Cast Karl Urban, Adeline Rudolph, Jessica McNamee
Writer: Jeremy Slater,
Director: Simon McQuoid
**** out of Five Stars
It's hard to describe just how big Mortal Kombat was to people who did not grow up in the nineties. Before the videogame was released, my friends and I had a really great time playing another fighting gmae called Street Fighter II. That one had many iconic characters and while I still enjoy playing it, it still has the look of an animated cartoon. Mortal Kombat on the other hand used what looked like real people. In truth they were real people just digitized versions of them. It had real blood and some really violent over the top moments which caused such a stir with parent groups. There was an actual senate hearing to deterimine if videogames should have rating systems.
in 1995 New Line Cinema first released a live action version of Mortal Kombat wth a safe for everyone, PG-13 rating. This is back when many still considered this type of technology to be only used by children and teenagers. After a failed sequel(trust me, the less is said about that movie is the better). It took nearly over twenty years befiore a new adapation hit the big screen. While the 2021 version of MK does feature many of the iconic finishing moves from the games. It spends way too much time on introducing characters and less on story. Having a new character not involved with any of the games felt like a complete waste of time. It seems that the writer of this sequel really listened to the fans and made not only a really good adaptation for those who love the game but also a good action movies that haven't played a single one
The basic premise of is that there is an evil guy named Shao Khan(Martyn Ford) who rules over outer realm and wants to take over earth realm. Look at it as if there are many different multi verses and there is a championship where the best fight to defend thier universes. When the movie begins we are introduced to Kitiana(Adeline Rudolph) whose father once ruled before Shao Khan killed him and took over. Now she is forced to be his daughter and help defend his kingdom. Rayden(Tadanobu Asano), Sonya(Jessica McNamee), Jax(Mehcad Brooks) and others seek the help of an aging action star, Johnny Cage (Karl Urban) to join the tounament to save Earth from being overuled by Khan. KHAAAAAAANNN!!!!! No one actualy says this during the movie but I kinda wish they did.
The way that characters are introduced in this is really good. I love Kitiana's story of seeking revenge for the death of her father. If they put her into a coma and have her wake up four years later she could have her own movie in which the critics could call. "A Rip Roaring Adventure of Blood and Revenge" Im paraphrasing the last part. Seing Johnny Cage's(Karl Urban) intro from a bad VHS copy of one of his earlier flicks was a great way to intoduce that character. One could make the comparison between him and Jason Nesmith of 'Galaxy Quest'. Two characters who played heroes only in fictional material and now have to save the world for real have similar plot threads.
For a movie known mainly for the game's gruesome nature. Mortal Kombat II does compelling drama between characters. You have the battle between Liu Kang(Ludi Lin) and Kung Lao(Max Huang) two brothers on opposite sides and when one of them gets the upperhand during a battle it was both surpising as well as emotional. Same thing goes for sisters Kitiana and Jade(Tati Gabrielle) The character of Kano(Josh Lawson) certainly broke tension with his great comedic one liners about certain characters.
The action of 'Mortal Kombat II' is quite impressive when viewed on the big screen. Cinematographer, Steven F Windom shoot a lot of the action as if it like the actual video game. With two characters on opposite sides of the screen. But he doesn't do the whole 'Scott Pilgrim vs The World' thing. It's still grounded in the reality of this world.
With the balance between humor and drama evenly mixed as well as great fighting scenes. I feel like the first movie that was released in 2021 serves as a like a prequel to this. You could go into MKII completely blind and still know about every character and thier delima. If you are curious than go back and watch MK1 if you like. As a mild fan of the games I recognized a few little homages but long time fans I think will recognize a lot more. If you are new to this franchise. I feel that the action along with it's story will engage you enough. It's not a very deep psychologial tale . It's just a fun time at the movies and I'm all here for that.
I'm a proud member of the Minnesota Film Critics Association. Read my bio below.
https://mnfilmcriticsassociation.com/2024/09/25/jasonhemming/
As an added bonus. Cecil Trachenburg who hosts Good Bad Flicks maded a really good video about not only the making of the video game but the movie from 1995 as well
Exploring Mortal Kombat: From the arcade to the big screen. The story behind the big movie,
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