Review Roundup: Simon McQuoid’s Mortal Kombat II
Thanks to its inventive, and incredibly gory, action, Mortal Kombat is one of the most iconic and popular video game franchises of all time. Indeed, I have fond memories of pumping quarter after quarter into the Mortal Kombat machine at the local arcade as I tried to master the game’s various moves and fatalities. (I was partial to Sub-Zero’s spine-ripping, myself.)
Given the franchise’s popularity, several live-action Mortal Kombat movies have been released over the years, beginning with 1995’s Mortal Kombat by Paul W. S. Anderson, which has since become a cult favorite. In 2021, the Mortal Kombat movies rebooted with Simon McQuoid’s film, which featured some really great Scorpion vs. Sub-Zero ninja action… and not much else.
With Mortal Kombat II, McQuoid and screenwriter Jeremy Slater look to focus on the actual Mortal Kombat tournament, an extradimensional fighting competition that decides the fate of worlds. Karl Urban (The Boys, Lord of the Rings) joins the cast as Johnny Cage, a washed up Hollywood action star who must face his destiny when he’s selected for the competition. Tadanobu Asano, Joe Taslim, and Hiroyuki Sanada return as Lord Raiden, Sub-Zero, and Scorpion, respectively.
So, does Mortal Kombat II do right by the video games? Or does it deserve a fatality of its own? Read on for a selection of critical reactions to McQuoid’s movie.
Mind you, Mortal Kombat II is still very much the kind of pandering entertainment where one guy yells “Get over here,” since that’s his catch phrase in the video games, right before he splits another colorfully dressed guy in two. Unfortunately, while some computer-animated set pieces look like they cost money, most are woefully nondescript and underdeveloped. I miss when stoner-friendly video game backgrounds, with acid moats and ominous-looking thunderstorms, were just window dressing and not the primary inspiration for a million-dollar movie.
An adaptation of Mortal Kombat will never be high cinematic art, nor does it need to. Mortal Kombat 2 does precisely what a film based on the series should do best, which is provide staggering martial arts action and stomach-flipping gore set against the backdrop of a plot that is monumentally dumb and, nonetheless, entertaining.
Karl Urban infuses the film with a welcome “why am I here” energy whenever the boring good guys are on screen, and since the boring bad guys get just as much screen time, they also have their own cocky ass, Kano (Josh Lawson), who doesn’t take the plot too seriously either. The drama would be unbearably self-serious without these characters, and these characters would be insufferable without some self-seriousness to bounce off of. It’s a delicate balance and sometimes it sloshes around a bit, but it works. Mostly.
It delivers more of the fan-favorite characters fans of this iconic video game franchise want; it streamlines the story with a focus on brutal otherworldly battles, and, oh yeah, fatalities fatalities FATALITIES! In a year when the game’s eternal rival, Street Fighter, also has an anticipated high-profile movie on the way, Mortal Kombat II has dealt the first blow, and it’s a doozy.
Calling it a movie is actually pretty generous: It feels more like a series of well-choreographed fight scenes set against meticulously crafted backdrops, then strung together with a plot and dialogue that recreates the experience of watching a video game cutscene. Mortal Kombat 2 is also a full-throated apology for the 2021 movie, in response to fan criticism… If that’s what the Mortal Kombat fandom is looking for, more power to them. But if you’re expecting any of the hallmarks of quality storytelling, you won’t find them here.
If you like action, violence, pop culture references, and seeing classic video game characters on screen, it’ll bring a very big smile. If you disliked 2021’s Mortal Kombat for having too much of a story, it’ll be an even bigger smile. And if all of those things are true, well, it might be your favorite movie ever. Just don’t expect much more than that.
To be blunt about it, Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage is a downright riot. Introduced first through a clip from his 1996-era action filmography, Urban leans hard into his natural swagger as well as a preening selfishness that fits Johnny’s washed-up star persona. It’s more than a little strange that despite 30 years passing, Johnny Cage hasn’t aged a minute since the 1990s, but maybe he also has access to Tom Cruise’s secret vat of youth juice. Or maybe it’s the frosted tips.
Mortal Kombat II is neither campy enough to revel in its violent bad taste, nor earnest enough to pull off its sprawling ambitions that it most resembles a late-stage Marvel entry. The film is filled with MacGuffins and plot bloat and a roster of awkward characters, dressed to perfectly match their inspirations because that surface similarity has been prioritized over anyone in the audience actually caring about them.
It doesn’t help that the whole thing comes off as low-rent, with underwhelming CGI effects and creature costuming and make-up that pales in comparison to a typical NYC Village Halloween Parade. When the chief villains look like rejects from Star Trek, and I mean the old TV series, you’ve got a problem.
Any Mortal Kombat film knows its audience’s primary concern is the fighting tournament itself — which we actually get to see this time — and in that regard the sequel by and large delivers. The fatalities are pleasingly gory when they arrive, and though some of the CGI and excessive green-screen is off-putting, there’s just enough variety and inventiveness to keep each battle entertaining.
Mortal Kombat II arrives in theaters on May 8, 2026. Watch the trailer below.
