Taking place about a year after the last movie, the realms are looking to face off for supremacy in a tournament known as Mortal Kombat. Earthrealm is defended by the returning Kombatants of Cole Young, Jax, Sonya Blade, and Liu Kang, assisted by the thunder god Raiden. Joining them in the fight for Earth is washed-out actor Johnny Cage, who is brought into the wacky, brutal world of Mortal Kombat in a fight for dimensional domination against the evil forces of Outworld, led by the brutal tyrant Shao Kahn. Will our heroes succeed in winning the tournament and saving their realm, or will the forces of Outworld prove too strong for them?

Returning to the director’s seat is Simon McQuoid, who helmed the last movie. His love for the Mortal Kombat franchise is apparent as ever, as the world and characters are very loyal to their original counterparts from the games. Fans will definitely appreciate the love and care he puts into making this a loving tribute to the iconic games, with plenty of easter eggs and callbacks to the iconic fighting games throughout the film.

Also returning to the films are returning heroes Cole Young, Jax, Sonya Blade, Liu Kang, Scorpion, and Raiden (played by Lewis Tan, Mehcad Brooks, Jessica McNamee, Ludi Lin, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Tananobu Asano, respectively) as well as villains Shang Sung, Bi-Han, Kano and a resurrected but now evil Kung Lao (played by Chin Han, Joe Taslim, Josh Lawson, and Max Huang). Entering the fight for the first time are heroes Johnny Cage, Kitana, Jade, and Baraka (played by Karl Urban, Adeline Rudolph, Tati Gabrielle, and CJ Bloomfield), as well as a whole slew of new villains such as the menacing Shao Kahn, haunting necromancer Quan Chi, and evil queen Sindel (played by Martyn Ford, Damon Herriman, and Ana Thu Nguyen).

Of all the cast, the most memorable in the film has to go to the performances of Josh Lawson as Kano, as he was one of the best parts of the last film with his crude language and humor, as well as Karl Urban as Johnny Cage, who probably had a very hard challenge with the character as many believed he was far too old to play the character of Johhny Cage. Luckily, Karl pulls off the wit, charm, and charisma of the Johnny Cage character very well.

The costuming department, partnered with the incredibly talented cast, makes for a fantastic, action-packed journey that fans of the franchise, as well as newcomers, will definitely get a flying kick out of.

Of course, one of the biggest challenges to making a sequel is trying to improve upon the previous entry, and luckily for the crew, there was plenty to improve upon. For one, there were very few memorable action sequences in the last film, with the only good ones being between Scorpion and Sub-Zero, both at the beginning and end of the film. Fortunately, for the sequel, they brought in a new choreographer and significantly improved both the number and quality of the fights, something that was desperately needed for an adaptation of a fighting game.

Locations are also more memorable and beautiful to look at, with many being direct homages or adaptations of fighting stages from the games, including the acid pits, Raiden’s temple, and Netherrealm. 

Character writing is also a significant step up, with new lead writer Jeremy Slater being brought in to improve upon the characters, making them more likable and memorable. They do a much better job of making me remember the fighters in this film and ultimately care whether they survive the tournament.