SYNOPSIS: The sequel to the 2021 reboot, “Mortal Kombat II” sees the champions of Earthrealm forced to into battle to thwart the rule of Shao Kahn, emperor of the Outworld realm.
CAST: Karl Urban, Adeline Rudolph, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Ludi Lin, Mehcad Brooks, Tati Gabrielle, Lewis Tan, Damon Herriman, Chin Han, Tadanobu Asano, Joe Taslim, Hiroyuki Sanada. Directed by Simon McQuoid.
REVIEW: A mix-and-match of the videogame “Street Fighter II,” fantasy, and martial arts films like “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “Bloodsport,” “Mortal Kombat II” is action-packed, blood-soaked fan service that grabs the spirit of the games for the big screen.
The ultimate clash of the realms begins with the Mortal Kombat champions of Earthrealm—Cole Young (Lewis Tan), Liu Kang (Ludi Lin), Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee), Jax (Mehcad Brooks), and Kano (Josh Lawson)—joined by Jean-Claude Van Damme wannabe Johnny Cage (Karl Urban) to fight in the Outworld Mortal Kombat tournament. “I got a Saturn Award for best fight scene in film,” Cage says, “so don’t mess with me.”
Determined to expand the realm of Outworld, Genghis Khan-style Emperor Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford) launches a campaign to conquer Earthrealm. “Earth belongs to me,” he says.
As alliances are formed and betrayals brew, the hammer-wielding villain triggers bloody, no-holds barred battles, forcing the Earthrealm warriors to defend their sovereignty. “I hope your ancestors are watching,” Kahn cackles.
There’s more. Way more.
There is an amulet that turns men into immortals, a zombie queen, a vengeance hungry royal daughter (Adeline Rudolph), giants with rows of external, razor-sharp teeth and loads of gushing plasma. Director Simon McQuoid, working from a script by Jeremy Slater, crams a lot of backstory, character work and snappy one-liners into the 116-minute runtime, but let’s be real, the narrative is just the stuff in between the fights.
It’s a simple story of good vs. evil, of a dark lord who craves power, immortality and territory and the heroes who fight back. It’s complicated by alliances and intrigue that nonfans may struggle with, but it’s not about the details. It’s about big IMAX action played out on a screen the size of a basketball court.
On that score “Mortal Kombat II” delivers what fans expect, big eye-popping mano-et-mano battle scenes colored with impossible wuxia style flying kicks and airborne leaps. It’s cool, stylized fight choreography that showcases the franchise’s debt to Hong Kong kung fu and martial arts films.
The cast is game, particularly Karl Urban, who brings some much-appreciated humor to the role of Johnny Cage, a self-described “dinosaur doing karate poses.” He refers to the tournaments as a “Squid Game murder party,” and feels it’s unfair that the others have special powers while, “I’m just incredibly handsome.” His presence breaks up the scenes of squirting plasma and helps establish the homage to New Line Cinema’s 1980s–90s action/horror movie era.
Based on the best of the OG games, “Mortal Kombat II” is a throwback, with brutal battles, to the games and the generation that produced them.
