Mortal Kombat II Review
Bigger, bloodier and funnier - Mortal Kombat II brings it in spades.
Earth’s mightiest warriors are gearing up for Mortal Kombat, but after losing one of their own last time, they need another fighter. Enter Johnny Cage (Karl Urban) - a faded movie star a la Seagal, who needs to dig deep and find his own power to save the world; for real this time.
The first Mortal Kombat might have been criticised for spending too long building the team, and not enough time actually Mortal Kombat-ing. Well, this sequel makes up for it in spades.
Karl Urban fills the new hero role here, and does so with aplomb. As the faded action star Johnny Cage, he’s tremendously entertaining. The movie wastes no time on his accepting the wild scenario of him being called up for interdimensional combat, instead more interested in the mechanics of the fights. He’s joined by another new co-lead in Kitana (Adeline Rudolph), who brings a bit more dramatic flair as the daughter of a murdered king.
The old crew turn up ready to go of course. Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Mehcad Brooks, Tadanobu Asano, Ludi Jin, and the rest of the first film’s stars (for the most part) show up ready to fight. And fight they do. Director Simon McQuoid leans heavily into the blood, gore and martial arts of this iteration, and the fights are great to see. There’s certainly less story here, and it’s a vastly more inaccessible piece to jump into this world than the previous entry was, but it’s a thrill a minute ride for fans of the first.
That being said, there are some quibbles. The story is pretty threadbare. The film is effectively a series of fights with nothing really else on the table. There is an unbelievable level of acceptance from newcomers to the fray. And the final battle sequence feels kind of mid, particularly when we’ve seen Scorpion and Sub-Zero go at it in the last movie to such great effect.
But for those looking to absolutely turn the brain off and relax into a blood soaked display of Mortal Kombat fury, this one certainly hits the nail on the head. It’s got some great jokes (Josh Lawson is once again standout as Kano), some wonderful performances, a slew of impressively brutal fight sequences, and Karl Urban. What more could you need?
