Seeing characters like Scorpion and Sub-Zero on the big screen again in 2021’s Mortal Kombat was great, but there are several aspects of the film that the upcoming sequel can improve upon. The story of the newest Mortal Kombat film follows Cole Young, a mixed martial arts fighter who is being hunted by Sub-Zero. Cole finds refuge at Lord Raiden’s temple, where he trains with fighters like Sonya Blade, Jax, Liu Jang, and Kung Lao.
The cast of 2021’s Mortal Kombat includes Lewis Tam, Joe Taslim, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Jessica McNamee. The movie currently has a score of 55% on Rotten Tomatoes, and while that is not necessarily high, it is the best-reviewed live-action Mortal Kombat film ever. Therefore, hopefully the upcoming Mortal Kombat 2 can continue this upwards trend by improving on the more disappointing aspects of its predecessor.
The Mortal Kombat franchise has plenty of intriguing characters, so the 2021 film did not necessarily need Johnny Cage. Characters like Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Raiden, and Shang Tsung can easily carry a Mortal Kombat story. However, the 2021 movie did not place these characters in enough impressive fight scenes. Since Mortal Kombat is a franchise that is known for its over-the-top violence, the fight scenes are the most important aspect of any movie.
The first fight between Hanzo Hasashi and Bi-Han and the climactic fight which featured Cole Young and Scorpion against Sub-Zero were two of the best fights in 2021’s Mortal Kombat, but other fights in the film fell short. In addition to some of the choreography being underwhelming, the movie’s 1 hour and 50 minute runtime led to a lot of the fights feeling far too rushed.
2021’s Mortal Kombat film featured various characters accessing their arcanas and realizing their full potential, which should lead to Mortal Kombat 2 having better fight scenes. The 2021 film may have framed the heroes as clear underdogs who were much weaker than their Outworld enemies, but the movie’s fight scenes worked the best when everyone involved had access to their full powers. Therefore, previously vulnerable characters like Cole, Sonya, and Jax will hopefully have much more intense fight scenes in the upcoming sequel.
Mortal Kombat 2’s story is automatically more exciting than the first film’s since it will include a tournament, which will feature fan-favorite characters facing off against various enemies. The ending of 2021’s Mortal Kombat featured Shang Tsung teasing a Mortal Kombat tournament. The 2021 film actually did not feature a tournament, which was disappointing considering they are such a staple of the franchise.
The cast of Mortal Kombat 2 also includes Hiroyuki Sanada, who also appeared in the first film, and newcomer Karl Urban, who will be portraying Johnny Cage. Sanada is an iconic Japanese actor who has appeared in plenty of action films, and Urban is an extremely popular actor and easily the most anticipated addition to Mortal Kombat 2. Therefore, hopefully Mortal Kombat 2 improves upon the first film by including these actors and their iconic characters in several action-packed, well-choreographed fight scenes.