Mortal Kombat 2 Fixes The Games' Most Unfilmable Aspect In A Clever Way

Contains spoilers for "Mortal Kombat II"

"Mortal Kombat II" probably won't join the ranks of best fighting movies of all time, but it definitely does a lot of things right when adapting a popular fighting game. Of course, if "Mortal Kombat" wants to become a long-running film franchise, something that "Mortal Kombat II" readily teases, the movies needed to overcome a nasty built-in problem. Unlike the "Sonic the Hedgehog" movies, "Mortal Kombat" properties are in the habit of killing a bunch of characters. As Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee) tells Johnny Cage (Karl Urban) in "Mortal Kombat II," there's a reason it's called Mortal Kombat, after all. 

Fortunately, the sequel cleverly addresses this potential problem with not just one, but two solutions that allow for deadly fights that don't kill anyone off for good. First, it gives Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford) the Amulet of Shinnok and renders him immortal, so everyone can deal seemingly fatal injuries before he inevitably shrugs it off and wins the fight. Perhaps even more importantly, the movie introduces Quan Chi (Damon Herriman), a powerful necromancer who's able to resurrect characters as either servile revenants or simply themselves. This way, even characters who have taken the franchise's signature Fatalities can now return.

While Looper's own review of "Mortal Kombat II" found the sequel flawed but an improvement over the 2021 film, other first reactions have left critics stunned. So much of that stems from the film's inherent understanding of itself and its source material. From largely adhering to a tournament format to delivering special moves and Fatalities galore, "Mortal Kombat II" knows exactly what it is — and what it needs to do to make sure potential sequels can keep delivering. 

Death is abundant in. the "Mortal Kombat" games, and there's obviously a limit to how much a film series can do that and still have characters. As a result, the "immortality fixes" the sequel introduces are an excellent way for the franchise to both have its cake and eat it too. Now, the characters can brutally slay each other to their hearts' desire, since there's always one way or another to bring them back for more. 

"Mortal Kombat II" is now in theaters.