When the evil Shao Khan (Martyn Ford) sets Earthrealm as his next target of conquest, Raiden (Tadanobo Asano) must rally the champions to save Earth by winning the next round of Mortal Kombat. With only Liu Kang (Ludi Lin), Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee), Bi-Han (Joe Taslim), and Jax (Mehcad Brooks) available and five champions needed, the washed-up action star Johnny Cage (Karl Urban), is chosen despite his extreme reluctance to take part or be involved.
At the same time, Kitana (Adeline Rudolph) and her bodyguard Jade (Tati Gabrielle) prepare for the upcoming competition and learn that Shao Khan has a plan to steal the power of the gods and make him immortal, which will ensure victory in the competition and allow him to conquer and rule all the known realms.
Along the way, unexpected allies and enemies appear as the match begins, and fans will likely enjoy seeing cinematic versions from the game and the action they have come to expect.
While the story does take a bit of time to get up to the action, it is a mix of fury, humor, and gore that brings it all home. There are some graphic eliminations that are in keeping with the best moments of the game and are more abundant than in the previous film. They, however, never seem tacked on and fit well within the story as it has plenty of take-downs that do not fill the splatter meter.
While the story may be a bit basic, one has to remember the source material, as it is basically about a tournament, and the dynamic and changing loyalties, motivations, and chemistry amongst the characters is fitting.
The addition of Urban is a refreshing take as his sarcastic and blunt humor and commentary work well within the story, and his character has always been my favorite to play in the series.
“Mortal Kombat II” offers fans more of what they like about the series and moves the film franchise forward while leaving open plenty of options for a third film, which will hopefully arrive in the near future. My wife went in without having seen the prior film, as she mainly had it on in the background last weekend and has a passing knowledge from playing the games now and then. She enjoyed it and the characters. While she was at first surprised by some of the more graphic moments, she was still applauding along with the audience during one memorable elimination.
The summer movie season has arrived, and “Mortal Kombat II” is the perfect Popcorn Action film to kick back and enjoy.
3.5 stars out of 5
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