Mortal Kombat II is right around the corner (or is that korner?) as it comes out on May 8th, and it’s just making me think about the FIRST Mortal Kombat sequel we got back in 1997 with Mortal Kombat Annihilation.
Now, as I’ve stated in the past, Mortal Kombat Annihilation is absolutely abysmal (though I kind of like it for that reason now), and it definitely wasn’t a worthy follow-up to the first film, which I still consider one of the best video game movies ever made.
That said, I’m certain that THIS sequel will be much better than Mortal Kombat Annihilation, and for several reasons. Here are just a few.
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First Of All, This Sequel Will Have At Least 90% More Johnny Cage Than Mortal Kombat Annihilation
Do you want to know one of the worst memories from my childhood (well, besides my parents’ divorce, of course?). It was having a birthday party and inviting all of my friends to see Mortal Kombat Annihilation. Now, I could tell that the movie was going to suck within the first few seconds because the special effects were SUCH a downgrade from the first movie - which I’ll get into later. To add insult to injury, Johnny Cage (who wasn’t even the same actor!) was killed off within the first few minutes, and I was just like, “WHAT?!”
And yes, I really, audibly said that. I said, “WHAT?!” Because Johnny Cage has always been one of my favorite characters. Plus, in the first movie, he was so badass. I mean, come on now. He killed Goro! So, to have him killed off in the first few minutes of Annihilation was a slap in the face. Like, how could they just kill off such an important character in the first few minutes? That still bothers me.
Thankfully, it looks like Mortal Kombat II is going to be centered around Johnny Cage. Karl Urban is playing the character, and he keeps talking about how “dynamite” the movie will be. I believe him, because Karl Urban just feels like the perfect Johnny Cage. He’s got the charisma, the cockiness, the look. He just has it all.
So, that right there already makes this sequel A MILLION TIMES better than Mortal Kombat Annihilation, and I’m just getting started!
It Already Looks Way Closer To The Games Than Mortal Kombat Annihilation
Bro, let me tell you another story. You might not know this, but Mortal Kombat was so big back in the day that they even had a live tour, and I saw it. And man, oh man, even as a kid, I thought, this is terrible. Bless my dad for taking me. Anyway, the point I'm trying to make here is that Mortal Kombat Annihilation didn’t remind me of the video games when I first saw it. It actually reminded me of the pitiful live show that I saw at Radio City Music Hall, and that’s not good.
The movie was like watching amateur hour theatre. The acting in the 1995 movie was nothing to write home about, but the acting in the second movie was so awful that it was a distraction, and it definitely didn’t remind me of the games that I loved so dearly.
However, as soon as I saw the trailer for this new movie, I threw out my arms like it was Mortal Monday and shouted MORTAL KOMBAT! THIS was the Mortal Kombat from my childhood…sort of. Because while I grew up with the old Mortal Kombat games from Midway, this new movie looks distinctly like the NetherRealm Studios Mortal Kombat titles, and cool. I can dig it.
While the 2021 movie did as well, I just thought it could have been even closer to the games (I’ve since come to appreciate the movie more upon a rewatch). Now this one? With the fights in hell, hints of fatalities, and Noob freaking Saibot? Come on, man. THIS is Mortal Kombat. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
This Shao Khan Looks Badass, Unlike The Last One
Oh, my God. I don’t even want to talk about how bad Shao Khan was in Mortal Kombat Annihilation, because God Almighty. What were they thinking?! Played by Brian Thompson, it’s not like he wasn’t suitable for the role. It’s just that Shao Khan felt like such a joke in the movie. As did all of the other characters (“Feel your animality…animality…animality”).
It just ruined the whole movie for me. In the first film, Shang Tsung (RIP, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) was such an absolute legend, and it really sold the whole narrative. It was also a movie that stayed focused on its three protagonists, so we never lost focus on Shang Tsung as the main antagonist, since it was ultimately Liu Kang’s story. Shao Khan in the sequel was such a waste.
That doesn’t seem to be the case in this new movie, though, as Shao Khan (Martyn Ford) looks like an intimidating monster, and that’s how he should look. Mind you, this is the guy who will literally stop fighting just to mock you in the games, and I’m getting those vibes here, too.
So, yep. A killer Shao Khan instead of whatever they were trying to pull off in Annihilation? Take my money.
It’s Also Not Going To Look Ultra Cheap Like Annihilation
When the 2021 Mortal Kombat movie came out, I wrote about how I’d rather watch the 1995 movie, and yeah, I kind of still stand by that, even though I do like the 2021 movie a lot more now. However, what I will say is that, unlike Terminator 2: Judgment Day, which STILL looks good in 2026, 1995’s Mortal Kombat definitely looks like it came from 1995, and I don’t mean that in a good way.
However, somehow, 1997’s Mortal Kombat: Annihilation looks like it came from Nineteen EIGHTY-Seven, as it’s legitimately one of the ugliest movies I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Going back to my birthday party, all I could remember thinking about was just how horrible the movie looked. Like, what happened? It honestly gave me flashbacks to how good the first Ninja Turtles movie looked, and then how bad Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III looked. My dumb kid brain just couldn’t process how movies in a series could look worse, rather than better than what came before it.
I’m not getting those vibes from what I’ve seen so far from Mortal Kombat II, though. Sure, it’s not like I lowered my sunglasses and said, “Whoa!” when I saw the visuals for this new movie, but at least they’re competent, okay? They’re not incompetent like the visual effects for Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.
So, that’s yet another reason why this sequel will be better than Annihilation, but I have one more.
Mortal Kombat Annihilation Was So Bad, It Can Only Get Better From Here
Not too long ago, I wrote how 2026 is one of the biggest years for video game movies ever, and Mortal Kombat II is one of those reasons why (especially since it’s going up against Street Fighter this year).
But honestly, Mortal Kombat II doesn’t even have to be that good for it to be better than MKA, because it can only go up from here.
Because if Annihilation is a zero, then MKII just has to be a 1, or at least better than the 2021 movie. Because if it’s that, then it’s already lightyears better than the first MK sequel.
