Mortal Kombat II Reviews Are In, And Critics Are All Saying The Same Thing

Critic reviews for "Mortal Kombat II" are rolling in, and they're all saying the same thing: It's an entertaining action flick with great martial arts-inspired combat, but with a poor script that drags the experience down. Simon Abrams put it best in his review on the Roger Ebert website, saying, "It makes good on its grisly promise whenever its meat-puppet protagonists stop talking and start pummeling each other." At the time of writing, "Mortal Kombat II" sits at a perfectly neutral score of 50 on Metacritic.

"Mortal Kombat II" is a sequel to the 2021 "Mortal Kombat" movie, which was received very similarly by audiences. It, too, was taken as a middling attempt at a video game adaptation, landing on a 55% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The first reactions to "Mortal Kombat II" show that this sequel has promise, but it still might not be the second-round comeback that the series needed.

The new film stars Karl Urban as Johnny Cage, a renowned character from the original game franchise who is nearly as legendary as the likes of Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Raiden. Karl Urban previously starred in a beloved comic book cult classic, but are his action chops enough to make up for a movie's shortcomings? You can see for yourself if the new "Mortal Kombat" is a fatality for the film franchise when "Mortal Kombat II" starts showing in theaters on May 8.

Critics are practically unanimous in their opinion that "Mortal Kombat II" is far from perfect. However, some critics are praising the film for improving upon the first installment in meaningful ways. In his Spanish-language review for Cocalecas, Ruben Peralta Riguad said, "Mortal Kombat II is more complete than its predecessor and more confident in what it wants to be, but it still fails to strike a balance between spectacle and narrative."

Sebastian Zavala Kahn voiced a similar opinion in his review for Me gusta el cine, saying, "While not a masterpiece, it takes into account the criticisms of the first instalment and develops into a narrative that is at times emotional, at others aggressively fun, and, overall, more coherent than expected." Despite the criticisms leveled against the movie's writing, everyone agrees that the action is beyond reproach. If you were a fan of 2021's "Mortal Kombat," you will find even more to love in "Mortal Kombat II." With this theatrical release coming in the wake of a new Resident Evil movie trailer, 2026 is promising to be a strong year for video game films.