Intro: When I was in Italy back in May, I rewatched the first film in this series to get ready for the sequel. Then, when I got back, I missed my chance to go to the movies - to watch "The Sheep Detectives", of all movies... - and didn't get to see it. So, as soon as the right moment presented itself, I gave this film a go.
Film 2484: "Mortal Kombat II" (2026), Simon McQuoid
Watched: From the projector
Language: English
Watched with: No one
Thoughts: To my surprise, I actually quite enjoyed the first "Mortal Kombat" and was extremely curious to see its sequel. I read reasonably good things about it, but nothing too enthusiastic, and the box office performance wasn't stellar, so I didn't know what to expect.
Fact is, I loved this movie! I think, even more so than the first one, it's great at delivering a story that's closer to its source material: we finally see the tournament happen, the players go against each other and die, and all their best moves are performed on the big screen in an environment that makes sense for what this product is: a film based on a fighting video game.
I was particularly impressed by the visual aesthetic of the film. All the settings for the fight scenes are great and feel very unique while, color-wise, I thought "Mortal Kombat II" does a great job of highlighting the different factions, worlds, costumes and elements that uniquely identify each character, in a way that doesn't feel like a simple copy-paste from the game.
Additionally, I think this sequel shows that the producers actually listened to what the audience asked for after the first film came out: the tournament, the fights, and the lore of the source material, rather than just fan service. And I believe the story does a great job of incorporating all these elements together.
That said, "Mortal Kombat II" has its flaws, although I wasn't too bothered by them. I personally struggled with the number of characters the story deals with, to the point that at times I couldn't keep up. Also, some of the characters from the previous film were just there to get slaughtered which, yeah, you could see coming from a mile away, but I thought it was bold in some cases. (spoiler) Particularly, bringing back Cole Young (Lewis Tan), aka the main protagonist of the previous film, only to have him massacred the first time he competes in the tournament was a bold move. It really surprised me and, yeah, I loved it. He was a terrible protagonist, so I think it was a good move to shift the focus to the more charismatic and entertaining Johnny Cage (Karl Urban).
All in all, I really enjoyed "Mortal Kombat II" and I can't wait to watch it again. I only wish this movie had gotten a bit more love at the box office to justify a third outing. At this stage, I'm not sure it's gonna happen, but I have my fingers crossed.
Film 2014 - Mortal Kombat
Film 2469 - Mortal Kombat
Film 2484 - Mortal Kombat II
Cast: Karl Urban, Adeline Rudolph, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Ludi Lin, Mehcad Brooks, Tati Gabrielle, Lewis Tan, Damon Herriman, Chin Han, Tadanobu Asano, Joe Taslim, Hiroyuki Sanada.
Box Office: $129.5 million
Worth a watch?: If you enjoyed the first one, I'm sure you're gonna love this sequel even more. The story is tighter, the action sequences are amazing and, in general, "Mortal Kombat II" is better paced, has found the right protagonist and is a clear improvement over the first film. I found it visually compelling, and the soundtrack is a banger. Currently, I'm obsessed with the end credits song. I highly recommend it if you enjoy club/techno music (Techno Syndrome 2026 (feat. Ed Boon) - Olivier Adams).
Awards: /
Key word: Amulet.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi
Watched: From the projector
Language: English
Watched with: No one
Thoughts: To my surprise, I actually quite enjoyed the first "Mortal Kombat" and was extremely curious to see its sequel. I read reasonably good things about it, but nothing too enthusiastic, and the box office performance wasn't stellar, so I didn't know what to expect.
Fact is, I loved this movie! I think, even more so than the first one, it's great at delivering a story that's closer to its source material: we finally see the tournament happen, the players go against each other and die, and all their best moves are performed on the big screen in an environment that makes sense for what this product is: a film based on a fighting video game.
I was particularly impressed by the visual aesthetic of the film. All the settings for the fight scenes are great and feel very unique while, color-wise, I thought "Mortal Kombat II" does a great job of highlighting the different factions, worlds, costumes and elements that uniquely identify each character, in a way that doesn't feel like a simple copy-paste from the game.
Additionally, I think this sequel shows that the producers actually listened to what the audience asked for after the first film came out: the tournament, the fights, and the lore of the source material, rather than just fan service. And I believe the story does a great job of incorporating all these elements together.
That said, "Mortal Kombat II" has its flaws, although I wasn't too bothered by them. I personally struggled with the number of characters the story deals with, to the point that at times I couldn't keep up. Also, some of the characters from the previous film were just there to get slaughtered which, yeah, you could see coming from a mile away, but I thought it was bold in some cases. (spoiler) Particularly, bringing back Cole Young (Lewis Tan), aka the main protagonist of the previous film, only to have him massacred the first time he competes in the tournament was a bold move. It really surprised me and, yeah, I loved it. He was a terrible protagonist, so I think it was a good move to shift the focus to the more charismatic and entertaining Johnny Cage (Karl Urban).
All in all, I really enjoyed "Mortal Kombat II" and I can't wait to watch it again. I only wish this movie had gotten a bit more love at the box office to justify a third outing. At this stage, I'm not sure it's gonna happen, but I have my fingers crossed.
Film 2014 - Mortal Kombat
Film 2469 - Mortal Kombat
Film 2484 - Mortal Kombat II
Cast: Karl Urban, Adeline Rudolph, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Ludi Lin, Mehcad Brooks, Tati Gabrielle, Lewis Tan, Damon Herriman, Chin Han, Tadanobu Asano, Joe Taslim, Hiroyuki Sanada.
Box Office: $129.5 million
Worth a watch?: If you enjoyed the first one, I'm sure you're gonna love this sequel even more. The story is tighter, the action sequences are amazing and, in general, "Mortal Kombat II" is better paced, has found the right protagonist and is a clear improvement over the first film. I found it visually compelling, and the soundtrack is a banger. Currently, I'm obsessed with the end credits song. I highly recommend it if you enjoy club/techno music (Techno Syndrome 2026 (feat. Ed Boon) - Olivier Adams).
Awards: /
Key word: Amulet.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi
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