It’s time to become the hero you were meant to be.
There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that 2021’s Mortal Kombat was a deliberate and specific attempt to rejuvenate the franchise for film and create a series of new movies based around the video game IP. Mortal Kombat wasn’t very well received by most critics but it was pretty well received by audiences, and by me. Does the sequel hold up to the original?
Following almost immediately from the events of Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat II begins with the heroes of Earthrealm looking for the fifth fighter for the impending Mortal Kombat tournament, and finding expert martial artist and washed up actor Johnny Cage (Karl Urban). Cage rejects the invitation, unaware that he has no actual choice; and the tournament begins whether he likes it or not…
Mortal Kombat was not a perfect movie, but it certainly was a fun movie. Leaning into the violence associated with the video games and making everything big, bright and loud was the right move, and the production team seem to have been aware of this going into Mortal Kombat II. After a flashback introduction to establish some of the new characters connected to Outworld, the sequel picks up pretty much from the moment the first film ended, and doesn’t waste a lot of time focusing too much on things like narrative before pulling us into the action as the actual Mortal Kombat tournament begins. This is definitely a strength of this film, as it was for the original; by prioritising the action first, even during the moments where narrative is strictly necessary, director Simon McQuoid makes it clear that we are here to watch people fight and that everything else is just the lubricant needed to keep things moving in the right direction. That action certainly does the trick, leaning back into the elevated level of gore and violence that fans of the first film and the video games enjoyed, with talented actors and stunt performers taking the violence to the limits, assisted with super powers and inhuman abilities demonstrated with convincing CGI sequences. Appropriately for the film with this name, the combat is absolutely the reason to watch this film and it delivers.
When fights aren’t happening and narrative is required, the sprawling central cast does a great job of keeping things moving in the right direction. The story is appropriately cheesy and over-the-top, just like in the first film, but that doesn’t mean that the cast isn’t displaying their talent; Adeline Rudolph (Resident Evil) and Tati Gabrielle (The Last Of Us) join the cast for the sequel as a tandem and work very well together as Kitana and Jade respectively, with the likes of Mehcad Brooks, Jessica MacNamee, Ludi Lin, Josh Lawson, Tadanobu Asano and Chin Han all reprising their roles from the originals and keeping the same energy they brought to that film. The stand-out addition here is, of course, Karl Urban as Johnny Cage; with Urban doing a great job of tapping into the energy of a washed-up former action movie star and balancing his performance between the high-octane action, cheesy 80’s-esque dialogue and some moments of true emotional depth. Cage in the video games was unashamedly inspired by Jean Claude Van Damme, but Urban brings in elements of the likes of Schwarzenegger, Hasselhoff, Norris and others to round out his portrayal of Johnny Cage. Noteworthy alongside Urban is CJ Bloomfield, who plays Baraka, leader of the Tarakatans, and is featured briefly but notably in a tense stand-off and fight against Johnny Cage, and Bloomfield shines in this moment. Urban and Bloomfield together deliver what is the funniest and most unforgettable clash of this film, and likely secured their returns for any future sequels in that fight.
One disappointing element for me was the downplaying of Cole Young, played by Lewis Tan, from his central role in the original. I am aware that some fans and critics were not enthusiastic about Cole Young’s character, who was created specifically for the films as a method of allowing access for new fans without needing to know video game backstory; but I was impressed by Lewis Tan’s portrayal of him and was eager to see him lead this franchise as it moved forward, and that certainly does not appear to be the direction they are taking these films moving forward, with Mortal Kombat II being clearly and thoroughly built around Johnny Cage and Kitana (not romantically). While both Urban and Rudolph are more than capable of leading this franchise and likely will garner a lot of fan support as a result; I have yearned for Lewis Tan to have the opportunity to truly demonstrate his skills as both an actor and a martial artist for a long time – I still think he should’ve played Danny Rand in Netflix’s adaptation of Marvel’s Iron Fist – and his reduced role was greatly disappointing to me.
There really isn’t much more to say about this one; if you like messy, violent and silly martial arts action with a narrative that moves the action without overstaying its welcome, then this new Mortal Kombat series is worth your time. If you enjoyed the first outing of this reboot series, then this is more of the same; with the emphasis on more. If you don’t want that, then this one isn’t for you, and that’s absolutely fine.
Dave Writes Reviews 