With an expanded roster of characters, and despite a more convoluted narrative, Mortal Kombat II is a videogame adaptation that understands its source material. This sequel introduces a new tournament and the debut of Shao Kahn, a ruler who poses a serious threat to Earthrealm, forcing some unlikely heroes to step up.
One element I enjoyed about the first film was how simple it was in its narrative; spending minimal time explaining the plot before allowing the action to shine for almost two hours. Naturally, sequels feel the need to go bigger than their predecessor, and that’s exactly what Mortal Kombat II attempts and succeeds in doing. Unfortunately bigger doesn’t always mean better, and in the case of this sequel, the attempt of creating a more complex story has resulted in a final product that’s choppy and all over the place. There’s just a lot more moving parts and subplots to keep track of, and not all of those arcs are interesting. There’s so much jumping between locations, our heroes and the villains that the pacing is completely out of whack and it’s hard to get fully invested in one key protagonist.
The film’s strongest attempt at creating an engaging protagonist lies with Kitana, who beckons the most screentime. She’s definitely more intriguing than the first film’s Cole Young, with ample backstory and plenty of inner conflict, but it’s like the writers didn’t want to commit fully to making this a Kitana film. She’s the undisputed highlight of the film, but instead, they spend time dipping heavily into the Johnny Cage character while strangely reviving almost every arc from the first film. Splitting the narrative like this creates a ride that’s more disjointed than it needed to be, detracting from nearly every character’s journey and tainting the final product.
Despite the narrative being overly convoluted and unnecessarily retreading old ground when you have the likes of Shao Kahn right there, I can’t help but ignore the fact that it’s a fun ride regardless. You could say it’s because I went into this film expecting very little from the narrative, and you’d be correct. The bar I set for the story was low, so disappointment was at a minimum, while the expectations I had for the action were much higher, and they largely delivered.
Before touching on the action, there’s some characters and actors who deserve a little love for the pure camp and silliness they bring to the film. Karl Urban as Johnny Cage is great casting; he commits to the role and leans into the ridiculous nature of the character. Although, I do feel like the story relies too heavily on his schtick; give us more of Kitana’s arc instead and you have yourself a better end result. You also have Kano (Josh Lawson) making a return and nailing every single one of his unhinged one-liners. Lawson’s Aussie accent helps in enhancing the comedy and garnering some solid laughs. Much of the dialogue is terribly uninspired and contrived, but anything that comes out of Kano’s mouth is ridiculous enough to pass the test. Adeline Rudolph (Kitana) has a much more serious role to play and does a great job with her performance; selling the action as well as her character’s history. In an alternate universe where this film prioritised story over action, she’d thrive even more than she does here.
Now for the reason everyone who wanted to watch this movie clicked play; the brutal, bloody, kick-ass action and gore-filled fatalities. Gripping, ridiculous and appropriately violent is how I’d describe the bulk of the action sequences. It doesn’t hold back when it comes to delivering blood-drenched kills, with so many of them spread throughout the movie. The narrative’s choppy nature, as explained above, is the fault of a focus on action; it’s essentially two hours of fight sequences loosely tied together by a subpar story… and it’s a lot of fun. It gives each character their moments to shine, paving the way for a good variety of action showcasing all of the character powers on offer. The choreography is exaggerated and videogame-like by design, doing a great job of capturing its audience and giving the fans what they ultimately want to see.
In the end, Mortal Kombat II is a step down from the first film, yet still an enjoyable ride. The bloody, gory and cheesy action is ever-present, but it’s the attempt to bring complexity into the story that feels unnecessary. It’s a story without a clear direction, trying to do too many things on the side when you have the basis for a good arc right there with Kitana. But again, with my focus and expectations hinging on the success and impact of the fight sequences, any shortcomings with the story aren’t that big of a issue. Overall it’s a fun ride that has me wanting to see more from the franchise, but not to the point of being disappointed if this is all we get.
6.5/10
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