Mortal Kombat II (2026)

Once a generation, the tournament known as Mortal Kombat returns to decide the fate of Earthrealm – though, in the timeline of Hollywood franchise moviemaking, that interval is considerably shorter, evidenced in “Mortal Kombat II” arriving half a decade since the last tournament in 2021. This “Mortal Kombat II Review” reveals that Earthrealm’s champions and the filmmakers backing them have spent the intervening years in assiduous and dedicated preparation. Compared to the fun but uneven and narrowly engaging first chapter of the rebooted saga that was 2021’s “Mortal Kombat”, “Mortal Kombat II” bicycle kicks over and above the shortcomings of its predecessor for the action-packed battle of martial arts, fire balls, razor hats, and Fatalities that MK fans have waited years – scratch that, decades – to see return to the big-screen.

Trailer

Cast

MK fans rejoice – a massive kollection of the “Mortal Kombat” ensemble is on hand for the tournament, with Karl Urban anchoring the sequel as Hollywood action star turned Earthrealm warrior Johnny Cage, while Adeline Rudolph portrays the movie’s equally central pillar of Princess Kitana. Many of the kombatants of 2021’s “Mortal Kombat” also return for round two, including Jessica McNamee and Mehcad Brooks as Special Forces soldiers Sonya Blade and Jackson “Jax” Briggs, Ludi Lin and Jackie Chan Stunt Team vet Max Huang as Shaolin monks Liu Kang and Kung Lao, Lewis Tan as MMA fighter and new Earthrealm defender Cole Young, and Tadanodu Asano as Earthrealm’s guardian and God of Thunder, Lord Raiden. Martyn Ford carries the skull-helmet and skull-shattering hammer of the ruthless emperor of Outworld Shao Kahn, with Chin Han conjuring magic again as his right-hand man, sorcerer Shang Tsung. Kitana’s loyal bodyguard Jade is also portrayed by Tati Gabrielle, with Kitana’s mother Queen Sindel and father King Jerrod respectively played by Ana Thu Nguyen and Desmond Chiam. The villainous necromancer of “Mortal Kombat” Quan Chi is brought to life by Demond Herriman, while Josh Lawson also returns to provide an abundance of profane Aussie comic relief as laser-blasting crime boss Kano and CJ Bloomfield adopts the fangs and blades of Tarkatan warrior Baraka. “Mortal Kombat II” would, of course, not be complete without its greatest rivalry of masked warriors returning to rekindle their vendetta, with the sequel bringing Hiroyuki Sanada back as ronin-turned-supernatural anti-hero Hanzo Hasashi a.k.a. Scorpion – his proximity specific demands of his enemies retained alongside his signature sword and spear – with Joe Taslim also returning as his arch-enemy Bi-Han, once the cryo-powered Lin Kuei warrior known as Sub-Zero, now revived as the equally formidable Noob Saibot!

Plot

Times have been tough for Hollywood action star Johnny Cage. Once a world champion martial artist with an enviable collection of box office hits like “Citizen Cage” and “Uncaged Fury”, Johnny’s box office returns and fan convention appearances just don’t draw the kind of turn out the once did. However, despite his own resignation that his glory days are behind him, Johnny faces a greater showdown that all of his big-screen enemies put together when he finds himself recruited as one of Earthrealm’s chosen fighters for the otherworldly martial arts tournament known as Mortal Kombat. As Johnny learns, Shao Khan, the sinister Emperor of the realm known as Outworld, is hellbent on conquering Earthrealm as he once did the realm of Edenia, but per the rules set in place by the Elder Gods, one realm can only gain rule over another after winning ten consecutive victories in Mortal Kombat. With Outworld having already won nine, the fate of Earthrealm hangs in the balance with Johnny recruited to fight alongside Sonya Blade, Jackson Briggs, Cole Young, and Liu Kang under Earthrealm’s protector, Lord Raiden. Indeed, Raiden seems to have an ace up his sleeve with Edenian Princess Kitana acting as a double agent for Earthrealm while ostensibly fighting for Shao Khan. However, not only has Outworld raised the stakes greatly with necromancer Quan Chi resurrecting fallen warriors Kung Lao and Bi-Han to fight for Shao Kahn (the also resurrected Kano being too corrupt already to be placed under Kahn’s control), but Kahn has also set his sights on the mythical amulet of Shinnok, which can grant him virtual invincibility and ensure his victory and Earthrealm’s downfall in Mortal Kombat.

Action

Lessons Well Learned, “Mortal Kombat II”!

2021’s “Mortal Kombat” was by no means terrible or even lackluster, but its strengths were decidedly lopsided in its opening and finale with a much more shakier middle section. Within that 70 percentile of “Mortal Kombat”, the training and fight scenes were often frustratingly marred by intrusive and unnecessarily fast editing, with the plentiful R-rated gore and Fatalities along with Josh Lawson’s hilarious performance as Kano keeping the movie from sliding into mediocrity. In the end, the phenomenal opening prologue of Hanzo’s first battle with Bi-Han and the Lin Kuei in feudal Japan along with Scorpion and Cole’s exhilarating double-team showdown with Sub-Zero in the present arguably saved “Mortal Kombat” from being a true letdown, allowing the rebooted take on MK to pass its freshman year with a respectable if narrowly achieved B minus. Of course, a franchise and universe as vast and popular as “Mortal Kombat” deserves far better, an upgrade belatedly achieved by nonetheless greeted with well-earned cheers and applause by “Mortal Kombat II”.

Choppy editing? Corrected. Fight scenes? Top of the line and evenly distributed throughout the movie. Kano’s comic relief? Back in full, unhinged force with his resurrection. The Mortal Kombat tournament itself? Present and accounted for with a varied and eye-catching back drop of stages utilized throughout MK’s video game history. The MK character roster? All hands from 2021 on deck with a sizeable expansion of fighters for Earthrealm and Outworld. And while the cliffhanger ending of “Mortal Kombat” seemingly makes it obvious who leads “Mortal Kombat II”, the long-awaited sequel actually has a few more surprises in its back pocket.

The MK Ensemble Bring Their All To Tournament, But Johnny Cage & Kitana Are The Stand-Outs

MK fans expect for Johnny Cage to be the wild card of Earthrealm’s champions, and it turns out that saving him for “Mortal Kombat II” was one of the best calls the big-screen reboot made, one made that much more effective with Karl Urban’s performance as the Van Damme-esque action star. Well-known for his combination of cockiness and real fighting skill in MK lore, Urban’s somewhat older version of Johnny Cage enters the tournament from a completely different mindset of self-doubt and bitterness over the downgrade his career has taken. Johnny has never entered a “Mortal Kombat” movie or show as the underdog like he does here, taking some genuine punishment in his awkward entry into the tournament and eventually gaining renewed confidence in his highlight action scene, a smackdown with the fanged blade-master Baraka, Johnny’s signature shades and split punch both deployed with precision.

A twist kept well-hidden in the marketing for “Mortal Kombat II” is the fact of Adeline Rudolph’s Princess Kitana being just as central a pillar to the story and of Earthrealm’s fight against Shao Kahn. “Mortal Kombat II” kicks off with Kitana on the sidelines of Edenia’s defeat to Outworld, with Shao Kahn’s adoptive daughter later giving Earthrealm their first “L” in the tournament while covertly working to help Raiden – the movie also adding a clever Easter egg of a vanquished foe wobbling on their feet before keeling over, a nod to the outcome seen by countless gamers the world over (yours truly among them) trying and failing to pull off Fatalities in time. Where “Mortal Kombat” gave audiences the rare and welcome glimpse at Sub-Zero as the final boss, “Mortal Kombat II” makes Kitana into a far more singular and essential heroine and warrior than any adaptation has ever done, elevated by Kitana’s friendship with her conflicted bodyguard Jade and her trademark bladed fans that rival the razor-sharp cutting power of Kung Lao’s hat.

Liu Kang & Kung Lao’s Relationship (& Fight) Is A Spin-Off Worthy Highlight

Even with Johnny Cage and Kitana acting to the tip of Earthream’s spear, “Mortal Kombat II” balances its large ensemble of characters well. Depending on your affinity for the 2021 predecessor’s audience surrogate character Cole Young, you’re either going to love or hate the arc that “Mortal Kombat II” gives to the armored MMA fighter, but he at least gets in a solid hammer vs. tonfas battle with Shao Kahn in the tournament’s second round. Sonya Blade and Jax add dry banter and chemistry to their return that gives a more conservative flair to Kano’s hysterical stand-up comedy routine, and the more compartmentalized roles for Scorpion and Bi-Han maintains the essentiality of their enmity to the tournament at hand. Still, it is Liu Kang’s story of trying to save his Shaolin brother Kung Lao that forms the foundational undercurrent of “Mortal Kombat II”.

And without a doubt, Liu Kang and Kung Lao’s showdown is the one-on-one highlight of the tournament. A trifecta of Kung Lao’s teleportation powers and flying buzzsaw that is his razor hat, Liu Kang’s signature fireball blasts, and fight choreography right out of a Hong Kong action movie, the battle of the two Shaolin warriors thrills as much as it plays on emotion with Liu Kang being forced to fight his corrupted best friend. Thoroughly persuasive indeed in the case for a “Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks” spin-off made by the brotherly bond and show-stealing showdown of Liu Kang and Kung Lao seen in “Mortal Kombat II”.

“Mortal Kombat II” Literally Makes History With A True Martial Arts Movie First!

Of course, MK fans expect and deserve a scorching finale, and “Mortal Kombat II” takes that literally with a double-whammy of a showdown in the tournament’s final battle against Shao Kahn set alongside a parallel battle in the Netherrealm. The kombatants at play bring their all, Liu Kang and Sonya Blade coming full circle in their own ways against Shao Kahn alongside a third champion for Earthrealm, the finale unfolding as Johnny, Kano, and Scorpion battle Bi-Han in the fiery underworld that is the Netherrealm. While multiple twists heighten the impact of the fight with Shao Kahn, the Netherrealm sequence stands out not just as an engaging fight sequence using one of the major stages from the games, but a literal history-making event in martial arts films – put simply, “Mortal Kombat II” is quite possibly the first martial arts film to have a climactic fight scene set in Hell. First time for everything, as they say, and which the finale of “Mortal Kombat II” exemplifies with fiery fury and bladed, spin-kicking power.

Summary

The “Mortal Kombat” franchise has had its share of ups and down in jumping into live-action movies and television – the outstanding OG “Mortal Kombat” of 1995 (successful and revered among MK fans even with a PG-13 rating and largely obscured Fatalities) followed by the nosedive of 1997’s “Mortal Kombat: Annihilation”, the silly but fun 1998 prequel series “Mortal Kombat: Conquest”, the excellent but unfulfilled web-series “Mortal Kombat: Legacy”, and the hit-and-miss 2021 reboot. That “Mortal Kombat II” stands as one of the best martial arts films and best video game movie of 2026 is not merely praise well-earned, but a testimony to the legacy of one of the greatest video game franchises ever created belonging as much on cinema screens as in game consoles. The victory isn’t QUITE flawless, as seen in the MK cinematic franchise still largely keeping Raiden on the sidelines and the late Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa just being THAT hard an act to follow as Shang Tsung, committed as Chin Han is in his performance. Even still, “Mortal Kombat II” takes home a hard-fought win for Earthrealm and the MK franchise alike amid plentiful Fatalities and the promised resurrection of their recipients in “Mortal Kombat III”!

Favourite Quotes:

“GET OVER HERE!” – Scorpion to Bi-Han in their showdown in the Netherrealm.

“You want to know what my power is? For the first time in my life, I am Johnny —-ing Cage.” -Johnny Cage, during the Netherrealm fight.

Trivia:

“Mortal Kombat II” began filming on June 22, 2023, with filming then being halted from July until September due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Filming then wrapped in January of 2024, with the movie scheduled be released on October 24, 2025. However, strong reception to “Mortal Kombat II” during test screenings led to New Line Cinema deciding to reschedule it to the summer movie season, with the movie then shifting its release date to May 8, 2026.

In “Mortal Kombat” lore, Bi-Han is the first, evil Sub-Zero fighting for Outworld, with his brother Kuai Liang becoming the second Sub-Zero and fighting for Earthrealm, and Bi-Han then becoming Noob Saibot. Although he is only referred to as Bi-Han in “Mortal Kombat II”, the name Noob Saibot is a reference to “Mortal Kombat” creators Ed Boon and John Tobias, with Noob Saibot being each of their surnames spelled backwards.

Karl Urban’s real-life son Indy Urban portrays the young Johnny Cage seen competing in a 1985 Taekwondo tournament in the movie.

To prepare for his return as Kung Lao in “Mortal Kombat II”, Max Huang actually trained with a real-life Shaolin monk.

Michael Lehr served as co-fight choreographer on the film. Some of his other credits include “Brothers”, “Daredevil” season two, “Never Back Down: No Surrender”, “Sultan”, “John Wick: Chapter 2”, “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum”, and “Alita: Battle Angel”. Lehr also demonstrated weaponry and fighting techniques of the ninja in “Spartan vs. Ninja” episode of the Spike TV series “Deadliest Warrior”.

Malay Kim served as co-fight choreographer on the film. Some of his other credits include “Die Fighting”, “Brothers”, “Accident Man”, “The Mercenary”, “Iron Fist”, “Shang-Chi & The Legend of the Ten Rings”, “Protector” with Milla Jovovich, and “From the World of John Wick: The Continental” alongside Lehr. Additionally, Kim also worked as a stunt performer and fight team member on the video games “Mortal Kombat: Onslaught” and “Mortal Kombat 1”.

Film Rating – 8.5/10

“Mortal Kombat II” is now playing in theaters and will soon be available on digital platforms! Have you seen “Mortal Kombat II”? What are your thoughts on the movie’s action-packed martial arts fights, Fatalities, and improvements from its predecessor? Are you eager to see “Mortal Kombat III” or a “Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks” spin-off with Liu Kang and Kung Lao? Let us know in the comments below; Like, share and join in the conversation on Facebook and follow us on Twitter & Instagram. (And heed the call, KFKombatants, to leap into KFK’s FU-niverse of movie reviews and exclusive interviews, including our interview with Bi-Han himself, Joe Taslim, grab your exclusive KFK gear and subscribe for more amazing action on YouTube, as well!)