Mortal Kombat 2 fails to deliver satisfying combat or an interesting story. Watching a quick YouTube clip of the game is honestly more fun than sitting through this forgettable sequel.
The first movie tried to show brutal fights, but this one feels way too toned down. CGI body parts still fly around, but the kills lack any real creativity. The writing is so thin that a single cutscene from the game has more plot than this entire movie. They bring back random characters just to kill them off again. It feels like lazy fan service that doesn’t have any impact.
The story starts with Kitana’s origin and shows the evil Shao Khan taking over her father’s kingdom. Kitana vows to get revenge and helps the Earthrealm warriors in secret. There is also a magical amulet that everyone is trying to steal before Shao Khan can get his hands on it.
The biggest problem with the film is the lack of stakes. We never see how Shao Khan’s terror actually hurts regular people. The whole setup just feels like an excuse to put characters into a fight. Even Kitana’s backstory fails to make the audience feel any sympathy for her. Scorpion appears at the end, but the actor does not seem flexible enough for the role. The casting for Jade and Kitana is also quite disappointing.
If you liked the first movie, you might still want to give this one a try. However, for hardcore fans of the games, this will likely be a big disappointment.
