From New Line Cinema comes the latest high-stakes installment in the blockbuster video game franchise in all its brutal glory, Mortal Kombat II. This time, the fan favorite champions—now joined by Johnny Cage himself—are pitted against one another in the ultimate, no-holds barred, gory battle to defeat the dark rule of Shao Kahn that threatens the very existence of the Earthrealm and its defenders. Karl Urban stars as Johnny Cage, alongside Adeline Rudolph, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Ludi Lin, Mehcad Brooks, Tati Gabrielle, Lewis Tan, Damon Herriman, with Chin Han, Tadanobu Asano as Lord Raiden, Joe Taslim as Bi-Han, and Hiroyuki Sanada as Hanzo Hasashi and Scorpion.
Mortal Kombat II is an improvement over its 2021 predecessor, but not by much. While the first film wasted screen time by not even featuring the actual tournament from the video game and introduced completely made-up characters like Cole Young (Lewis Tan), this sequel doesn’t make the same mistakes. Unfortunately, it still falls short of being anything memorable. As a diehard martial arts and Mortal Kombat fan, I’m left thinking Hollywood may never truly get it right when it comes to video game adaptations.
Now, the film isn’t outright horrible. There are some highlights worth mentioning, especially when it comes to the costumes, powers and abilities, and the overall lore. However, there are still glaring issues that can’t be ignored, starting with the tone and pacing of the film.
Comparing this movie to the original 1995 theatrical release, no matter how much you had to suspend your disbelief, that film still felt serious. You could sense the stakes of the world crumbling from the opening credits all the way to the end. That’s not the case here in 2026. The world is supposedly coming to an end, yet it never truly feels that way. It’s a shame because the film is rated R, so it delivers the blood, gore, and gruesomeness any Mortal Kombat fan would enjoy, but there’s still an element missing that makes the entire experience feel like a giant side quest instead of the most important moment in human history.
While there are a respectable number of characters pulled directly from the games, only about half of them fulfill their roles properly. The others miss the mark completely. For example, Shao Kahn looks menacing, but the execution of the character fails miserably. This is a warrior god with hundreds, if not thousands, of years of battle experience. He’s supposed to feel nearly unstoppable, yet he struggles far too much against novices who shouldn’t even be able to land a single blow on him. Honestly, the movie makes it feel like if I trained hard enough for two years, I could beat him myself, and that absolutely should not be the case.
A full list could probably be made explaining what every character did right and wrong, but just know that at least half of them never reached their full potential. They should come across as believable martial artists on screen, not actors and actresses playing dress-up in cosplay. In other words, too much of the acting felt unconvincing, both physically and through the dialogue itself.
On top of that, the tournament fans have been waiting years to see takes a back seat to another storyline involving a medallion. Instead of constantly bouncing back and forth between plot points and creating distractions, the script should have focused on one central idea and fully fleshed it out. There’s also very little buildup to many of the confrontations. Characters randomly disappear and suddenly show up in completely different locations ready to fight, which kills a lot of the tension and excitement those moments should have had.
There are a few laughs throughout the film from certain characters, but that shouldn’t be the highlight of a Mortal Kombat movie. Some of the fight scenes are decent enough, but definitely not all of them. At times, the movie feels unfocused, leaving you wondering what exactly is supposed to matter.
It may not be entirely fair to compare this film to the 1995 version again, but honestly, this movie doesn’t come close. The original had better acting, pacing, storytelling, fight choreography, and more accurate portrayals of the characters. The 2026 version only wins when it comes to visual effects, but if you don’t have substance, which this film largely doesn’t, then none of that matters. In the end, it’ll probably be forgotten sooner rather than later.
Video Review:
Official Trailer 2:
Official Trailer: RED BAND
