Take 68: Mortal Kombat II (2026)

Mortal Kombat II is the sequel to the 2021 reboot (that I didn’t see) and features another Earthrealm tournament. As the film opens, Shao Kahn has already taken over a young Kitana’s realm. Now he and his forces have their eyes on wining the next tournament which lands Earth in jeopardy. Raiden (Tadanobu Asano) drags actor Johnny Cage (Karl Urban) into the fray as one of Earth’s last defenders but will it be enough to sway the outcome. And will Kitana side with Shao Kahn who has pretty much raised her since taking over or will she see this as her opportunity for revenge? These are just some of the questions raised by this fast-paced, action-oriented adaptation of the long running fighting game series.

I borrowed the first two at some point on Sega Genesis, never owned them. They were fun enough, and I could actually pull off the elaborate finishing movie combos, awesome. But I was always drawn to the more colorful, simpler world of Street Fighter. Had never seen any of the live-action for either,so I was ready to pass on this one two. Unfortunately (or fortunately, stay tuned for the end), pickings were slim this week so I gave in and decided to give this one a shot.

Not overly versed on the lore, I went into this pretty much blind. It centered heavily on Kitana and Johnny Cage, two characters I actually know so that was a plus. I also knew a lot of the other featured players whether from the game or from their acting or both, like Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee who give big time Charlize Theron vibes had this been a decade or two earlier), Jax (Mehcad Brooks), Lou Kang (Ludi Lin who ended up as probably my favorite) Jade (Tati Gabrielle who I loved in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina who killed it here, no surprise). Others I vaguely remember well like Kano (Josh Lawson) and Baraka (CJBloomfield). There were also a few that translated very differently than I expected like Lord Raiden who, in my mind always gave villain energy in the game which was absolutely not the case here. The same with Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada) who I would have sworn was a baddie, but not the case. In any event, all were well-cast and everyone seemed to be having a good time playing these larger than life characters so the performances sold it all.

The plot itself was pretty simple, but you aren’t at a Mortal Kombat movie for the plot. It’s about the fighting scenes, and boy, are they glorious and gory. As the game series has gone on, the finishing move have only gotten more and more elaborate. Several of these translated perfectly to the big screen. There were more than a couple audible groans from the audience that I saw the movie with that reacted viscerally to the over-the-top eviscerations and decapitations that were before us. And the wobbling, seeing stars moment before a character was “finished” was not lost on me. We played.

It was camp. There is a darkness to these games but thank goodness they have enough sense to lean into the humor. This humor came in large part from Johnny Cage who is very much the entry point character for those of us not seeped in the lore. His reactions to the absurd are our reactions. He ie the relatable in the unrelatable.

I saw this often in reviewing these movies, but hey, it is what it is and what it is fun! I walked in with low expectations and thoroughly enjoyed every moment. It made me want to see the 2021 film at least. The 1990s versions though- not so fast. Let’s not get crazy. But this universe, for sure. And from the looks of things, there will be a third . And I will be there.

My score: 9.0. That’s entertainment.

Wanna fight? Let’s hear about it in the comments. And until next time…