“Mortal Kombat 2” Review – All Gas, No Brakes

Are you like me, who’ve been playing “Mortal Kombat” games for twenty years or more? Well, let me be, hopefully, one of the first to tell you that this movie was made with us in mind. From the fight scenes to the settings and music, “Mortal Kombat 2” will whet the appetites of fans aplenty.

Following 2021’s “Mortal Kombat”, we meet the legendary Johnny Cage (Karl Urban) and the Princess of Edenia, Kitana (Adeline Rudolph). Mixing in elements from several of the games, both old and new, this movie takes viewers on a wild ride following our two main characters and their stories. Strap yourselves in as we go through this review!

Direction & Story

I feel like it’s safe to say that this movie gave fans everything we wanted to see from the first movie. While “Mortal Kombat” had a heavier focus on story and character development, “Mortal Kombat 2” focuses more on game lore while including the tournament itself. With the tournament comes fight after bloody fight, blending the story in so that viewers feel the emotions in every punch. However, this comes with the sacrifice of smaller, more focused character moments that I feel really could’ve elevated the story further.

Directed by Simon McQuoid (2021’s “Mortal Kombat”) and written by Jeremy Slater (“The Umbrella Academy”, “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire”) with direct input from franchise co-creator Ed Boon, this sequel comes as a far step above the first in terms of action and being closer to the games. However, like I previously said, that comes with some drawbacks. There come a few moments for certain characters, namely Johnny and Kitana, where things slow down, and we focus on their lives. That being said, we aren’t allowed to breathe in those moments as McQuoid quickly moves us on to the next action sequence.

Any longtime fan of Mortal Kombat knows that while the action gameplay is the main focus, the characters are a large part of the love for this franchise. Without much character development, general audiences are left without reason to care for these characters when they inevitably bite the dust or win. This makes me a tad fearful for the third movie, as they’ve already hinted that they feel they found their groove.

Composition & Score

With longtime cinematographer Stephen F. Windon (“Fast & Furious” franchise, “Star Trek: Beyond”) onboard, you know this movie has a lot of style and visual flair to it. With his eye for visuals and McQuoid’s directing, this movie truly felt like watching the games come to life. In some instances, there were even references like the 2D plane of the fighting screen, which was amazing to see. Not only that, but the variety of color amongst the darkness (both literal AND metaphorical) was a total feast for the eyes. The art directing team obviously lends a lot to that as well, as it shows they worked their butts off here. The visual and special effects were also totally on point, with there really only being one shot that stood out to me as noticeable.

Further heightening the film is a score by composer Benjamin Wallfisch (“IT: Welcome to Derry”, “Predator: Badlands”). The music really lent a lot to this film, keeping the action tense and emotions high. It almost felt like a character in its own right, the presence being felt in every scene but never standing out negatively. It really worked to help tell the story. Personally, I could easily listen to the soundtrack on repeat.

Final Thoughts – 8/10

While the important character moments are small and feel relegated to the sidelines, the rest of the story is told through the epic fights, stellar visuals, and perfect score. This feels almost exactly like what fans wanted from the original and is a near flawless victory.

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Comments

Do you plan on seeing “Mortal Kombat 2”? If you’ve already seen it, what did you think? Let’s discuss in the comments below!