Some of us, like myself, try to forget the abysmal 2021 Mortal Kombat movie. Thankfully, the filmmakers took notes from dissatisfied fans and made a sequel that pays homage to the video game while achieving a bloody good time.

In “Moral Kombat 2” fan favorite champions, including the addition of washed-up 80’s action-movie star, Johnny Cage, are pitted against one another in the ultimate battle to defeat the dark rule of Shao Kahn that threatens the Earthrealm. There is not much more to the story than that. This film plays out more like a high quality, theatrical tournament from the game. Though you would think that would garner another misfire, the martial arts and action sequences are almost magnetizing. There’s a lot more effort and creativity put into the fights as well as who’s fighting in them.

Last time around we were so focused on an uninteresting and random Cole Young, that it was difficult to care about the plot. The second film shares the wealth, with screentime for the entire cast, and highlights the entertaining characters, especially Karl Urban as Johnny Cage. And while Urban is a bonus, the heart of the film beats through Adeline Rudolph as Kitana. Her back story and commanding performance gives the plot a morsal of depth. It shows us there is potential for a deeper premise with compelling character development.

“Mortal Kombat II” is a significant improvement over its predecessor, providing more thrills, graphic, high-energy battles, and crowd-pleasing entertainment that fans of the video game might call “flawless victory”, but the average moviegoer can label it as a lively and enjoyable popcorn flick.

Rating: B-