Mortal Kombat II Shouldn’t Be This Rizzless

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I’ve always been a fan of Karl Urban, a talented New Zealand actor who consistently delivers strong performances without ever seeming pretentious. He’s also willing to make some questionable hair choices for his roles! From the space mullet in The Chronicles of Riddick to the messy hair in Ghost Ship and the shaved head with tattoos in Thor: Ragnarok, he’s transformed himself for his art. His role as faded movie star Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat II is relatively tame, with a blond hairstyle trying to recapture his former glory, even if he’s lost the means or desire to maintain it properly. Urban throws himself into the part with his usual energy, treating this sequel to a reboot as another chance to impress. However, the film itself, written by Jeremy Slater and directed by Simon McQuoid, doesn’t offer much substance, and even Urban seems a little frustrated by the lack of strong material.

The new film, Mortal Kombat II, focuses on Johnny Cage, a character who first appeared in the original 1992 game. The first movie in 2021 centered around a new character, Cole Young, but his story is quickly resolved in the sequel, suggesting he wasn’t a popular addition. Despite leaning on a classic character, Mortal Kombat II seems unsure of its direction. It tries to move away from the over-the-top style of the 90s Mortal Kombat movies, yet its most energetic scene is a recreation of a memorable fight from that era – a flashy sequence with spinning kicks and a Van Damme-inspired split. Now reduced to signing autographs, Johnny complains that audiences want something more realistic and serious. The filmmaker seems to interpret this by creating a visually dark and muddy film, with confusing fight scenes and a very serious tone when exploring the backstory of the character Kitana.

Despite being based on a famously violent game, the movie feels surprisingly uninspired. The recreations of the game’s brutal finishing moves feel rushed and impersonal. The returning heroes – Sonya Blade, Jax, Liu Kang, and Cole – aren’t particularly compelling characters. They join forces with Johnny and are guided by Raiden, all chosen to fight five champions from the Outworld to protect Earth. Their opponents include Queen Sindel, the resurrected Kung Lao, the deceptive Kitana, her guard Jade, and the menacing Shao Kahn. As you’d expect, the villains have more impressive abilities, like Sindel’s sonic scream and Kung Lao’s deadly hat. However, the movie spends too much time on Shao Kahn, who is simply a large, strong man with a hammer, and relies heavily on characters shooting energy beams at each other as its main visual effect.

I don’t recall much of the 2021 Mortal Kombat film except for a scene where Liu Kang repeatedly sweeps an opponent’s legs, just like in the game. (The new movie has a similar moment where a character stumbles and falls when their enemy doesn’t finish them off.) But at least it resembled a movie. The sequel, however, feels completely focused on pleasing fans, even going so far as to resurrect dead characters, often with the help of the necromancer Quan Chi. Mortal Kombat II feels like the director simply adjusted a dial labeled “fan service,” constantly checking audience reactions: “Want Sub-Zero back? How about as Noob Saibot? Want Scorpion? He’ll say his famous line!” Aside from a few energetic moments from Urban, the film only truly comes alive when Kano, a mercenary with laser eyes, is brought back, even though the story doesn’t really justify it. Kano’s constant commentary – about Johnny’s movies, Quan Chi’s makeup, and saving the world for unlimited breadsticks and… other perks – provides much-needed humor and a reminder that it’s far better to enjoy the source material than to take it too seriously.

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2026-05-06 19:54