Mortal Kombat 2 (2026) – An Improvement, Yet Still Not Flawless

© Warner Bros. Pictures

6 Out of 10 Bold Age Ratings

The age ratings of some films these days leave me puzzled. In my youth, brutal films that we secretly borrowed from our parents' VHS collection were unequivocally stamped with an age restriction of 18. What elements must a film contain today to be deemed suitable only for adults? Is it sex? Drugs? Or perhaps someone being misgendered?

One thing is for sure: excessive, disturbing violence cannot be the issue.

In Mortal Kombat 2, bodies are “opened” in every conceivable manner, allowing the unfortunate trapped organs to escape. Seriously, I can hardly imagine more violence and blood in some scenes.

This brings me to one of the positive aspects of Mortal Kombat 2: it is much closer to the game than any previous installment. The fighters utilize many of their iconic special moves to drain their opponent's life bar. It's a true delight to recognize all those moves that once tormented me while playing the digital fighters.

Shao Khan even shouts his famous “Finish him!” which sounds a bit silly in the dubbed version when the rest of the dialogue is in German (similar to Scorpion's “COME OVER HERE!”).

The Fatalities certainly do not hold back, and you can almost taste the blood on your tongue.

However, I found myself torn regarding the quality of the duels. Most of the choreography was quite good, entertaining me as a fan of martial arts films. Yet, there were moments when I felt pulled out of the experience. For my taste, the fighters talked too much instead of just brawling. If the film is going all-in on violence, it could have pushed the envelope even further. Yes, there was plenty of bloodshed, but the quality of the fights varied significantly.

Character Portrayals

Unfortunately, the character portrayals did not always resonate with me either.

At least the filmmakers corrected the mistake from the prequel by casting a suitable lead role. The previously dull MMA fighter Cole Young was finally replaced by Johnny ‘fucking’ Cage.

I understand that casting the now 65-year-old Jean-Claude Van Damme wasn’t the direction they wanted to go, even though the Bloodsport legend served as a blueprint for the character.

In this regard, “Butcher from The Boys” Karl Urban was a solid choice. However, why portray him as a depressed B-movie star instead of an unapologetic badass?

I found Kano to be far more entertaining! Almost every line from the “bad boy” had me chuckling, while Cage came off as somewhat silly and interchangeable.

Some decisions regarding the portrayal of certain characters were rather… surprising?

For instance, using the monster warrior Baraka as a dimwitted comic relief could disappoint some fans. I found it acceptable, but the scene where Cage “acts” by flailing his arms in front of Baraka for what feels like an eternity without attacking was a bit excessive… It felt unbelievable and unworthy of an MK fight.

The film’s thin plot, loosely tied together by a few “Get the MacGuffin” RPG quests, didn’t bother me. After all, a video game adaptation like Mortal Kombat doesn’t require much more.

But if that’s the case, everything else must be truly “flawless.”

I appreciate that many fight locations from the games were utilized. But why not use them in ways that make the most sense?

Why does Sonja fight Sindel at the bottom of the Spiked Pit? The joke and purpose of that stage in the game was that you could throw someone down!

It was also a missed opportunity that the defeated fighter didn’t rise to the surface as a skeleton in the acid pool…

Ultimately, Mortal Kombat 2 is a film that embodies a video game for hardcore fans, delivering enough fan service to be enjoyable. Because it made a greater effort in depicting the moves and stages, I rate it one point higher than the rather mediocre predecessor, Mortal Kombat (2021).

Among the many MK films cursed by the burden of video game adaptations, Mortal Kombat 2 from 2026 is indeed the best. But the bar was not set particularly high…