The question of whether it’s more important for a movie to satisfy its core fan base or appeal to a wider audience including those who simply like well executed films has been a constant one in the age of blockbusters based on existing IP. First it was comic book movies’ turn to ponder it and now that Hollywood is delving into bringing video game worlds to life, it’s gamers’ turn. A new sequel film may stretch the question to its limits.
In Mortal Kombat II, we rejoin champions of Earthrealm Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee), Jax (Mechad Brooks), Liu Kang (Ludí Lin ), and Cole Young (Lewis Tan) as they’re led by the thunder God Raiden (Tadanobu Asano) to engage in a tournament of fighting to the death called Mortal Kombat. This time, the Gods have decided that they’ll be joined by Johnny Cage (Karl Urban), a washed up action star destined to help save the planet. This time, the stakes are even higher as they attempt to defeat the evil ruler Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford) who has won the past nine tournaments, giving him the right to takeover Earth should he win another.
As the feature film version of a brutal fighting video game, the first thing Mortal Kombat II had to successfully pull off was capturing the spirit of the source material it’s based upon. In that regard, the movie captured the action that the video game franchise is known for well. The fight scenes in the Mortal Kombat tournament are plentiful and feature the gory, finishing kills that get the Mortal Kombat feel down pat. The fight featuring Kung Lao and Liu Kang is the highlight of the film’s action sequences, featuring both engaging combat and flashy moves from the two fighters and emotional stakes as the two former friends to the death while Liu Kang also battles for Kung Lao’s soul.
The movie’s narrative and emotional heft mainly comes from the story of Kitana’s struggle against Shao Khan following his conquering of her realm of Edenia and taking of her and her mother Queen Sindel (Ana Thu Nguyen) as his daughter and wife. Kitana’s story serves as Mortal Kombat II’s hero’s journey and Rudolph offers one of the film’s only quality performances as the major protagonist. Josh Lawson’s Kano provides standout comedic relief every time he appears onscreen, offering levity and a million wise cracks per minute. Urban performs similarly as Cage mixing his humorous portrayal with a hero’s redemption arc of his own to stand alongside Kitana’s. When the movie works and feels most high quality, it’s due to these three and the emotion and entertainment value they bring to the screen.
The issue with Mortal Kombat II is that often times outside of moments with those three actors or the Liu Kang-Kung Lao fight, the movie can feel like a 90s B movie in the vein of the first attempt at bringing the video game franchise to theaters. The performances from many of the actors feels stilted and slightly wooden outside of the three mentioned previously and the first act setting up the rest of the movie can feel a little slow. The film picks up in the second act and the third act climax converging all of the battles and conflicts the heroes are facing simultaneously is well executed and creates investment from the audience in seeing the outcome.
This may not be enough however for those viewers who are not fans of the game or are familiar with its characters, lore, and style. As an OG Mortal Kombat gamer from the 90s, despite its flaws, I was mostly entertained by the movie and its callbacks to character moves and powers from the game as well as the characters themselves. If you’re one who does not have this built in attachment though, Mortal Kombat II may feel like lower budget schlock within a generic, otherworldly setting. This discrepancy is sure to color the word of mouth and analysis of the movie with opinions ranging wildly depending on your familiarity and nostalgic ties to the franchise. Those who know Mortal Kombat will at least appreciate seeing what they know depicted onscreen and will be entertained enough to see the inevitable sequel this movie sets up. Outsiders may be a bit more reluctant to paint a rosy picture. Fans vs. casuals, the battle rages on.
Image: New Line Cinema
