The time has finally come. Five years and one release delay later, Mortal Kombat II finally hits theaters this weekend. The stage was set in the 2021 film for an epic tournament that will decide the fate of Earthrealm once again. The first film in this series was a surprise hit, especially given its release during the COVID-19 pandemic, and now the people behind the sequel promise vast improvements over the first: more characters, more fights, and MUCH more blood.
We at Complex compiled a list of 10 things we have learned about Mortal Kombat II that you should know going into the movie.
The effects of the previous movie have carried over, specifically the deaths
Fans going into this movie will have to deal with the aftereffects from 2021’s Mortal Kombat. The relationships made, the damage done on both the Earthrealmer side and the Outworld side respectively, and more importantly, the deaths. If someone died in the previous movie, they will indeed still be dead in Mortal Kombat II, to an extent…
That being said, some familiar faces will return from the grave
Fans that are familiar with Mortal Kombat lore know that just because a character is dead, that doesn’t mean we have seen the last of him/her. We have already seen in the trailers that at least two Kombatants who were killed in the previous film (Kung Lao, Kano, and Bi-Han) will be appearing in the sequel. It will be interesting to see how these characters return to action.
Johnny Cage has seemingly taken over main character duties from Cole Young
The introduction of Cole Young as the main character of Mortal Kombat (2021) was a divisive choice, to say the least. Throughout the game franchise, the main good guy has always been Lui Kang, and making him a secondary character seemed like blasphemy. A lot of fan input was taken into account for this film, and this seems to be one of the reasons Johnny Cage has seemingly been placed into the main protagonist role in the sequel. Cole is still billed to be in the film, but in what capacity has yet to be seen.
The arrival of Shao Khan
The highly anticipated arrival of Shao Kahn, Emperor of Outworld, will finally happen in Mortal Kombat II. This isn’t the first or the second time we have seen a live action Shao Kahn but this upcoming iteration seems to be the most accurate representation to the in-game character. First off, he’s massive, has a scary deep voice, and looks like a truly unstoppable video game boss.
A vastly increased budget
Due to the success of the 2021 film, Warner Bros. increased the production budget for Mortal Kombat II from the original $55 million to around $68 million. Based on early reactions to the film, this means better effects, more fight locations, and, overall, a better presentation than the original. Hopefully, this leads to a superior film than the first go around.
An influx of new fan favorite characters
Based on the trailers alone, we are getting a large number of familiar fan favorites joining the tournament. Of course, leading the new pack is Johnny Cage, followed by legendary characters such as Kitana, Jade, Quan Chi, Shao Kahn, Baraka, and possibly more surprises when the film finally hits theaters.
We will see an actual tournament, with repercussions aligned with the game
While a lot may have happened in the first movie, one thing was glaringly missing from a movie that’s based on a video game about a tournament to the death, and that being, well, a tournament. Sure, there were lots of fun characters, a solid amount of battles, and fatalities to boot, but there was no actual tournament. This won’t be the case in the sequel, as it has been stated that the actual tournament will be the movie’s main focus. Not only that, but the winners and losers of the tournament will matter, as the stakes and rules will affect the plot.
The “Arcana” plot device is gone
Dubbed the “Midichlorians” (a Star Wars reference) of the Mortal Kombat franchise, the implementation of Arcana as a plot device to explain how each Kombatant got their powers was not well received, to say the least. Based on chatter from early screenings and the filmmakers themselves, this aspect of the movie lore seems to have either taken a back seat or phased out completely, which many fans, I’m sure, will be grateful for.
Early reactions say this film is 1000x better than the original.
Due to numerous early fan screenings and the World Premiere last week, many early reactions have already hit the internet, and the general consensus seems to be that this film, in all aspects, is far superior to the 2021 film. Whether it be due to a bigger budget, a receptive studio to fan criticism, or a combination of both, Mortal Kombat fans are seemingly in for a fun film with plenty of fan service.
Way, WAY more fights
Another report from screenings is that this movie is overflowing with fights, blood, and of course a boatload of fatalities. For better or for worse, plot-wise, there seems to be a fight every few minutes or so. This sounds good, given the word Kombat in the title, but hopefully it doesn’t take away from proper storytelling and plot development. Regardless, fans have a seemingly fun night at the movies in store for them.
