Mortal Kombat II (2026)
Directed by: Simon McQuoid
Premise: A sequel to the 2021 film. Fighters from around the world gather for a martial arts tournament pitting them against warriors from another dimension. If they lose, Earth will be overrun.
What Works: Mortal Kombat II is a sequel to a successful predecessor that was adapted from a videogame which inspired an ongoing franchise that cuts across various mediums. This movie exists to service a specific audience and as an act of fan service, Mortal Kombat II generally succeeds. The filmmakers play to their audience by working in references to the game and including a variety of popular characters. Mortal Kombat was originally a fighting game and the movie never goes too long without a set piece. The action comes steadily and the filmmakers embrace the gore that distinguished the video game. However, the filmmakers also approach this sequel with a sense of humor. Mortal Kombat has been around since the 1990s and the film includes some nods to the franchise’s legacy. The sequel features Johnny Cage, imagined here as a washed-up Hollywood action star who peaked in the 1990s. Actor Karl Urban adds a lot of humor as does Josh Lawson as Kano. Lawson was the best part of the 2021 film and his comic timing continues to impress.
What Doesn’t: The priority of appeasing the Mortal Kombat fanbase comes at the cost of coherent storytelling. Mortal Kombat II is a mess. The film plays like a jumble of characters and concepts that were assembled by the marketing team rather than story elements selected to create a coherent narrative. Mortal Kombat II has no single protagonist. It’s more of an ensemble piece which makes sense given the nature of the source material but no one has a meaningful character arc. A few scenes are intended to be big dramatic moments, namely the fight between Liu Kang and Kung Lao (Ludi Lin and Max Huang), but these scenes don’t deliver because the characters are so thin. And for as much as the film plays to the fans, it also fumbles the basics of the Mortal Kombat conceit. The tournament has no structure or ceremony; it’s just a bunch of fights. As the title implies, Mortal Kombat is about fighting to the death but deceased characters are brought back to life and the heroes travel into the underworld and back. No one really dies and that lowers the stakes. The action set pieces are satisfactory but there’s not much showmanship. Unlike the fights of John Wick and The Raid, there isn’t much visceral impact.
Bottom Line: Mortal Kombat II is a mediocre film. Die hard fans of the series will probably be pleased by it but the sequel is forgettable and unengaging.
Episode: 1099 (May 17, 2026)