, particularly during fights involving actors without martial arts experience, the choreography is much stronger and far easier to follow visually. Every fight involving Liu Kang is terrific, especially the Liu Kang vs. Kung Lao fight.
I also enjoyed how some of the fights were shot, along with the many references to the games. For example, certain fights are filmed from a side-view perspective to resemble the classic fighting games, characters sway when defeated, and many of them use signature moves directly from the games. There are also far more entertaining fatalities and much more gore this time around. Additionally, the film uses far more practical sets instead of relying excessively on green screen effects. The environments look fantastic and genuinely feel ripped straight from the games. The costume designs are also excellent and capture their game counterparts perfectly.
Unfortunately, the music is rather disappointing. The score is mostly generic orchestral music, with the occasional use of the Mortal Kombat theme. At times, the film even blatantly reuses tracks from the previous movie. The soundtrack severely lacks the electronic or rock-inspired music that would have suited the tournament atmosphere much better.
The story is also still incredibly messy and shallow. There are very few moments of downtime between the characters, which results in many of them lacking depth. Even returning characters such as Sonya and Jax are barely explored. For the most part, the film consists of fights, exposition, and occasionally cheesy or poorly written dialogue. The film features a huge cast and introduces many new characters, but several moments happen with very little explanation. If you are not already familiar with the games, I can definitely see casual viewers becoming mildly confused about what is happening.
Scorpion and Sub-Zero, who were easily the best characters in the previous film, do return. However, their roles are extremely minimal and feel somewhat tacked on purely for fan service. It also does not help that both characters are heavily underutilised. I was also disappointed that two of the best romances from the games, Liu Kang and Kitana as well as Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade, are barely explored. Liu Kang hardly interacts with Kitana at all, while Johnny and Sonya lack any real romantic chemistry. While these relationships could certainly be developed in a third film, it currently makes the idea of them becoming couples harder to believe.
Mortal Kombat II is a surprisingly rare example of a sequel that genuinely addresses criticism from its predecessor. As a result, it is a much stronger film than the first one. Mortal Kombat fans will definitely enjoy it, as it delivers over a dozen entertaining fights, a proper tournament, and fatalities that pay respect to the games. While the writing is still flawed, this feels like a major step forward for the franchise. I am definitely looking forward to a possible third film.
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