Introduction
We were supposed to see the movie last weekend, but couldn’t make it happen. So, instead, we talked about it and decided that yesterday, Sunday 17 May 2026, would work for the three of us. We drove to Greenfield, bought our tickets, sat in a completely empty theater (that included about half a dozen more by the time the movie started), ate our popcorn and snacks, and settled in for what promised to be two hours of a bloody good time. So, a week later than expected, here goes my Mortal Kombat II Movie Review.
What Worked?
Easter Eggs: From the Johnny Cage wobble to fall down after (slight spoiler) Kitana spared him a fatality, to the video game framing of the Deadpool fight between Shao Khan and Cole Young, the movie included manay nods to the video games. In excess, it could have derailed the movie or made it unserious. But, the creative team figured out exactly how to make everything work very well.
Characters: Something about Raiden doesn’t quite click for me, but it doesn’t take me out of the fiction. Same for Karl Urban as Johnny Cage. I wasn’t sure about him in the role. I’m still not, even though he did a good job with this iteration of the character. But, Liu Kang and Kung Lao, I can’t imagine who else they’d get to play them. Same for Scorpion. Even in limited action this time around, he absolutely stole the show. Shao Khan must be a tough role to play, but he did a good job. And, that brings me to Kitana. The actor playing her absolutely nailed the character and I’m glad she’ll be around for the next movie.
Fight Scenes: I saw part of the Liu Kang/Kung Lao fight on the trailer and knew that one would be good. But, the rest of them were very well choreographed and executed as well. Not once did I think that the fight went on for too long. In some cases, I wanted more. They absolutely stepped up their game from the first movie in that regard.
The Story: Yes, much of the movie is fan service and rightfully so. But, they also crafted a decent story that made sense in the context of the first movie while expanding the lore into this one. I’m a sucker for the Mortal Kombat storyline anyway (maybe not as much as Portal or Fallout, but I still find myself in a rabbit hole every now and then) and they took the source material and improved on it in nearly every way.
What Didn’t Work
Revenants: I never enjoyed this part of the story and they didn’t do much to make it any better. I do like how they approached Kano in the context of revenants, though. Thankfully, they didn’t lean too heavily on the concept and if they hadn’t told me what they were, I might not have even realized.
Ed Boon as Bartender: Stan Lee famously made cameos in every Marvel movie that he could. While jarring at times, they became their own running gag and you had to love them because they were Stan the Man. This one was more jarring than enduring, but again, it didn’t distract much from the overall enjoyment of the movie.
Cole Young: I never understood the hate about the guy. They tried something new in the new movies and it didn’t quite land the way they wanted. Even so, when I heard about his fate, I winced a little bit. And, even as I saw it happening, I still hoped that what I heard was wrong.
Too Many Characters? In the discussion above, I didn’t even mention Shang Tsung, Baraka, Jax, Sonya, or Noob Saibot. While they give all of the characters decent screen time (except maybe Shang Tsung who is terribly underutilized) the movie could have benefitted from a few less characters.
Watching with My Kids
Obviously, as a father of two young adults and a teenager, my experience in this area is much different than what you might expect when you hear “I went to see Mortal Kombat II” with my kids. The reason they ended up coming at all is that I said, “I want to see the new movie, but don’t have anyone to see it with.” My wife mentioned that Aiden wanted to see it. We watched the first one and he was on board. Then I asked Quinn because he’s usually down for a fun time. And, they both had a blast. I will say that while the movie feels geared towards the megafans, even my kids who are casually interested in Mortal Kombat (one of them said, “Is that Reptile?” when they introduced Noob Saibot, they still had a ton of fun at the movie. They laughed, they winced, and they cheered. If your kids are on the older side, definitely bring them along.
The Verdict
When I watched the trailer (reaction video below), it got me truly excited for the movie. I kept hearing from fans how much they enjoyed it and that only pushed the hype higher. So, I went into this movie with high expectations and they were exceeded in nearly every way. I think this might be the best Mortal Kombat movie I’ve ever seen. Sure, that’s not saying a lot, but they absolutely hit on every note when they put this movie together. I know that it isn’t performing well at the box office. Neither did The Bone Temple and that movie was fucking great, too. People just don’t have money to blow at the theaters right now. I will simply end my Mortal Kombat II Movie Review with this. If you haven’t seen the movie, find a way to go see it. If you have, go see it again. I know that I will end up at the theater at least once more.