Game – Movie Review: Mortal Kombat II (2026)

It has taken far too long to get here, but finally, five years after the release of the Mortal Kombat reboot film, we have the sequel. The question is, does it follow the all-important sequel rule of the three Bs? Bigger, bolder, and better? Or is it just another Mortal Kombat: Annihilation?

Directed by Simon McQuoid and written by Jeremy Slater, Mortal Kombat II is three stories in one, effectively. We have the overarching story surrounding the tournament, where Earth realm’s finest warriors must defeat Outworld, the dark and twisted realm of the oppressive emperor Shao Kahn, in a series of fights to the death. Lose, and Outworld will be allowed to invade Earth realm.

With the stakes so high, every warrior needs to fight, which is where Johnny Cage comes into things. Played by Karl Urban (as awesome as always), Cage is a martial artist actor whose best years are long behind him. He has slowly drifted into obscurity, and not only it has made him bitter, but it has also made him doubt he was ever a good fighter at all.

He’s going to have to find a way to get over those doubts and deal with his issues as Lord Raiden (Tadanobu Asano) has come calling. Johnny Cage is needed to help defend Earth realm, alongside Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee), Liu Kang (Ludi Lin), Jax (Mehcad Brooks), and Cole Young (Lewis Tan).

The third, and final story belongs to Kitana (Adeline Rudolph) who grows up as the adopted daughter of Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford) after he kills her father, King Jerrod (Desmond Chiam), takes her mother, Queen Sindel (Ana Thu Nguyen) for his bride and enslaves her realm, Edenia.

On face value, she appears loyal to the Emperor, but behind his back, and unknown to her friend and bodyguard, Jade (Tati Gabrielle), she is working to help Raiden. She wants to see Shao Kahn fall, and helping the Earth realm win Mortal Kombat can do that. However, the big bad has a plan up his sleeve, one that shifts focus away from the tournament and sends our heroes on a side mission. One that gives the film a little more urgency and allows other characters to have their moments.

Characters like a returning Kung Lao (Max Huang), a returning Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada), a returning Bi-Han (Joe Taslim), a returning Shang Tsung (a criminally underused Chin Han), and a returning Kano (Josh Lawson), who once again, steals the film. We need a Mortal Kombat film that is just based around Kano because Josh Lawson is hilarious.

It’s not just returning characters though, as we also get some debuts beyond the ones mentioned already. Who had Quan Chi (Damon Herriman) on their Mortal Kombat character bingo card? The last time we saw a live-action version of this character, it was in Mortal Kombat: Conquest! Finally, there is Baraka (CJ Bloomfield), who lights up the screen and is involved in one of the film’s more fun fights.

Which there are plenty of. Alongside fights with stakes, fights with some emotional weight, and fights that might shock. No spoilers, but Mortal Kombat II has a couple of deaths and some of them are important. Although I did find one quite funny, just because the character in question was such an important part of the first film and was nothing more than an afterthought here.

Though that applies to a lot of the main cast who are sidelined in favour of Cage, Kitana, and Shao Kahn. Unfortunately, when you don’t have much screen time and your dialogue is mostly soundbites, it does mean certain actors aren’t really being given a fair go of it. This is even more notable when things start to repeat, such as Hanzo Hasashi and Bi -Han facing off again, albeit in the NetherRealm and cut with two other important fights happening at the same time.

It sounds a bit schizophrenic, but you must realise that Mortal Kombat II has zero chill. It is all go from the first scene, and it doesn’t stop. The pacing is fast paced, jumping from fight to fight, and realm to realm. It’s like the editors were worried that if they stopped for too long, people would get bored.

I’m not so sure though. As entertaining as it is, and it really is, I can’t help but come away thinking Cage’s redemption arc should have felt bigger. That the loss of certain characters should have lasting effects (they all move on fast), and certain fights should feel more important. The only one I felt anything for was Kitana, and that’s partially down to Adeline Rudolph’s acting and the cold open that really set her story up.

Though, I must reiterate that I was really entertained throughout and didn’t notice its runtime at all. Leaning in the video game aspects made it more fun and it allowed the effects team to get even more creative with the visuals and violence. Sure, it doesn’t always look great, but it’s delightfully garish. Even I winced when Kahn crushed a head with his hammer.

Unchain your brain, remember what Mortal Kombat is, be prepared to have fun, and you’ll enjoy the hell out of this. Bigger? Absolutely. Bolder? Without question. Better? That’s a bit more complicated. For me, it’s on par with the 2021 film.