Even with a relatively low $55 million budget, a worldwide gross of only $84 million meant that 2021’s Mortal Kombat didn’t turn a profit. I guess it helped move video games and toys, though, as 2026 brought the logically titled Mortal Kombat II.

As seen in the first film, every generation or so, warriors from Earth fight those from the Outworld. To help the fighters from Earth, Lord Raiden (Tadanobu Asano) and Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee) need a fifth member of a team to battle alongside Sonya, Liu Kang (Ludi Lin), Jax Briggs (Mehcad Brooks), and Cole Young (Lewis Tan).

They recruit aging action star Johnny Cage (Karl Urban) but he exhibits disinterest. Inevitably he comes into the fold and participates in the bloody chaos.

Not much of a plot there, huh? No one enters a Mortal Kombat film in search of deep characters or intricate story development.

No, fans just want gory and giddy fight scenes. Kombat II packs in a slew of battles, all of which pack the expected grisly shenanigans.

For many viewers, I suspect that becomes enough to occupy them for 116 minutes of film. For this one, though, bloody action doesn’t bring enough to sustain my attention for so long.

With the introduction of Johnny Cage, we do get added focus on one particular character. The presence of Urban also gives the sequel something the first film lacked: an actual movie star.

Well, I’m not sure Urban’s career means we can really count him as an “above the title” actor. He made his bones on supporting roles in big flicks like 2009’s Star Trek reboot and the Lord of the Rings flicks and hasn’t managed much box office success with his occasional lead part.

We can’t really count Johnny as a main role either since he exists as part of such a large ensemble. Still, Urban does offer the closest thing to a famous person in either of the two 21st century Mortal Kombat flicks so he acts as a potential enticement for viewers.

I like Urban and find he usually elevates the flicks in which he appears. Alas, he can’t do so with the meandering Kombat II.

Honestly, Urban seems to view Kombat II as a paycheck. His natural charm manages to give Johnny some spark but Urban never appears especially involved in the flick.

And I can’t blame him given the tepid script and lack of real drama on display. While Kombat II doesn’t simply become a compilation of fight scenes, it also fails to bring an interesting story.

Honestly, I kind of wish those behind these films would forget about any stabs at character development and just give us two hours of fights. That’s all fans want anyway and if the producers won’t bother to conjure a plot and personalities that seem more than perfunctory, I’d prefer the honesty of a Nothin’ But Fatalities Mortal Kombat.

But those involved take the easy way out and create only the most trite narrative possible with flat characters. Mortal Kombat II might entertain video game fans with the fights, but these don’t add up to a good movie.

Mortal Kombat II appears in an aspect ratio of 2.40:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. A native 4K product, the movie boasted a pleasing Dolby Vision image.

Overall sharpness worked well. Nary a sliver of softness materialized during this largely accurate presentation.

I saw no shimmering or jaggies, and edge haloes remained absent. Print flaws also failed to become an issue.

In terms of palette, Kombat II favored a mix of heavy amber/orange and teal/green. The disc reproduced these as intended, and the disc’s HDR added impact and power to the tones.

Blacks looked dark and deep, while shadows seemed smooth and concise. HDR gave whites and contrast extra punch. I felt happy with this high-quality presentation.

Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, the film’s Dolby Atmos soundtrack added involvement to the proceedings. The channels used music in an involving manner, and various effects also broadened the soundscape in a winning way.

Packed with action, Kombat II came to life enough to work the speakers well. Various fight elements moved around the room in a convincing pattern to contribute life to the tale.

Audio quality worked well. Speech seemed concise and distinctive, while effects appeared accurate and natural. Louder moments boasted fine punch.

Music was warm and full, with a good level of punch from percussive elements. All of this left us with a satisfactory “A-” soundtrack.

Five featurettes appear, and Evolving the Saga lasts six minutes, 34 seconds. It brings notes from producers James Wan and Todd Garner, executive producer Michael Clear, director Simon McQuoid, co-creator Ed Boon, and actors Josh Lawson, Max Huang, Lewis Tan, Karl Urban, Adeline Rudolph, Martyn Ford, Tati Gabrielle, CJ Bloomfield, Ludi Lin, and Damon Herriman.

This program covers story and characters. Expect a lot of fluff and very little actual information.

Building the Realms of Mortal Kombat spans five minutes, 51 seconds. Here we get info from Clear, McQuoid, Garner, Rudolph, Huang, Lin, Tan, Boon, production designer Yohei Taneda and set decorator Emma Rudkin.

With “Realms”, we learn about set design. It mixes useful insights with happy talk.

Next comes the five-minute, 53-second Choose Your Fighter. This reel features McQuoid, Wan, Garner, Urban, Boon, Rudolph, Lin, Brooks, Lawson, Tan, makeup and hair designer Nikki Gooley, costume designer Cappi Ireland, and actor Jessica McNamee.

Cast and performances become the focus here, along with info about costumes and other visual elements. We find another combination of worthwhile content and praise.

Klose Quarters Kombat occupies six minutes, 35 seconds. We hear from McQuoid, Garner, Clear, Urban, Ford, Bloomfield, McNamee, Gabrielle, Lin, Rudolph, Huang, Lawson, 2nd unit director/stunt coordinator Kyle Gardiner, and actors Ana Thu Nguyen and Hiroyuki Sanada.

Unsurprisingly, stunts and action dominate this reel. Unsurprisingly, facts and fluff intermix.

Finally, A “Boon” to Gamers Everywhere goes for three minutes, 11 seconds. It brings notes from Boon, Garner, Huang, Urban, Gabrielle, Bloomfield, Gardiner, and actors Chin Han and Joe Taslim.

The reel talks about how the games evolved into the movies and Boon’s involvement in the film. That sounds interesting but “Gamers” actually does little more than offer a lot of happy talk.

With Karl Urban in tow, I hoped Mortal Kombat II would fare better than its mediocre predecessor. Instead, the sequel becomes even less interesting. The 4K UHD offers terrific picture and audio along with a mediocre array of supplements. Maybe Mortal Kombat III will bring some life to the franchise, but the second chapter offers a snore.