While Mortal Kombat (2021) was a fun, fast, and furious action flick when it burst onto cinema screens in the midst of the world wide Covid pandemic, I’m not sure many would have predicted that it would have lit the flame of a sequel. And I’m so glad that it did. While Mortal Kombat II has a pretty simple story, this is a bloodthirsty Hollywood popcorn flick at its most fun with a wise cracking Karl Urban thrown in for good measure. 

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Mortal Kombat II (2026), directed by Simon McQuoid, follows Earthrealm's champions, now joined by action star Johnny Cage (Karl Urban), as they are forced into a brutal tournament in Outworld to stop the ruthless emperor Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford) from conquering humanity. Following a near-loss, the team faces high-stakes combat to prevent the tenth consecutive victory that would give Kahn dominion over Earth. 

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There’s not too much to write about the story here as the plot is very simple, summed up in the title itself: this is a fight to the death. Winner takes it all. And there’s something kinda comforting in that. Mortal Kombat II isn’t trying to push to be a film that it’s not - it’s here to have a good time, not take itself too seriously, and to splatter you with gore. Think 80’s action flick wrapped up in 2026 sensibilities. 

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The story moves at a cracking pace as with a just under two hour running time it’s got a lot to pack in. And this film is stacked with fights, each more gory and blood drenched than the one before, with most set up like you can picture playing Mortal Kombat as a millennial kid in the 90’s.

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But the most welcome addition to this franchise's caper is Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage. He plays right into the stereotype of the 80’s action star - the cheesy one liners, his obvious use of stunt doubles in his movies, and his trademark sunglasses flick. But while there is a lot of cheese, Urban embodies him with such a devil-may-care attitude that it’s infectious and lifts the film, making it lighter in the best possible way.

 

While Mortal Kombat II has a pretty simple story, this is a bloodthirsty Hollywood popcorn flick at its most fun with a wise cracking Karl Urban thrown in for good measure.