A heavy shadow falls over the dominion of Earthrealm, as a slew of dark titans step forth and threaten full annihilation of any soul foolish enough to stand in opposition. Their blood-soaked hands and power-hungry spirits shall not be denied their konquest. Or so they emphatically claim. Yet still a chosen few rise to the occasion and greet death at its door. These champions armed with only the might of their fists and the fire in their hearts, ready themselves for the fight of their lives. And so it is that when all stand across from each other, each holding the fate of their world in the balance, a booming voice rings out, exclaiming …
Round 2. Fight!
And so blood hungry spectators return in droves to catch the long-awaited sequel to 2021’s Mortal Kombat, effectively called Mortal Kombat 2. This time around, the thunder god, Raiden, and his chosen champions from the previous installment seek to recruit aging action star Johnny Cage to help defend Earthrealm in yet another Mortal Kombat Tournament from the tyrannical Emperor Shau Kahn and his Outworld fighters. However, one of Shau Kahn’s champions lurks in the dark, conspiring with the Earthrealm warriors to beat back the blood thirsty warlord. And yet, for all their strength, stealth, and guile, Earthrealm’s heroes remain unaware of the real danger brewing under the surface of the tournament.
I, like many MK fans, have clamored for this sequel, ever since I walked out of the initial reboot film 5 years ago. It’s wild to consider how much time has actually passed between the two films. But walking into the theatre, I could only hope that the film would not only live up to the hype promised in the trailer, but that it would also take the time to mend the greater mistakes of its predecessor. I mean, it’s Mortal Kombat. It’s going to be a tonal pinball machine that focuses mainly on the hyper stylized wiz-boom-pow, the sweet ‘member berry MK cameos, and of course those quintessential FATALTIES, even at the expense of story and character development. I get that and accept it. But that doesn’t mean the creators can’t pull together a film that is more structurally sound, well-paced, cohesive, and emotionally rewarding than the first. And do they pull that off? Well, surprisingly the answer is both yes and also a resounding no. Let’s get into it.
Narratively speaking, both MK2 and MK1 offer fantastic opening scenes that give off the vibe of a prestige martial arts epic. The first time around it’s the tragedy of Scorpion's family at the hands of Sub-Zero. This time it’s the tragedy of Princess Katana as she watches her world overtaken by Shau Kahn. Both beautifully set up their respective villains, explain the relative rules of the world and gimmicks of the film, while also setting the tone for a bloody, brutal throwdown affair of a flick, but one that feels like it’s taking itself seriously artistically and as it pertains to the source material. How MK2 outshines its predecessor is that it also gives us meaningful motivation and backstory for one of our film's heroes in the opening sequence (unlike MK1 where it sort of does the same thing, but for more of a glorified side character). It’s quick, clean, action packed, informative, and most of all, faithful to the dark epicness of Mortal Kombat. And such narrative flare and reverence for the source material only continues with the introduction of its second protagonist.
Choosing to focus on two protagonists, MK2 once again highlights one of the all-time fan-favorites, Johnny Cage; only this time with a slightly different angle. As opposed to portraying him as an action star hellbent on proving he’s a legit martial artist, he’s now an aging action star, wallowing in the depths of his fading relevance. They still keep a portion of his once illustrious martial arts career storyline, but have it bolstered by the aspect of a man glumly reminiscing on the warrior he used to be, someone of legit purpose, motivation, and pride. It’s a wonderfully fresh angle that provides great action, comedy, and motivation for the duration of the film. And although there are a plethora of other characters overstuffing the film, I would say it’s the stories of Katana and Johnny that hold everything upright in the face of a lot that threatens to derail the movie.
Overall, the vibes are fantastic, the practical sets are glorious, the pacing is better, there’re more cameos than you can shake a stick at, and the kombat is simply to die for, especially two particular fights: Johnny Cage vs. Baraka and Liu Kang vs. Kung Loa. However, these improvements ironically also highlight some of the film's greatest weaknesses and in some circumstances directly contribute to them. For instance, the pacing …
As mentioned, the pacing is improved, allowing for some greater moments of still and contemplation that allow the audiences, the characters, and the plot to breathe. But the film is SO overstuffed with characters, plot points, and fights that it has no choice, but to constantly exposit everything. There’s rarely any nuance to the character development or story because there’s TOO MUCH MORE. And that's kind of how the movie feels with everything. More blood. More characters. More plot points. More locations. More lore. More fights. And all in service of just MORE.
This creates a whirlwind where it becomes hard to ground anything and therefore too many aspects of the lore and plot are forced to be played fast and loose to the detriment of the film. Thankfully the film does put patience and care where it matters most, like the two aforementioned fights, Johnny Cage and Katana’s internal conflicts, and the short team bonding adventure section in the latter half of the film. But I wish more of the movie would have been built around those elements. Because as it stands, it still feels like the ever pinballing save-the-world plot drives the story, rather the characters motivations, choices, and their collective journey steering the narrative. I would even go as far as to say that the ‘99 MK still does pacing and story better. But yes, overall MK2 is grander in story and scope, feels more heartfelt, and more memorable than its predecessor. And it’s because it truly is better paced. But it’s like going from a D+ to a C+ when comparing the two films.
All that being said, we’ll just speedrun a few more cheers and jeers for MK2. As for the jeers … One, the villains have nearly no teeth. Much like the first movie, Shang Tsung continues to evoke no presence in the film. Quan Chi, although appreciated and looking fantastic, is played mostly as a comedic plot device. Likewise, Noob Sibot feels like a wonderful treat both visually and in performance, but is shoehorned in and dealt with so fast, he hardly has the time to make a real impact. And then there’s Shau Kahn, who looks, moves, and speaks with all the delicious devilry one would want from an interdimensional juggernaut warlord. The problem, however, is that both the story and fighting choreography make him feel far too on par with the rest of the characters. He’s supposed to feel leagues beyond everyone else in physical stature, prowess, and brutality without any additional plot gimmicks or MacGuffins, but he doesn’t. And because of this, it makes him feel reasonably beatable or at least manageable in any given scenario when he should feel like an unstoppable monster, like Sub-Zero did in MK. Everything else is there; the physical performance just needs to be cranked up to 11.
Outside of that, a few other gripes are that some of the sets are just clearly CGI slap-ons. The practical sets, while stunning, can sometimes feel empty. There are also so many characters it’s a miracle that anyone makes it out with any meaningful moments, let alone story by the end. This becomes a big problem when the slew of side characters (both heroes and villains alike) are made to feel like they are supposed to have more relevance to the main story, but there just isn’t enough time to make them all matter. And this affects many characters, but one in particular that it destroys is Raiden. He is supposed to be the Thunder God, the protector of earth, and yet he ends up feeling immensely inconsequential and strangely mortal. I believe ACTORS NAME is doing his best, but aside from one scene, this film does not allow him the space or dialogue to establish any real sense of presence. It’s a travesty as an MK fan.
But moving on to additional cheers, the practical sets and costumes look fantastic. This doesn’t feel like a kitschy cosplay-fest like MK Annihilation. This movie lives and breathes visually. In addition, much of the action is spectacular. I cannot express enough how hilarious and wonderful Johnny Cage vs. Baraka is, nor how epic Lui Kang vs. Kung Loa is. That fight is practically a whole short film unto itself and easily has the highest point of emotional resonance, especially if you are diehard MK fan. But even then, you don’t need to be a fan to appreciate it in all of its fascists. I almost wish… NO! I do wish there was a whole film dedicated to the story line in that fight. That’s how good it is.
The missteps that occur in this film, especially the ones that feel like repeaters from MK1, are infuriating. Some of that comes from being a diehard MK fan. Some of it comes from my love of cinema. But all in all, when I consider the massive improvements from the first film and the oh-so strong high notes of MK2, I can’t help but walk away smitten by its efforts. Movies are in no way an easy venture. And even more so is that true in the quest of adapting beloved IP. Triple so for sequels to films adapting beloved IP. So when it comes to the case of Mortal Kombat 2, I will bow my head in reverence and say, “It’s a step up. I had fun. Good job.” But STILL, I implore both Warner Brothers and Nether Realm Studios immensely, to not be content with the success of this movie. They can be so much more cohesive and intentional. The passion is there. The action is there. The craft there. The real question is, do they have the courage to dig deep and do better like the MK fanbase knows they can? Only time will tell, but for the moment, Mortal Kombat 2 is … well, not a flawless victory, but many steps in the right direction.
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