Hello, my friends. Even though the initial contest has come & gone in triumphant fashion, there’s some devious grudges that’re still stirring and must be dealt with. Not only that, but there can even be a greater evil that’s even worse than what one can possibly imagine. On that note, I welcome you back to another entry of…
Last time, our main group of Earthrealm warriors took part in a fighting contest that saw their world at risk of being conquered by Outworld should they lose. Fortunately, they would prevail. During this, a yellow-clad ninja was murdered but was brought back in order to obtain a key that would help out a fallen Elder God. He was even driven by vengeance as he confronted a foe whom he thought tore his family life asunder, only to realize too late that it was his resurrector that did so. As such, it’s time for the next chapter to unfold in an animated tale called…
Released for Digital Download, Blu-Ray & 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray on August 31, 2021, this sophomore entry would also get a DVD release. Just like “Catwoman: Hunted” however, it was only in Europe (in particular, Netherlands). So what kind of terror will our main group of combatants find themselves in this time around? Let’s prepare for Round 2 and find out.
We open within a raining city at night as a couple is running through dimly lit alleys with their baby before they’re blocked by a locked gate. As the man takes out a switchblade knife to defend himself, his lady and their child, it’s soon revealed that they were being chased by a trio of Tarkatans. Soon enough, they quickly surround the guy before they stab him to death with their retractable blades. The woman then tries to climb over the gate, but a Tarkatan being intercepts her escape attempt before another one comes in from behind and impales her. Afterwards, the creature takes her baby and attempts to eat it.
Thankfully, they’re interrupted by the arrival of the Thunder God himself: Raiden (voiced by Dave B. Mitchell). He easily electrocutes the first two Tarkatans before the last one attempts to escape with the baby, but he manages to swiftly catch up and reclaim the child before he unleashes a powerful shock upon the monster, causing it to explode in a bloody mess.
Raiden then approaches the fatally-wounded woman who tells him that the baby is her son named Liu Kang. With her final breath, she requests the Thunder God to let her kid know that he’s loved. Shortly after she passes on, Raiden proceed to head out with the future fighter in his arms.
Following the title card, we then shift ahead several years later as a Shaolin Temple in under attack by a massive army from Outworld. During the bloody commotion, several Tarkatans await inside a Siege Tower as they prepare to invade once they reach the wall. Fortunately, a small group of Shaolin Monks were able to counter with their own bazooka as they incinerate every mutant foe within the structure.
Unfortunately, they’re immediately met upon by a winged demon as it manages to mutilate some of them. Before it can proceed to attack the remaining monks, it gets sliced by a familiar hat as it turns out to be Kung Lao (voiced by Matthew Yang King). However, the main gate is in danger of getting breached. He swiftly makes his way over to it as he tells his fellow monks that as long as they still stand, they won’t let their temple fall.
The front gate then gets smashed open by a massive monster before it proceeds to mutilate several monks while also allowing other creatures to begin pouring inside. Kung Lao and company proceed to fight those demons off before the former engages the towering being. He grabs a staff from one of the foul creatures and throws it at the giant monster, successfully stabbing it in its right eye. However, the injury doesn’t remotely slow it down as it manages to pin Kung Lao.
Suddenly, an aircraft flies in and rams into the massive being before it makes a crash landing. From there, Kurtis Stryker (voiced by Matthew Mercer) and Mj. Jackson Briggs a.k.a. Jax (voiced by Ike Amadi) emerge and proceed to fire away, successfully shooting the various demons and forcing them into retreating. Even when other creatures try to infiltrate the breached wall, Kurtis & Jackson are able to fend them off. Shortly after Kung Lao joins them, Stryker is stunned by what he’s just gone up against. Kung Lao then helps Jax realize where their fellow comrades are currently at.
Over within a wooden area outside of the battlefield, a wounded Outworld soldier returns to inform his leader named Kitana (voiced by Grey DeLisle-Griffin) that even though they were able to penetrate the temple gate, they’re suffering some major losses. As such, she devises a battle plan. She’ll have Reiko (voiced by Robin Atkin Downes) & Kintaro (also voiced by Dave B. Mitchell) head towards the front end of the temple and lead the charge there, while Baraka & Jade (voiced by Emily O’Brien) take their creatures called TaiGore to the temple’s sides in order to completely surround their enemy.
Suddenly, they discover that they were being spied upon as Johnny Cage (voiced by Joel McHale) makes his presence known. He then gets quickly surrounded before he tells Kitana and her group that he’s willing to negotiate their surrender. They obviously don’t accept his offer as Jade wishes to smite him herself, but Kitana instead offers a counteroffer: Surrender his absolute loyalty towards Outworld’s emperor. With him smugly refusing, the Tarkatans are then ordered to head in and smite him.
Suddenly, one of the mutants has his head get entirely blown away as Johnny tells them that he brought his “girlfriend” to this meet-up. Kitana then throws her razor-sharp fans at Cage, as he easily dodges them before he’s pursued by more Tarkatans. Soon enough, their heads get shot off by the skillful sharp shooting of Lt. Sonya Blade (voiced by Jennifer Carpenter).
Johnny is then met upon by Baraka as he’s stunned to realize that the mutant fiend survived their last fight. Thankfully, Cage is able to kick his foe away. However, Jade manages to get the drop on him and easily subdue him. Fortunately, Sonya arrives and rams her sniper into Jade’s face before kicking her into Reiko.
Shortly after Lt. Blade tells Johnny that she’s not his girlfriend, Kitana tells them to surrender since they won’t be able to stop Outworld’s army. Fortunately, they smugly agree before Liu Kang (voiced by Jordan Rodrigues) and Raiden arrive.
From there, both sides proceeds to clash. During their scuffle, Liu asks Kitana why she’s “still on the wrong side” before she tells him that she doesn’t have a choice on that matter. Meanwhile, Kintaro rips a tree from the ground and tries to attack Raiden with it. Fortunately, he uses his lightning to blast through it before zapping the four-armed foe.
Just as our heroes get surrounded, a portal opens up as a massive figure emerges from it, which turns out to be Outworld’s emperor himself: Shao Kahn (voiced by Fred Tatasciore). Just as Raiden approaches him, Kang manages to attack the fiendish emperor. However, Shao Kahn is able to block an incoming kick before he grabs Liu’s leg and throws him into a tree. Before he’s able to resume his strike against Kang, Raiden intervenes and tells his comrade to stand down. Shao Kahn then says that he didn’t come here to fight and instead, he offers a way for their bloody conflict to finally end. He wants Raiden to come with him to see the Elder Gods and offer them a request for one last Mortal Kombat.
To his comrades’ collected surprise, the Thunder God agrees. Sonya tells him that they’re close to winning their current battle, but Raiden says that it would only be a temporary victory since Shao Kahn has access to limitless resources within Outworld and that he would eventually strike again. By agreeing to this proposal, they would have a chance to finally end this vicious cycle and prevent future generations of Earthrealm fighters from being forced to endure this never-ending conflict. With his mind made up, Raiden joins Shao Kahn as they take their leave through a portal.
Meanwhile, Hanzo Hasashi (voiced by Patrick Seitz) makes it back to his home village with his son Satoshi before they also come across his wife Harumi. Suddenly, he starts burning up as his family and the surrounding area slowly get engulfed within the flames. He wearily falls over and tries to crawl to his family, but he’s unable to reach them as they wither away.
Suddenly, Scorpion wakes up to find himself back in the Neatherrealm following his climactic fight from the previous film. With him surrounded by various demons, he’s soon met upon by the corrupt Elder God himself: Shinnok (also voiced by Robin Atkin Downes). He tells Hanzo that despite smiting his servant Quan Chi, this realm still has a claim to his soul. Not only that, but the key that he previously acquired has now been bounded to his soul (presumably caused by the destruction of Shang Tsung’s island). As such, Shinnok tells him that his demons will take him to an Earthrealm-based island where the Temple of Elements is located. Once there, he needs Hasashi to open its gate and retrieve a particular item that will help him achieve a devious scheme that he has in store for the Elder Gods. Shinnok then essentially tells him that he has no choice in whether or not he would be willing to take part of this expedition, to which Scorpion responds by successfully escaping through a portal. Shinnok then tells his demons to go after him, but one of them says that he’s previously eluded them. As such, he tells them to locate anyone who could help them. From there, the scene ends with him looking forward to summoning a terrible being in order to smite every last realm.
We then shift over to the Lin Kuei Temple as Kuai Liang (voiced by Bayardo De Murguia) takes part in a practice bout with a fellow comrade named Smoke (also voiced by Matthew Mercer). Following their brief tussle, Smoke tells him that despite being tough with himself on how skilled he’s gotten, he still praises his comrade for being “a great fighter”. He then tells Kuai that with Outworld already attacking Earthrealm and with two of their fellow allies missing, it’s time for him to finally assume the mantle of Sub-Zero. However, Liang doesn’t want to take his fallen brother’s title yet. Afterwards, a fellow Lin Kuei ninja tells him that their master would like to speak to them.
From there, they reach the main temple where the Lin Kuei Grandmaster (voiced by Paul Nakauchi) tells them that they’ve been hired to find the Shirai Ryu’s lone surviving ninja: Scorpion. Kuai instantly recognizes him as the man who killed his older brother Bi-Han before he looks to get some vengeance, but the Grandmaster tells him that Hanzo must be left alive. He then tells them that in order to capture Hasashi, they must become “faster & better” than ever before. In order to do so however, they’ll have to undergo some “experimentation”. From there, their two comrades (whom were just mentioned as having gone missing) emerge as Liang and Smoke are shocked to discover that Sektor (also voiced by Dave B. Mitchell) & Cyrax (voiced by Artt Butler) have been turned into cyborgs. The Grandmaster then mentions that he sees a regular human body as “fragile” and “weak”, thus requiring them to become enhanced by technology in order to become “the perfect warrior”.
Kuai & Smoke essentially agree that the proposed process is monstrous, but the Grandmaster refuses to budge on his stance as Sektor and Cyrax begin to approach them with the intent of forcing them into the devious process. Smoke then uses his power to create a smokescreen in order for him and Liang to escape, but Sektor uses his sensor to locate them as he and Cyrax pursue them.
Sektor manages to tie up Kuai’s legs with some bolo cables before Smoke proceeds to engage him. Meanwhile, Liang manages to free himself before he fights Cyrax. However, Cyrax proves his technological might as he knocks Kuai out with a homing missile before heading in to capture him. Smoke manages to hold his own against Sektor before he heads over to save Liang. Unfortunately, Cyrax teams up with Sektor as they proceed to beat Smoke down before the latter subdues him within an electrified cable.
Kuai manages to recover and tries to intervene, but Cyrax counters with some chest missiles. Although Liang was able to freeze them, they still explode the moment he tries to run past them as he gets blasted out of the temple. With the explosion having caused some damage to the building, Kuai is unable to get past the massive amount of rubble as he can only helplessly watch Smoke begin to get cybernetically converted by Cyrax. With his comrade telling him to retreat, Liang is then forced to go on the run.
Meanwhile, Raiden & Shao Kahn manage to reach the Elder Gods and proceed to ask them for one last Mortal Kombat in order for their millennia-spanning conflict to finally come to a close. Ultimately, the Elder Gods accept their offer as Shao Kahn prepares to head out. However, Raiden puts in one final request. In particular, he would like to take part in the competition and fight for Earthrealm. Shao Kahn reminds him that only mortals can take part in the contest, but Raiden says that he’s willing to relinquish his Thunder God status in order to officially compete. From there, the Elder Gods strip him of his immortal title and turn him into a regular human. Afterwards, Shao Kahn tells him that he’ll regret his action before they proceed to take their leave.
Back at the Shaolin Temple, the Outworld army is calmly waiting outside while our main Earthrealm heroes also wait it out within the main walls. Suddenly, Kurtis notices that several portals are opening up and that every single Outworld demon is retreating into those entryways. With the whole group observing this, Raiden arrives and informs them that the tournament is now set. He also tells them that this final contest will carry the fate of every single realm. In addition, he’ll be joining them in combat as Liu and Kung realize what he’s done in order to fight alongside them. With Raiden completely willing to risk his life, a portal opens as our main group proceeds to head inside.
Just then, Raiden tells Scorpion that he knows that he’s discreetly watching. Hanzo then emerges and informs him about the key that’s currently bound to his soul. Raiden realizes that he’s the only person who can open the temple door that leads to the last Kamidogu before he explains that they’re the “remnants of the One Being”. He elaborates by mentioning how the Elder Gods spilt the devious being into six pieces and scattered each of them into different realms. If Shinnok reunites all six pieces, then the One Being will return and annihilate every last realm. Raiden then says that Shinnok is more than willing to bring this terrifying monstrosity back out of “revenge” and “insanity”. Scorpion then requests for the key to be removed from him, but Raiden says that he can’t since he’s no longer the Thunder God. He then tells Hanzo to run and hide in order to avoid getting captured, to which Hasashi considers just opening the temple door and getting it over with. From there, Raiden tells him that he’s walked that fine line between good & evil and that it’s time for him to pick a side for his former family’s sake. Afterwards, he heads into the portal before it disappears.
Meanwhile, our main group arrives in Outworld where they’re met upon by Shang Tsung (also voiced by Artt Butler) who proceeds to lead them into his emperor’s fortress. Upon their arrival, Shao Kahn tells them that the contest will take place over the next two days. Also, they’re allowed to roam around the entire compound, but not outside of it.
From there, the tournament gets underway with Johnny taking part in the initial fight as he goes up against the arachnid-humanoid named D’Vorah (voiced by Debra Wilson). Right out of the gate however, he suffers an immediate hit to his groin. Once they get into the thick of their dual, she ultimately defeats him before Sonya and Jax run out to go check on him. Cage tries to admit needing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, but Lt. Blade recognizes it as a shallow excuse to steal a kiss. From there, Briggs warns him to knock it off with his antics.
As the competition plays out, several match-ups proceed to play out as Liu Kang defeats Jade, Kurtis takes down Baraka and Sonya ultimately triumphs over Li Mei.
Eventually, Jax goes up against Kintaro as the Shokan fighter manages to grab both of his bionic arms and attempts to rip them off. Thankfully, Briggs manages to flip Kintaro over before he rips his foe’s upper arms from his body instead. Afterwards, Shao Kahn announces that they’ll be taking a break before telling his guards to escort our main group to their sleeping quarters.
Back on Earthrealm, Scorpion is being pursued by Sektor and Cyrax over at the docks. Once they reach a warehouse, they proceed to fight as Hanzo does all that he can to fend them off. However, they prove to be worthy adversaries as Cyrax ultimately blasts him outside.
Just as they’re about to reach him again, they get swiftly frozen solid as Sub-Zero arrives and starts to attack Hasashi in order to seek his revenge. Suddenly, a fully-cybernetically-converted Smoke arrives as he grabs their necks and throws them aside before he thaws his fellow cyborgs out.
Kuai soon finds himself up against his former comrade, but Smoke ultimately blasts him into the water. Meanwhile, Scorpion gets beaten up by Sektor and Cyrax before he’s ultimately defeated. With their target in their custody, all three cyborgs fly off to proceed with the next step of the grand plan. Unbeknownst to them, Liang recovers and emerges from the water in order to see them take their aerial leave.
Back over in Outworld, the contest has resumed as Raiden proceeds to fight Reiko. With him no longer having the immortal status of a Thunder God, he struggles a bit and feels the brutal strikes delivered from his opponent. Despite having to endure some vicious hits, Raiden ultimately gets the win by grappling Reiko before slamming him to the ground. Afterwards, a concerned Liu Kang approaches him, but Raiden assures him that he’s “fine”.
Meanwhile on Earthrealm, the three ninja cyborgs have arrived at the Temple of Elements. From there, Scorpion gets ordered to place his hand upon the front gate. Despite Hanzo essentially warning them of the grave danger that they’re helping to facilitate, Sektor and Cyrax manage to pin him onto the front gate before placing his hands upon it as well. Through the key bounded within his soul, the door opens up before Sektor prepares to exterminate Hasashi with a trio of mini-rockets.
Suddenly, the projectiles get encased in ice as the explosion disorients the ninja cyborgs and Scorpion. Sub-Zero then pops up and once again attempts to kill Hanzo, yet he’s able to kick Kuai away. He then notices the ninja cyborgs chasing after him, to which Hasashi proceeds to run into the temple. Liang then manages to freeze them before he heads inside to pursue his target.
Back on Outworld, the first day of the tournament has come to a close as our main group is back in their resting quarters. Stryker manages to find a bedroom as he proceeds to head in and rest up for his next match. Just as Sonya is about to head towards another bedroom, Johnny briefly stops her and asks if they could hang out, even trying to sneak in another kiss. However, Lt. Blade simply heads inside and slams the door in his face. Afterwards, Cage then wonders why he’s unable to romantically woo her, to which Jax tells him that he has to refrain from his ego-driven tactics and try to “pursue” her in a more proper way.
Meanwhile, Liu meets up with Raiden as he continues to express his own wariness towards the former Thunder God’s ability to survive this whole ordeal. However, he simply tells Kang that he should be fine while he’s adjusting to his newfound status as a human. From there, he decides to rest up for the first time in his life.
Meanwhile within the Earthrealm-based temple, Scorpion reaches a massive cavern filled with bridges intersecting at various angles. Not only that, but it also has an occasional updraft. Suddenly, he’s met upon by Sub-Zero who attempts to shoot him with a series of ice shards. Hanzo apologizes for murdering his older brother and even explains that the Lin Kuei murdered his family & fellow villagers while being led by someone who was pretending to be Bi-Han. Unfortunately, Liang doesn’t believe him before he ultimately uppercuts him down the shaft.
Thankfully, Hasashi gets saved by a timely updraft as he uses his speared chain to reach a higher platform. Sub-Zero then proceeds to chase after him before they ultimately reach a particular platform and resume their fight. Suddenly, their duel gets interrupted by a rocket blast as Sektor, Smoke and Cyrax have returned to pursue them. After saving Kuai from some rubble, Scorpion tells him that they must join forces in order to get the cyber ninjas off their backs. Ultimately, Liang agrees as he uses his freeze power to encase a platform’s support pillars within ice. Hanzo then uses his chained spear to shatter the foundation and cause the structure to fall upon the cyborgs.
Afterwards, they reach the central chamber where the Kamidogu piece is being held. However, Sub-Zero forms an ice dagger and attempts to stab Hanzo. Fortunately, Hasashi notices in time as he pins Kuai down, swipes him of his chilling blade and holds it up to his neck. He then tells Liang that they have to prevent the Kamidogu from falling into the wrong hands in order to save every realm from becoming doomed, thus making his vengeance quest utterly irrelevant. Scorpion then says that he relates to being driven by revenge and how it can sickly consume anyone. As he hands the ice dagger back in order to be killed, Hanzo wants Sub-Zero to promise him that he’ll keep the Kamidogu safe. Kuai then charges into Hasashi and pins him down before plunging his chilling blade. Fortunately, he purposefully misses as he ultimately decides to not go through with it.
Just as they make a mad dash for the Kamidogu, a heat beam suddenly strikes a nearby statue and pins Liang within the rubble. Cyrax, Smoke and Sektor make their presence known as they defeat Hanzo by trapping him within a cybernetically-charged net. Sub-Zero tries to tell Smoke that whoever hired them to retrieve the Kamidogu wants it for a evil purpose. However, he tells Kuai that it’s their “objective” as they retrieve the artifact, blast open a hole within the roof and fly out. As a result of the newly-formed hole, the whole room begins to collapse.
Over in Outworld, the second day of the tournament gets underway as Sonya proceeds to fight D’Vorah. While the rest of the group watch the fight from the stands, Johnny tells Kurtis that Lt. Blade is getting back at her foe for roughing up her “boyfriend”. Ultimately, she defeats D’Vorah before telling her that Cage isn’t her boyfriend.
Afterwards, Jax goes up against Shao Kahn. When Briggs attempts to punch him, the emperor grabs his fist with enough otherworldly strength that it causes internal damage to his bionic arm. From there, Shao Kahn knocks him out with a single punch.
Stryker then proceeds to tangle against Shang Tsung. Though Kurtis is able to match his opponent in terms of fisticuffs, the fiendish sorcerer begins to turn the tide when he starts using his dark magic. Shang Tsung then surprises him and our main group when he magically copies Stryker’s appearance and transforms into his likeness. From there, Kurtis proceeds to get beaten up by his malevolent doppelgänger. Afterwards, Shang Tsung magically turns himself into mystic vapor and enters Styker’s body as he takes control over him. As a result, he forces Kurtis to back into a nearby spike and impale himself. For the twisted finish and to the further horror of the main group, he makes Stryker rip his own head off before he resumes his regular form.
Back within the temple’s collapsed central chamber, Hasashi was able to escape the imprisoning net and reached Kuai in time, who was able to form a protective ice dome around themselves. Liang is then assured that they haven’t failed yet and that they will get their rightful redemption. From there, Scorpion creates a portal as he and Sub-Zero use it to escape from the overbearing weight of the temple’s rubble.
Over on Outworld, Kung Lao gets his chance to face Shao Kahn. Even though the skilled monk delivers the initial hits, they fail to make any impact upon the emperor who responds with some fierce hits of his own. Kung Lao then throws his razor-sharp hat at him, but Shao Kahn easily catches it before throwing it back with his fierce strength, resulting in it slicing into the monk’s chest. From there, the emperor finishes him off by reaching into the wound and ripping his opponent apart.
As Kung Lao’s remains get carted off, Raiden assures a mournful Liu Kang that his comrade fell in battle as a warrior and that they won’t let his demise be in vein. Afterwards, the former Thunder God gets into the ring as Kitana is sent in to fight him. Before they begin their tussle, Raiden tells her that it’s “never too late” for her to switch sides. From there, they proceed to brawl as she proves to be too much for him to handle. Once Raiden gets pinned and is at Kitana’s mercy, Shao Kahn orders her to finish her opponent off.
While she does use her fan, she ends up throwing one of them into the emperor’s chest as he falls over. With the tournament seemingly won, Kitana gives her first order as the “Queen of Outworld” by surrendering to Earthrealm in order for her home realm of Edenia and for all of the realms under Shao Kahn’s rule to finally be free. Suddenly, the emperor gets up and reveals that her surprise attack didn’t kill him. She then tries to attack him, but his overwhelming hits prove to be too much for her to withstand. With his traitorous successor in his grasp, Kitana wants him to finish her off. However, Shao Kahn will only do so after she watches him merge Earthrealm and smite everything she cares for. From there, his guards proceed to place her upon some nearby shackles.
Afterwards, Sonya gets her chance to face the fiendish emperor. Despite her starting off with some swift kicks, he responds by forming a spear and ramming it into her right leg before hitting her with his Wrath Hammer. Lt. Blade then tries to strangle him, but he manages to jump into the air, flip her off of him and slam her into the ground, decisively winning the match while Johnny runs out to check up on her.
Next up, Liu Kang finally gets to face Shang Tsung. However, the fiendish sorcerer goes on the offensive and delivers some hard-hitting blows. If that wasn’t bad enough, he then manages to plunge his hand into Liu’s left arm, grab onto the bones and place a disabling hex upon it. Despite his limb having gotten magically numb, Kang says that he doesn’t need it to win as he swiftly moves his right arm with enough force to have the air deliver a cut onto Shang Tsung’s cheek.
From there, Liu turns the tides by blocking his opponent’s strikes before taking him down by shattering his knees. With the evil sorcerer at his mercy, Shao Kahn orders him to deliver the death blow. Despite charging up a fire-filled fist, Kang stops himself from killing Shang Tsung and only wants him to live with the knowledge that he lost this fight.
Afterwards, he’s met upon by his comrades as Raiden discovers the curse that was placed upon Liu’s left arm and that he’s powerless to lift it due to having already relinquished his godly status. Cage then expresses his frustration on how their fellow fighter is at a disadvantage, but Raiden tells his group that they must fight on in order for them to pull out a much-needed win.
Over in the Neatherrealm, Shinnok has already collected five of the six pieces of the Kamidogu. Just then, he’s met upon by the Lin Kuei Grandmaster, Smoke, Cyrax and Sektor as they hand the last piece of the Kamidogu over to him. After noticing that he now has all six pieces and that a certain “mad god” was trying to collect them, the Grandmaster realizes too late that Shinnok was the one who’s looking to summon the One Being in order to wipe out all of existence. As thanks for being foolish enough to help him with his plan, Shinnok summons his horde of demons to attack them. Despite their advanced technology, the ninja cyborg’s sensors aren’t able to pick them up.
While Smoke, Sektor & Cyrax do all that they can to fight back against the seemingly endless barrage of demons, one of them manages to reach the Grandmaster in order to plunge their claws into his back and through his chest. Meanwhile, Shinnok uses all six Kamidogu pieces to summon the One Being while the Grandmaster meets his grisly end by having his spine ripped out by a demon.
Back on Outworld, Raiden is about to face Shao Kahn. Liu wants to fight in his place, but the former Thunder God tells him that it’s his duty to protect him and all of Earthrealm. From there, he proceeds to engage the evil emperor. As Shao Kahn boasts about how they’re finally going to face each other to the death, Raiden takes advantage of his chattiness and uses his Torpedo move, ramming his enemy into a pillar.
They then engage each other in a true fight as the former Thunder God manages to deliver some well-placed strikes. However, Shao Kahn’s powerful hits begin to overwhelm him as he gets quickly worn down. Afterwards, the emperor creates four spears and continually lunges them through Raiden. Shao Kahn then pins him down, places his foot upon the former Thunder God’s neck and prepares to execute him. Raiden manages to tell Liu that his parents loved him before the emperor crushes his neck, effectively killing him. Afterwards, Kang mourns his loss as a thunderstorm pops up, reminding him of what Raiden had previously said to him about how it was his destiny to ultimately defeat Shao Kahn.
From there, Liu decides to finally go up against the evil emperor. They proceed to swap several hard-hitting strikes, though neither one of them is able to effectively land any effective hits. Kang then attempts to counter Shao Kahn’s Wrath Hammer with a fiery uppercut, but the emperor’s strength proves to be too much as he gets smashed into the ground. Shao Kahn then manages to throw him into a pillar and attempt to crush his cursed arm with his foot, but Liu manages to fend him off with a Dragon Fire shot.
From there, he finally taps into his full potential as he manages to lift the magical hex from his arm before he delivers a barrage of fiery punches and kicks, even launching the evil emperor into the sky with his powerful kicks before he ends their tussle with one last kick, causing Shao Kahn to crash-land into the ground.
With the tournament finally done, Kang proceeds to free Kitana from her shackles before he and the rest of the group are met upon by the Elder Gods. They tell Liu that because he won this contest, he’ll be rewarded with “great power”. However, they’re unsure if it will be enough for him to go up against the One Being.
Over in the Netherrealm, Shinnok is nearing the completion of his summoning ritual. Meanwhile, his demons have finally managed to rip both Sektor and Cyrax apart. Suddenly, Scorpion and Sub-Zero arrive as they efficiently smite the otherworldly fiends. Hanzo then tries to stop Shinnok, but he’s too late as the process becomes complete before Shinnok proceeds to merge with the One Being.
As a result, buildings and structures from other realms begin to pop up within the Netherrealm as Hasashi realizes what has just begun. From there, every single realm begins to converge onto each other as our main group learn from the Elder Gods about what’s happening. They then tell Liu that Raiden has mentioned to them about a child who has a pure soul that would ultimately become the “Chosen One” and save all of reality. With Kang fully aware that he’s the destined individual, the Elder Gods proceed to imbue him with their power. Once the process becomes complete, his body becomes a shining, golden vessel.
Suddenly, he and the rest of the group find themselves within the merged realm as they pop up right next to Sub-Zero and Scorpion. Suddenly, they come across the malevolently mighty being known as the One Being (also voiced by Ike Amadi) who begins to tear the forcefully combined realms apart.
As Liu prepares to confront this powerful foe, we then flashback to a past moment where he asks Raiden why he’s been picked as the chosen one. The Thunder God explains that he personally selected him, due to the fact that he’s lost a lot throughout his life (especially his parents), yet never found it in his heart to blame anyone else. Having constantly fought for the sake of goodness and light, we shift back to the present as Kang transforms into a dragon and flies off to face his ultimate foe.
Back with our main group, Sonya opens her duffel bag full of guns. As they arm themselves with various weapons, Lt. Blade tells them that innocent civilians are in danger as a result of the merged realms. As such, it’s up to them to save their lives.
Within the merged city, a young couple is in grave danger as a Tarkatan is about to harm them. Fortunately, Kitana slices the mutant up with her sword before telling them to find a shelter.
Meanwhile, a small group of soldiers are slowly getting overwhelmed by a large amount of Outworld creatures bearing down on them. Just as a gigantic monster picks up a car and prepares to use it against them, a small rocket suddenly flies in and smites it in the face, causing it to drop the vehicle onto some nearby demons.
It turns out that Jax managed to save the squad before he transforms his bionic arms into machine guns and fires away at the opposing monsters. Inspired by his heroic act, the rest of the soldiers join in and help him gun those creatures down.
Over on a floating piece of land, Johnny and Sonya are under attack by a group of Tarkatans. They manage to shoot them down, but they also run out of ammunition. Suddenly, Lt. Blade gets ambushed by Baraka while another Tarkatan manages to reach Cage. A struggle ensues as Sonya tries to fend her mutant foe off, but Baraka ultimately manages to stab her in her side. Shortly after Johnny defeats his opposing Tarkatan, he sees what’s happened to her as he uses his Shadow Kick to hit Baraka away.
As he applies some pressure to her wound, he then apologizes for his idiotic behavior and that despite all of the constant fights & death surrounding them, he’s still glad that it’s helped him meet her in the first place. With her finally appreciating him, they team up to defeat Baraka as Cage shoves a grenade into the mutant’s mouth and Shadow Kicks him to a safe distance before Lt. Blade reveals that she’s pulled the pin. From there, Baraka meets his grisly end within a fiery explosion.
Meanwhile, Liu continues with his climactic clash against the One Being. Despite Kang delivering some fierce hits onto his foe, the One Being manages to grab and throw him onto the ground. From there, he picks Liu up in triumph before he’s suddenly attacked by some ice as Kuai rides in on his own ice slide and shoots some more ice while Hanzo plunges his swords into the gigantic foe.
Fortunately, this distraction allows Liu to recover and re-engage the One Being. Hasashi then runs to the top of the massive figure and strikes the headpiece with his chained spear, resulting in a massive explosion. Thankfully, Liang managed to catch him before they slide back to the main group.
Despite the huge hit, the One Being is still standing. Fortunately, Kang once again recovers and attacks him. Ultimately, Liu finally scores some key hits as he bites off his foe’s right hand and left foot, causing the One Being to shrink. Afterwards, Kang transforms into a giant golden version of his human self before he picks his foe up and completely absorbs him.
With the final battle over, he returns to his regular size and meets up with his comrades. Even though the One Being and Shinnok were finally vanquished, Liu tells his friends that there’s one last thing for him to do. He then proceeds to use his godly powers to separate all of the realms before he rejoins with his friends over in Outworld.
Kang informs his friends that Kitana’s home realm of Edenia has been freed from tyranny and that they’ve finally reached ever-lasting peace. However, Jax is somewhat skeptical since Shao Kahn has gone missing and that it’s possible that either the former emperor or someone else will come along to cause trouble. Liu assures him that they’ll band together again in order to confront whatever evil should emerge. And so, the film ends with Sonya giving Johnny a surprise kiss, Kang & Kitana holding hands as a unified pair and some familiar lightning shooting across the Outworld skies.
Now that this royal realm rumble has come to a close, let’s get to my character analysis. First up, let’s talk about the video game series’ initial hero: Liu Kang. As I mentioned during the prior film, Liu didn’t have much in terms of a major character arc. After all, the most that he had to contend with there was learning to work with those that he wasn’t already familiar with. This time around, it’s made evident from the pre-title scene that his importance will be greatly increased. In particular, it focuses on Raiden’s guardian relationship with him and how intertwined it is with helping Kang become the destined hero that he’s supposed to become. Because of the crowded cast and the movie’s effort with juggling every vital combatant in an attempt to make sure that they get enough to do, this aspect sadly doesn’t have the space that it requires to leave the impact that it should bring, especially by the time that Raiden falls in battle to Shao Kahn. Yes, the Thunder God did look after Liu ever since his parents were tragically murdered, but a couple of key flashbacks could’ve helped in making Kang’s development under Raiden and the Shaolin Monks have a stronger outcome, especially since he was unable to beat Goro in the first entry, yet ultimately defeated Shang Tsung, Shao Kahn and the unified One Being/Shinnok here. Also, I know that he came to Outworld with several other Earthrealm fighters, but aside from the aforementioned big bosses, Liu only fought Jade within the tournament and doesn’t really face much adversity within the whole competition outside of those powerful beings. Despite the faults inherent within the taken missteps of his character arc, Kang is still likable, noble and driven towards protecting his home realm from falling into devious hands. Jordan Rodrigues turns in another good performance, enhanced with some decent range and professionally delivered intonations that helps the hero of the video game series’ original timeline have the familiar impact that he had there.
Moving on, we have the continued progression of everyone’s favorite undead ninja: Scorpion. After embarking on some misguided vengeance in the last entry, this movie sees him dealing with the consequences of his then-recent actions. The most immediate problem for him comes in the form of Bi-Han’s younger brother since Kuai Liang slowly becomes consumed by the same bloody revenge that initially drove Hanzo towards his brutal actions. As if that wasn’t enough for him to worry about, it gets further compounded when Shinnok wants him to help out in acquiring the final Kamidogu, even going as far as hiring the ever-augmented Lin Kuei into nudging him towards his devious end goal. Throughout his journey, he has to reconcile for his past sins and convince Kuai not to go down the same vengeance-filled path that he went down. With the cyber ninjas bearing down on them and Shinnok’s master plan slowly coming together as a result, Hasashi has to earn forgiveness from Liang in order for them to ultimately team up and do what they can to stop this horrid endgame from becoming complete. Even though Scorpion does take a partial step into the background in order for the main contest over in Outworld to play out, he’s still a prominent player throughout the events of the film. It especially helps that this part of the overall storyline isn’t as crowded as it is there, allowing this side of the narrative to flow with its own action set pieces. While Hanzo is very well-handled with his developing progression, it would’ve been nice had he gotten some kind of resolution following the final battle against the One Being. After all, he strikes the foe’s head piece and gets knocked out from the blast, thankfully getting saved by Suz-Zero. However, they both vanished from the narrative afterwards. Other than that awkward landing, Hasashi was still expertly fleshed out, while Patrick Seitz gave another solid performance filled with emotional range, solid delivery and pitch-perfect intonations that helped in making his character be just as well-handled the second time-around.
Finally, we have the action star who learns to include others within his life: Johnny Cage. Last time, he learned to come out of his shallow movie star shell in order to realize the seriousness of his situation. Helping him out with that, he also had to learn how to dedicate his heroic craft towards someone important to him. In this film, that latter aspect gets further developed as he tries to win Sonya’s heart. During a few points throughout the movie, he keeps proclaiming to others that he’s her boyfriend, only for her to deflect that by telling those same nearby people that he isn’t. Sure, he’s still somewhat cocky and that’s an attitude trait that he can’t help but flaunt, but it also serves as an extra hurdle for him to overcome since it hampers his ability to effectively engage within a serious relationship with her. Jax does serve as his better conscience by offering advice on how to improve his situation, thus setting up his opportunity for change by the end. There is a quick moment that I didn’t mention when just as the realms were about to get forcefully merged together, he silently grabs Lt. Blade’s hand out of concern, only for her to pull it away. By the end, he finally gets to prove his own caring worth to her during the final battle when they get ambushed by Baraka and his fellow Tarkatans. After saving her from various Outworld creatures in the last entry, he manages to come to her rescue again when she gets stabbed in her side by Baraka. Unlike the prior movie where she was roughed up but was able to recover once she was placed off to the side, Cage has to deal with a more serious wound that was dealt to her, thus allowing him to finally confess his love to her while also admitting that he was being an obnoxious jerk face. For a character progression that needed to get fleshed out over two films, it was ultimately handled as well as it could have been, given that he was mainly within a group of other fighters and didn’t have the same luxury that Scorpion had, who was able to be off on his own and not have as many other characters surrounding him fighting for their own development. As for Joel McHale, he once again captures the snark, wit & charm that his character is known for with an energetic and boyish charm to boot. Once again, he was good all-around.
The story is simple enough to follow, but it does somewhat run into a similar problem that the infamous “Mortal Kombat: Annihilation” had, where the abundance of fight scenes tended to push its massive cast of characters and any key development that they & the narrative would desperately need into the background. When getting to those moments during my recaps (particularly during the main tournament within Outworld), it did feel somewhat repetitive at times. Fortunately, this film doesn’t suffer as badly as that cinematic sequel. First off, those physical tussles don’t last as long and aren’t being used as obvious time-wasters like the notorious cinematic sequel did. Second, Scorpion’s attempt to prevent Shinnok from going through with his ultimate plan helped to break things up since his fights are more of a struggle to prevent this horrid event from coming to pass. Aside from that, the narrative does have an uncertain hiccup concerning a certain key that was introduced in the prior movie. In “Scorpion’s Revenge”, it seems like it was meant to free Shinnok from an otherworldly cell and it was a separate object. Here, it’s now somehow bonded to Hanzo’s soul (maybe because of his specter makeup, even though it’s not really explained) and that it was actually guarding the main entryway towards a certain item that the mad god needs to summon the One Being. Despite each entry only having a year’s separation from each other, those details should’ve been cleared up between them since it became a little awkward once Hasashi meets up with Shinnok in the Netherrealm and the audience gets some contradicting details. Speaking of villains, this film also shares another trait with its predecessor in that it has multiple bad guys. Just like the transition between the first and second game, Shang Tsung has been demoted to the status of super-powered regular fighter. Yes, he does prove his lethal skills when he ultimately kills Kurtis Stryker in battle, but he doesn’t get to showcase himself outside of that fight and his clash against Liu Kang, especially since the latter proves how much he’s skillfully grown since the last movie. With Shao Kahn, the film nicely showcases his hulking physical might and how hard he can mow his opponents down if they’re not too careful. Despite not ultimately being the main antagonist of this piece, he still proves his own oppositional worth while Fred Tatasciore turns in a good performance and harnesses his veteran talent to make him as vocally intimidating as he can be. As for Shinnok, he’s more portrayed as a devious leader and a master manipulator. When it ultimately comes time for him to physically confront his opponent, he only does so once he merges with the One Being as the other confrontational times has him outsourcing his services to either his own demons or the Lin Kuei and their cybernetic ninjas. For what he has to work with, Robin Atkin Downes was nice in the role as he brings a devious undertone to the corrupt Elder God. I wish that the writing was a bit more polished and that it would’ve let him show his own might before he becomes one with the One Being, but Downes was very effective with being promoted from voicing the Black Dragon’s leader last time to helming the main baddie here. Once again, the animation is very solid. Any stiffness that’s present isn’t too noticeably severe, resulting in some nice flow throughout. It also helps to compliment the numerous action scenes that this entry has. Despite how repetitive that they can get (especially by the time that we get deeply-entrenched into the Outworld-based contest), it does once again show off the brutal violence that’s intertwined within the series. While it doesn’t have the first-time shocking feel that its predecessor had, the brutal blows are still very impactful. As for the massive cast of characters that’re dealing said fisticuffs, it is a large group of familiar fighters for this film to juggle, yet despite the semi-struggle of the movie’s narrative to make each of them relevant in some way, they seem to be as well-handled as they can be while allowing the major players to make the biggest impact. Finally, the pacing feels as smooth as it can be. Despite the large amount of fight and action scenes, they never hamper the overall flow of the story. Even as a casual fan of the franchise, it still felt engaging throughout the overall runtime. It never seemed to lag at any point and still provided a good time. While it may not be the single best entry within this long-running franchise, it should still make for a thrilling experience for those who’re either fully-engaged or even remotely interested in the overall series.
Overall, this was a fairly well-handled conclusion to the looming Outworld invasion. The characters were likable, the harrowing situations were well-paced and the animation was mainly solid. While the numerous fight scenes may get repetitive and some villain progression could’ve been better handled, it’s still an enjoyable follow-up that strikes hard and comes recommended to those who’ve been following this overall storyline. If you get the chance, then check it out within the comforts of your own realm.
Next Time: A familiar band of devious mercenaries has returned alongside their fully recovered leader. While a certain chilly ninja looks to stop them, it will actually take a blind swordsman to effectively bring this villainous group down once and for all. Things may have gotten smaller in scale, but the situation won’t feel as frostbitten as we delve into “Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind”.
Mortal Kombat (created by Ed Boon & John Tobias) is owned by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.
