A great video game adaptation lives or dies by two rules: tell a story compelling enough to hook the masses and deliver enough deep-cut references to satisfy longtime fans. Fail at either and it’s game over.
The 2021 Mortal Kombat reboot got things half right, embracing the source material to a fault. But if you weren’t already a fan of the franchise, the film is damn near inscrutable. It does a poor job of establishing its lore and giving viewers reasons to care about its sprawling cast of characters.
This time out, director Simon McQuoid course-corrects in one major way. Mortal Kombat II features not one, but two lore-accurate origin stories. McQuoid shifts focus from the last film’s non-canon lead Cole Young (Lewis Tan), placing series stalwarts Johnny Cage (Karl Urban) and Kitana (Adeline Rudolph) front and centre. By doing so, the film delivers enough backstory and character development to draw in the uninitiated, while giving fans authentic big-screen portrayals they’ve been clamouring for.
The story begins with the bloodthirsty warlord Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford) using the Mortal Kombat tournament to conquer the realm of Edenia. Shao Kahn claims Edenia’s princess Kitana as his child and raises her as his deadliest warrior, destined to lead the campaign to defeat Earthrealm in Mortal Kombat.
On the cusp of the tournament, Lord Raiden’s (Tadanobu Asano) Earthrealm defenders need one more champion to complete their team. They recruit the over-the-hill, egotistical former action movie star Johnny Cage to their cause. With no time to prepare, Johnny Cage and his allies are thrust into a gauntlet of one-on-one fights against Kitana, Shao Kahn, and his minions, with the fate of their universe on the line.
The previous film barely worked unless you were already in the bag for the video game series. While staying on top of Mortal Kombat II’s mythology still feels overwhelming at times, this sequel comes off as far more accessible. It helps that McQuoid has a much firmer grasp on the material, finally nailing the tone.
Mortal Kombat 2021 is a gritty revenge saga that took itself way too seriously. And the magic of this series is that it features some of the most unhinged lore in video games. This sequel knows exactly what it needs to be, embracing the video game’s gloriously off-kilter vibes. And this is where the film really sings, committing to its epic fantasy-sci-fi mythology while still fully embracing its campy roots, tonally whiplashing between Game of Thrones and He-Man .
Most of the characters remain paper-thin, but now the exceptions leave a stronger impression. Johnny Cage and Kitana are significant upgrades over Cole Young, the worst thing to happen to this franchise since Nintendo refused to include red blood in its SNES port . Supporting players like Baraka (CJ Bloomfield) and Kano (Josh Lawson) are bright spots, exuding the colourful personalities people expect from Mortal Kombat’s heroes and villains.
If it bothered you that the 2021 film didn’t even feature a Mortal Kombat tournament, rest assured, this film delivers. It jumps right into the tournament from the opening sequence and provides scene after scene of bone-breaking, gore-spewing action. It features a number of thrilling fights, with stylish choreography and stomach-churning fatalities. While far from perfect, this sequel feels like the film fans were clamouring for back in 2021. Its story, settings, and action sequences wouldn’t look out of place running on your PS5.
Unlike The Super Mario Galaxy Movie , genuine emotional stakes elevate the story beyond performative fan service. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still plenty of “hey gamers, don’t you get a kick out of recognizing all this stuff?” energy coursing through the film, but that’s not what McQuoid chooses to hang his hat on. And the decision mostly works.
This isn’t the best version of a Mortal Kombat movie, but it’s a vast improvement over its predecessor. By the final credits, you can feel the series finding its footing in real time. It calls to mind the evolution of the Fast and the Furious franchise, and how those films grew more enjoyable as they drifted further from the original film’s template. This sequel offers a clear step forward from its predecessor, and I suspect Mortal Kombat III will continue the trend, blowing this entry out of the water.
Mortal Kombat II may not have executed a flawless victory, but the series has levelled up.
