REVIEW: MORTAL KOMBAT II
THE GIST
"All right, you big ugly f***. It's showtime."
THE REVIEW
SPOILERY
EXPECTATIONS
Loved playing the arcade game outside the dairy as a kid. Can’t say I knew much else about it. And if this is Mortal Kombat 2, why haven’t I heard of Mortal Kombat 1? Well, apparently it wasn’t that great and everything the fans complained about they changed in this film.
I’m not gonna watch the first film and it kinda baffles me why this one is not a reboot if the first one was terrible.
I have heard good things and my Kiwi boy Karl Urban is in it so I wanted to see it. He has impressed me with his role in The Boys and his character in this has similarities the trailer has shown.
CONTEXT
Following the release of Mortal Kombat in April 2021, producer Todd Garner, writer Greg Russo, and director McQuoid began conversations about the future of the franchise, including standalone films focused on Johnny Cage and Bi-Han / Sub-Zero, and a sequel to the 2021 film. By 2022, New Line Cinema green-lit the sequel, with Slater penning the screenplay and McQuoid returning to direct. Filming began in June 2023.
THE PLOT
In Mortal Kombat 2, the surviving Earthrealm champions are forced into a brutal interdimensional tournament against the invading forces of Outworld. Joined by washed-up Hollywood action star Johnny Cage, the defenders must stop the tyrannical emperor Shao Kahn from conquering Earthrealm and using a stolen ancient amulet to achieve eternal life.
THE EXPERIENCE
Flawless Victory!
Another film on my maybe list that I absolutely loved.
This was a blast that seemed like it was made in the past, and I mean that in the best way possible.
THE MEAT
The Story. I thought a story would just be in the background with a fighting movie like this but it was enthralling from beginning to end. You don’t have to have seen the first one to understand what is going on, to a point. I realised some pretty main characters were missing so I could only assume they died in the first one. It reminded me of the hunger games a little, similar concepts in a way. Although this is jam packed with characters, Katana is part of the main overarching story, it’s kind of her story.
The Characters. I loved how it made the ridiculousness of the story taken seriously but grounded it with characters like Johnny Cage and Kano. Kano is hilarious, just like Johnny Cage. Josh Lawson is Australian, Karl Urban a Kiwi, and their gruff, brash and blunt approach is something that only people from those countries could possess so well. It’s like having the presence of Russell Crowe or Mel Gibson in your movie, it changes the dynamics. No Scorpion or Sub Zero. Sub Zero did come back from the dead later on though, but not the one I remember, a darker version. Not having them as main characters as well was strange but I assume they were the focus of the first film and apparently they died? There were quite a few characters I was unfamiliar with. The ones from the original game sure. Everyone else I shrug my shoulders on.
The Effects. There was never a point where I thought the CGI looked like CGI, I thought all the effects were impressive.
The Set Design. Hats off to the set designers. This could have looked Tim Burtonish but every different fighting environment and realm had a genuine look to it.
The Costume & Makeup. Another thing I thought would look cheesy but it never did. The costumes seemed like something that would exist in these fictional worlds. Often costumes obviously look like they are costumes that have been made for the movie, not like they have existed in this world all along. Baraka’s teeth looked awesome and disturbing.
The Fights. In the first fights that occur, I was like “this is a brutal kids movie”, only to check the rating is R16, no wonder. This isn’t for kids, this is made for people like me. I was grinning from ear to ear at this point. I usually grow tired of fighting and action scenes that are not compelling but these ones were compelling. When Baraka chooses to fight Johnny Cage is hilarious. The whole thing was a spectacle to watch.
The End. It ends in a pretty satisfying way. And from what I made out, they are going to resurrect their fallen comrades which leaves it wide open for everyone that has died in the first 2 films to come back for the third. I hope they do make a third movie, as long as it is as good as this one.
SUMMARY
Reminded me of watching 80’s movies as a kid. So I am grinning :)
