Mortal Kombat II movie review: Karl Urban in a cheesy sequel made entirely for the fans

You can’t say that creative people Mortal Kombat II She did not take her predecessor’s 2021 criticisms seriously. Fans complained that it lacked the central element of the games, i.e. heroism, and that the central character, Cole Young (Louis Tan), never appeared in the series.

So rest assured that Part 2 is about a tournament, a tournament that will determine the ultimate fate of Earthrealm, and that Cole has been relegated to a supporting role. In his place are two fan favorites: Johnny Cage (Karl Urban), a former ’90s action star who is very reluctantly recruited to join the other heroes, and Kitana (the charismatic Adeline Rudolph), who provides an emotional element to the ultra-violent proceedings with her desire for revenge on arch-villain Shao Kahn (Martin Ford) for killing her father in front of her when she was a child.

Of course, when it comes Mortal Kombatcharacter motivation isn’t really what fans are looking for. Rather, it’s a surprisingly engaging action film, especially of the gory kind, which the sequel, directed by returning director Simon McQuaid, delivers in spades. The unfaithful will largely be left in the dust, especially since there are so many characters, both returning and new, that you practically need a spreadsheet to keep up with. As Johnny Cage wisely notes at one point, moviegoers these days are more interested in watching John Wick than Keanu Reeves mowing down 500 opponents while armed with little more than a pencil.

However, the film has its rewards, most of which are of the underdeveloped kind, as the fight scenes come fast and furious and the corny dialogue contains enough slur to inspire a thousand drinking games. The latter comes thanks to Cage, who’s self-aware enough to point out that it’s the stunt actors who do all the heavy lifting for him in his films (even as they do it for Urban here), and Kano (Josh Lawson), a vile, laser-eyed Australian whose constant quips provide some much-needed levity amid the constant carnage.

Urban, who has no shortage of experience in sci-fi franchises (Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, Boys), provides a lot of fun as Cage, who is first seen in a clip from one of his old action films (distributed by New Line Cinema, of course) before we catch up with him in the present day, where he is a washed-up former star with no fans in his booth at a pop culture fan convention. Naturally, he’s skeptical when Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee) tells him that his presence is needed to help save Earthrealm, but he’s convinced by a dazzling light show. Upon arriving in the new dimension, he saw fellow warriors like Jax (Mehcad Brooks) and noted, “This guy has robotic arms!” Urban also makes a lot of comedic hay with Cage’s trademark sunglasses and his middle-finger way of adjusting them.

Screenwriter Jeremy Slater does his best to pay homage to the games as much as possible, dropping plenty of random references that had enthusiasts at the press preview squealing with delight. Not much of it is particularly intelligent, as evidenced by someone commenting to a depressed Cage, “You’re usually a little livelier,” but let’s face it, no one comes to… Mortal Kombat For kind words.

Rather, it’s reserved for those fight sequences, which often end with one of the participants – not just the bad guys – either impaled, bludgeoned, cut, decapitated, or some combination thereof. What’s really baffling about the film incarnations is how boring they are despite the non-stop action, which is competently presented but lacks, yes, action fun. John Wick Movies and their many imitations. The film takes place with the performers working out in front of green screens featuring the kind of video game backgrounds that look like cool screensavers, and it’s hard to compare to playing the games yourself.

It doesn’t help that the whole thing is low-rent, with disappointing CGI effects and creature costumes and makeup that pale in comparison to a typical New York City Halloween parade. When the big bad looks like he’s rejecting who Star TrekAnd I mean the old TV series, you have a problem.

But perhaps there’s not enough of a problem to prevent an inevitable third installment in this cinematic video game series, which to its credit caters to its loyal fans, who don’t seem to mind that the word “combat” isn’t spelled with a k.