Mortal Kombat 2will continue the franchise with a direct sequel to the 2021 reboot, and the new movie seems to be improving upon its predecessor in a lot of ways.Mortal Kombat(2021) was the third theatrical live-actionMKfilmand the first since 1997. As a reboot, the latestMortal Kombatneeded not only to introduce the characters and establish the lore but also set up elements that could be explored in a sequel. Surprisingly, the reboot skipped the tournament altogether, most likely saving it for theupcomingMortal Kombat 2.
Mortal Kombat(2021) has a 55% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the best-received out of the three theatricallive-actionMortal Kombatmovies. However, it was not the definitive adaptation of the video game many had been expecting ever since the franchise first jumped to the big screen in 1995. TheMortal Kombatreboot had a few problems, one of which had to do with the fight scenes. Fortunately,Mortal Kombat 2is promising to be betterin that regard.
Mortal Kombat 2’s Fights Must Be Better Than The Ones In The 2021 Movie
Mortal Kombat 2 Is Confirmed To Have More Fights Than The First Film
Speaking to Screen Rant,Mortal KombatJax actor Mehcad Brooksrevealed that there are 27 fights in the sequel. For comparison, the 2021Mortal Kombathad 17 fights. Brooks commented on how they“worked really hard to get [the fights] right,“which is good news for the sequel. Not only is aMortal Kombatsequel always expected to be bigger and bolder than its predecessor regardless of the medium, butMortal Kombat 2needs better fights after the first film disappointed in that aspect. While the visuals and the lore were on point,Mortal Kombat’s fights could’ve been better.
Jax is in my DNA. Love him. I understand him. He’s a great guy. And in this film, you’re going to see a lot more of Jax’s personality, a lot more of his humor, a lot more of what he believes, and some really, really awesome fighting. There are 27 fights in the movie, and we worked really hard to get those right.
For example,the opening fight between Hanzo and Bi-Han should have been an exciting moment that would establish their rivalryand set the tone for the rest of the movie. However, the fight had way too many cuts that did not allow us to properly follow the choreography, thus wasting the performances of Hiroyuki Sanada and Joe Taslim. Other fights inMortal Kombat(2021) struggled for the same reason, and by the end of the movie, seeing the Scorpion vs. Sub-Zero rematch was not even that exciting anymore. This is a problem that MK 2 must avoid.
A Mortal Kombat Movie Can Only Be As Good As Its Fights
Getting The Fights Right Is Essential For Mortal Kombat Adaptations
While theMortal Kombatgames have a very interesting lore that has helped the franchise stand out among other fighting games, aMortal Kombatmovie can only be as good as its action scenes. No matter who the villains are or what the MacGuffin of the story is,Mortal Kombatneeds great fights. This included not only the fighting choreography itself but also the setting, the stakes involved, the visual effects, and last but not least, the editing and the pacing.Most fights inMortal Kombat(2021) had just too many cutsand were very difficult to follow.
47%
4%
90%
55%
50%
80%
Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match(2023)
N/A
The fact thatMortal Kombat’s fights were not as great as they could have been is even more disappointing considering that the 2021 reboot got a lot of other things right.The latestMortal Kombatlive-action film was much closer to the games in terms of lore and visualsthan the 1995 cult classic, even incorporating the R-rated violence that was missing from the original films. The fatalities and other special abilities also looked on point. However, none of that was as effective as it could have been due to underwhelming fighting scenes and the lack of a proper tournament.
Mortal Kombat 2 Can’t Fail The Tournament After The First Movie Skipped It
Nailing the fights is important, butMortal Kombat 2must also have a more engaging story than its predecessor.Mortal Kombat(2021) controversially skipped the tournamentand saw Shang Tsung trying to kill the Earthrealm champions before the competition could even begin. AlthoughShang Tsung breaking the rules of Mortal Kombatis very common, rebooting the movie franchise without having a proper tournament was a strange decision. The film did have a few matches happening concurrently, but the stakes weren’t as high as if a real Mortal Kombat was happening.
Mortal Kombat 2’s Long-Awaited Tournament Gets “Very Gory” Tease From Cole Young Star
Mortal Kombat 2 star Lewis Tan teases the fights and violence to come in the sequel’s tournament, promising it will be a “very gory” time.
GettingMortal Kombatright shouldn’t be difficult given the somewhat simple nature of the games, but making “tournament films” interesting can be difficult.Mortal Kombat 2will also have to balance a lot of characters, including not only all the returning heroes and villains but also the new champions that will appear in the sequel. Hopefully,Mortal Kombat 2will give every character a chance to shine and have the memorable fight scenes that the first movie lacked.
Mortal Kombat II
Cast
Mortal Kombat II: A sequel to the 2021 film Mortal Kombat, this movie continues the saga of Earth’s champions as they face new threats from the Outworld. Building on the original’s mythical universe, the film delves deeper into the lore of the Mortal Kombat tournament and its legendary fighters.
