Mortal Kombat 2 Review

By Ben Wright (@Iamzavagno | www.xgeeks.co.uk)

This review is spoiler-free.

It has begun… my review of Mortal Kombat 2, that is.

I think it is fair to say the first film in this rebooted franchise had its issues. There were definitely things fans enjoyed, but the reaction overall felt more positive-with-an-asterisk than outright enthusiastic. Rather than completely going back to the drawing board, though, this sequel feels more like the filmmakers took a step back and properly asked themselves what a Mortal Kombat film should actually be in 2026. The answer, apparently, was simple – make it louder, bloodier, sillier, and far more fun. Honestly? Good call.

This sequel fully embraces the ridiculousness of the games and is much stronger for it. The spectacle is front and centre this time, while story and deeper substance definitely take a bit of a back seat. But here is the thing, for Mortal Kombat, I really do not mind that. If this were aiming to be some grounded prestige action film, then yes, I would probably judge the thin plot and clunky dialogue a lot more harshly. But that is not what this is trying to be. This is a film where people punch each other through walls, rip limbs off, and throw out ridiculous one-liners before exploding someone into a puddle of gore. And honestly? That is exactly what I wanted from it. I had a really fun time watching this.

You can tell the creative team actually listened to the feedback from the first film, too. Grounded, this sequel is not. It fully leans into the madness and finally starts feeling like the games a lot of us grew up with. The fights are brutal, messy, bloody, and packed with fan service. Not every fight lands perfectly. There are moments where the editing gets a little messy, and you can feel the cuts breaking up the choreography a bit too much, but when the action clicks, it really clicks. The standout for me was easily Liu Kang versus Kung Lao. That fight alone was worth the ticket price.

Some of the visual effects do look a little rough in places, especially when the film starts throwing absolutely everything at the screen at once, but thankfully, it never drops into full accidental-comedy territory like Mortal Kombat: Annihilation did. Although honestly, even Annihilation has become weirdly lovable over the years.

One thing the first reboot film really missed was properly using that iconic theme music. This time, they absolutely know what the audience wants. And yes, when that theme finally kicks in towards the end, loud and unapologetic, it hits exactly how you want it to. Just sit there and enjoy it while the credits roll.

The cast all seem far more comfortable with the tone this time around as well. Karl Urban steps into the role of Johnny Cage like he has been playing him for years. He has the swagger, the ego, the perfect level of smugness, all of it. His scenes with the returning Josh Lawson as Kano are easily some of the funniest in the film. Lawson once again steals scenes every time he appears. The man just gets Kano.

Adeline Rudolph also makes a strong impression as Kitana. In fact, despite the marketing putting a huge spotlight on Johnny Cage, this often feels just as much like Kitana’s film, sometimes even more so. Jessica McNamee and Mehcad Brooks slip back into their roles easily, while Ludi Lin and Max Huang remain incredibly watchable, even if they spend more time in the background this time around. It definitely feels like the series has bigger plans for them later.

Of course, Hiroyuki Sanada returns briefly as Scorpion and completely steals your attention the second he appears. Honestly, I would happily watch an entire spin-off film focused just on him.

The only character who feels a little awkwardly stuck between the old version of the franchise and this newer direction is Lewis Tan as Cole Young. I actually like Tan a lot as a performer, but it definitely feels like the reaction to the first film changed the direction of his character more than anyone else. You can almost feel the film quietly pushing him to the side at points. Personally, I never really had an issue with creating a new character for the franchise in the first place, but clearly, plenty of fans did.

A Shakespearean masterpiece this was never going to be, but as a loud, ridiculous, crowd-pleasing action film? It absolutely delivers. You just have to lean into the chaos of it all. The film knows exactly what it is and never really pretends otherwise.

What actually excites me most, though, is where things could go next. While this film stays heavily focused on the tournament side of things, the ending opens up loads of possibilities for future films. There are already loads of fan speculation online about where a Mortal Kombat 3 could go next, and honestly, if they fully commit to the wider mythology and different realms, things could get properly crazy in the best way. That said, if they move away from the tournament setup completely, they will probably need to put a bit more focus on tightening up the story side of things.

Goofy, bloody, chaotic, and completely unapologetic about what it is, Mortal Kombat 2 may not be flawless, but it is still absolutely victorious. Sit back, enjoy the fights, laugh at the ridiculous one-liners, and watch the fatalities do exactly what they were designed to do.