The bar for gaming adaptations is extremely high. The story has to be solid, the creative license should be minimal, and the casting should reflect what gamers see via their consoles. In Mortal Kombat II, director Simon McQuoid and co. pulled off a rare feat: making a sequel that’s better than the original.
Again, expectations are extremely high for video game films, and their casting and trailer set the tone months in advance. A tournament-less first film didn’t bode well for fans, but this second film felt like it was made for them. If you’re into the game, you’ll enjoy the film. If you’ve never played the game, it’s not the type of film that’s easy to grasp or even to be entertained.
A fight-to-the-death tournament is taking place to decide the fate of the world. In your not-so-typical framework of good and evil, it’s those who are loyal to Lord Raiden (Tadanobu Asano) against those loyal to Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford). A surprise addition to Raiden’s side was the actor and former martial arts master Johnny Cage (Karl Urban). With the Cage joining the fight, it’s up to them to save the fate of the Earthrealm.
When it comes to fighting games, I’ve always been a Street Fighter man myself. Sadly, the crossovers into film have never been adequate. The opposite can be said of Mortal Kombat. The ’90s version may not have performed as expected at the box office, but it left fans worldwide with a soundtrack that’s recognized to this day. With that being said, both gaming franchises have films premiering this year, and only MKII looks set to meet expectations. Remember that note I made regarding casting? Street Fighter failed to impress me with most of its characters. Here, we find near-perfect portrayals of the characters that ’80s and ’90s babies grew up on. While Raiden’s look was par, the rest of his team, including Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee), Liu Kang (Ludi Lin), Jax (Mehcad Brooks), and Johnny Cage (Karl Urban), were excellent. Adeline Rudolph was amazing as Kitana, and Tati Gabrielle was impressive as Jade. Since the casting was properly done, the only thing left was the film.
If you’ve never played the game, what made the Mortal Kombat franchise stand out from all the other fighting games was the extreme violence. Unlike Street Fighter, where you drain your opponent’s power to 0 before you win, Mortal Kombat allows the victor one final act of violence, commenced by the demand, “Finish him!” Finishing moves and a variety of in-game levels were featured in fine taste, almost as a wink to the fans, “Don’t worry, we got this.” The level of gore was beyond what I expected. The extraneous violence was inserted to match the game, though it’s not my taste, it was appropriate to reflect the game’s intensity. On top of that, the fight scenes were incredible.
As far as films based on video games go, it’s one of the better ones I’ve seen in the past 10 years. Will it break records like Super Mario Galaxy or Sonic the Hedgehog? No. But that’s ok. It was meant for a niche market and the audience that comes along with it. I wouldn’t watch it again because it was far too violent for me, but purists should leave satisfied once they’ve quenched their thirst for death and gore.
Mortal Kombat II gets a 7.5 out of 10. Karl Urban and Josh Lawson (Kano) provided unexpected laughs to lighten the mood. Some scene transitions felt disjointed, and Cole Young’s (Lewis Tan) presence felt off. Raiden’s dialogue and casting could’ve been better, but it’s not enough to tarnish the entire film. There’s humor. There’s carnage. But most of all, there’s mortal combat.
Mortal Kombat II premieres in theatres today.
-Jon Jones
Genre: Action/Fantasy
Rating: R
Runtime: 1 hr 56 mins
Trailer: Watch
U.S. Release Date: May 8, 2026