On a $55 million budget, 2021’s Mortal Kombat grossed over $84 million worldwide and was a hit on HBO Max. The following year, New Line Cinema greenlit a sequel with Simon McQuoid returning to direct on an $80 million budget. However, the writing team was replaced by Jeremy Slater, who previously wrote Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. In interviews, Slater promised that the movie would address what fans liked and disliked about the previous installment. Along with returning cast members, Karl Urban came aboard as Johnny Cage, with relative newcomer Adeline Rudolph joining as Kitana. Principal photography began at Village Roadshow Studios in Queensland in June 2023 but was delayed by the SAG-AFTRA strike. Filming resumed in November and finally wrapped in January 2024, with an October 2025 release before being pushed back. After premiering at the TCL Chinese Theater in April 2026, Mortal Kombat II opened in May.
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Synopsis
With the Mortal Kombat tournament fast approaching, Lord Raiden (Tadanobu Asano) continues searching for champions to fight for Earthrealm. He and Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee) recruit washed-up actor Johnny Cage (Karl Urban), but he almost immediately says no. Despite this, he’s forced to fight Princess Kitana (Adeline Rudolph) and loses, but Kitana spares his life. Cage returns to Raiden’s temple, along with Cole Young (Lewis Tan), Liu Kang (Ludi Lin), and Jax (Mehcad Brooks). It turns out that Kitana is a spy for Raiden seeking revenge on Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford). Unfortunately, Shang Tsung (Chin Han) attacks alongside a resurrected Kano (Josh Lawson) and Kung Lao (Max Huang), mortally wounding Raiden. With the odds stacked against them, our heroes must band together to save Raiden and stop Shao Kahn. Will Earthrealm emerge victorious, or will Outworld win their 10th Mortal Kombat tournament?
Review
While the 2021 reboot didn’t live up to the hype, Mortal Kombat II actually improves over its predecessor. You can tell that the filmmakers listened to all the negative feedback and worked to change things up. Granted, this movie doesn’t quite exceed the 1995 original, but it’s easily the second-best Mortal Kombat movie so far. For one, the new leads – Johnny Cage and Kitana – are a vast improvement over Cole Young. Karl Urban plays the part of Johnny Cage with the right amount of charisma and smugness the character needs. On the flip side, Adeline Rudolph gives Kitana a strong will and fierce conviction while also showing some vulnerability. Also, Martyn Ford has an imposing presence and booming voice that makes Shao Kahn appropriately threatening and compelling. Another highlight is CJ Bloomfield as Baraka, with his impressive makeup effects and hilariously serious demeanor.
Simon McQuoid shows that he’s learned much from the first film by how much better the directing is here. The fight scenes are much better staged, with more medium shots showing who’s fighting and less quick-cut editing. Plus, there’s much more use of color and dynamic lighting, making the scenes pop more than the original’s drab colors. Jeremy Slater’s writing is also much stronger, effectively mixing serious emotions with self-aware humor while showing love for the franchise. Admittedly, some one-liners are pretty groan-inducing, but it helps that the cast knows the best way to deliver these lines. Production-wise, there are more practical sets used that look fantastic, compared to the obvious green-screen backdrops from the last one. The returning cast all do a serviceable job, with Josh Lawson once again stealing the show. That said, while I mostly enjoyed the film, there are still plenty of flaws holding it back.
Though the supporting cast all do a serviceable job, many of them feel more like plot devices than fully-fledged characters. For instance, the film introduces long-time MK character Quan Chi only to explain how previously dead characters are back. Also, there are so many plotlines, subplots, and side stories that make the film hard to follow. While it mostly involves a MacGuffin hunt, too much information is dropped, expecting you to remember it all. Part of why the 95 movie worked was its simple plot: three warriors fighting in a tournament for different reasons. At a little under two hours in length, the pacing is tighter, but the scenes between fights drag slightly. Even with its flaws, this sequel shows that the filmmakers tried to course correct, and I’d say they mostly succeeded. Overall, Mortal Kombat II improves on its predecessor, delivering a fun video game movie.
Mortal Kombat II is in theaters.
Where to watch Mortal Kombat II (2026)
