Mortal Kombat II Review
Here comes Mortal Kombat II from action movies to movies based on video games – a never-ending cycle of blood and madness. The highly anticipated film comes at us screaming with hacked-off limbs, exploded heads, bloody carnage, and continuous fighting that will definitely appeal to fans of the video game franchise.
Although the movie provides loads of blood and fun, one thing that it lacks is substance beyond the bloodletting.
The film certainly exceeds its precursor in terms of loudness and violence. However, amidst all the action, one cannot help but notice the absence of emotion.
Fatalities Everywhere, Substance Nowhere
Even while the credits are still rolling, Mortal Kombat II goes straight for full-on mayhem. Fight scenes get even more graphic than the previous installment, with bones being broken in slow motion, face mutilation, and blood splatter everywhere.
Fans of the video game series will find much to love in the exact replication of the finishing moves that they are intimately familiar with. The movie almost seems like a real arcade game come to life.
In some ways, this nonstop onslaught of violence is quite exciting.
Nevertheless, after a while, the unrelenting stream of graphic material begins to weigh down on the viewer. So engrossed is the movie in attempting to scare the viewer that it misses out on creating any kind of suspense or emotional investment.
The fights scenes might be compelling, but in the end, they are entirely pointless because the characters lack substance other than their quirky personalities.
Characters Reduced to Combat Machines
One significant weakness of Mortal Kombat II stems from its inability to foster any connection with the characters among the viewers. There are many recurring faces in the film, recognizable as legendary warriors; however, these characters get enough time only to introduce themselves before plunging into battle.
The dialogue between the characters comprises nothing but angry stares and growling, along with a flood of facts. The rivalry and legends associated with these warriors ought to be passionate but are inadequately developed, even where they exist, the build-up isn’t good enough for these emotional sequences.
Even revered warriors cannot escape the brutality of the portrayal.
Clearly, the makers think that since people know of their favorite characters from the video games, they should be able to understand the plot in the movie. Unfortunately for them, movies need a storyline.
Visuals and Fight Scenes Deliver Pure Chaos
Despite the fact that the storyline isn’t the strongest part of the film, it is impossible not to admit that the action in the film is extremely spectacular. From the dark fantasy atmosphere and supernatural fighting arenas to breathtaking visual effects, the film world was taken right from video games.
Courtesy of Personal Creations (Flickr CC0)Here are just some examples of the outstanding action scenes in the film.
With the full realization of its own absurdity, the film becomes absolutely fun to watch. There is one scene in which everything goes totally crazy in the most positive sense, mixing up fire effects, teleportation, martial arts physics, and deadly head strikes.
It is exactly such action scenes that turn fans into such fans of Mortal Kombat.
The problem is that the film does not give these scenes enough attention.
The Story Moves Too Fast to Matter
One of the main problems with Mortal Kombat II is its fast-paced style, which is too draining and results in none of the character development and plot components being incorporated at all.
The exposition occurs at breakneck speed and is rather mythological and, therefore, unrealistic. It may sound fascinating to die-hard fans of the genre, but for a newcomer who has never seen such movies before, it is highly confusing since there are so many names, planes of existence, prophecies, and supernatural politics involved.
The irony is that the high energy of this movie turns out to be its biggest weakness.
Not allowing the audience some respite, it just makes the movie boring in time.
A Guilty Pleasure for Hardcore Fans
But despite all its flaws, Mortal Kombat II still manages to engage you in a peculiarly fascinating way. This film is extravagant, unrealistic, too violent, and does not try to disguise its true nature at all.
This is certainly not a film that challenges the mind or provokes strong emotions.
The creators of this film created it purely as a means to give their audience action, serve their fandom, and show brutal killings. For some viewers, such an approach will be quite appropriate. Those fans who were looking for a little violence involving their favorite characters will certainly appreciate this film.
But others will probably leave the cinema unsatisfied, regretting that this film could not capitalize on its obvious potential for something more meaningful.
Mortal Kombat series has an interesting mythology, an attractive storyline, even supernatural elements, but once again, these are not utilized here.
Final Verdict
In the end, Mortal Kombat II gives you everything you want: fighting, bloodshed, and lunacy. The only thing missing from Mortal Kombat II is the storyline to make sense of it all.
By David Loran Jr
A successful Editor-in-Chief, journalist for over 6 years, writing about important topics that are going on within the U.S. and beyond.
Sources:
The Wall Street Journal: ‘Mortal Kombat II’ Review: Vulgar, Violent, Vacuous
Rotten Tomatoes: Mortal Kombat II First Reviews: An Upgrade In Action, Fan Service, And Fun
Featured Image Courtesy of Mr._Z‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Personal Creations’ Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
