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 sequel can improve upon. 2021's Mortal Kombat was the first live-action movie in the franchise in 24 years. 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 Mortal Kombat character Johnny Cage in the 2021 film, him missing is actually not the biggest mistake the movie made.

Mortal Kombat’s Lackluster Fights Were The Reboot’s Biggest Flaw

Mortal Kombat 2 Needs Better Fights

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.

Mortal Kombat Live-Action Movies

RT Critics Score

Mortal Kombat (1995)

47%

Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997)

4%

Mortal Kombat (2021)

55%

Mortal Kombat 2 (2025)

TBD

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. The fight between Sonya Blade and Mileena, for example, was extremely short, which is a shame since they are two very popular characters from the Mortal Kombat video games.

Mortal Kombat 2 Is Promising A Lot More Fights Than The First Movie

Mortal Kombat 2 Will Finally Feature A Tournament

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 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.

Furthermore, the best Mortal Kombat villains.

Mortal Kombat’s Cast Is Incredible And Deserves Better Fight Scenes

The Cast Of Mortal Kombat 2 Has Several New Additions

The rebooted Mortal Kombat franchise has prioritized casting actors with mixed martial arts backgrounds. Actors like Lewis Tan and Joe Taslim are prominent figures in the mixed martial arts community. Therefore, many of the actors appearing in Mortal Kombat 2 are capable of pulling off impressive fight choreography. Hopefully director Simon McQuoid, who also directed the 2021 film, will better utilize the skills of some of the actors in Mortal Kombat 2.

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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.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes

Mortal Kombat 2 poster
Mortal Kombat 2
R
Action
Martial Arts
Supernatural
Adventure
Release Date
October 24, 2025
Director
Simon McQuoid
Writers
Jeremy Slater
Prequel(s)
Mortal Kombat
Franchise(s)
Mortal Kombat
  • Headshot Of Karl Urban In The Premiere Of Thor Ragnarok
    Johnny Cage
  • Headshot Of Adeline Rudolph
    Adeline Rudolph
    Kitana
  • Headshot Of Jessica McNamee
    Jessica McNamee
    Sonya Blade
  • Headshot Of Josh Lawson
    Josh Lawson
    Kano

The sequel to the Mortal Kombat 2021 film franchise reboot, Mortal Kombat 2, will follow the original cast and new faces as they prepare for the Mortal Kombat tournament. Cole Young and his allies will continue training and enlisting new warriors to prepare for the contest between Earthrealm and Outworld, which will determine the fate of humanity.

Studio(s)
Atomic Monster Productions, Broken Road Productions, New Line Cinema
Distributor(s)
Warner Bros. Pictures