Mortal Kombat: Next Round, a film where a washed-up actor is inexplicably strong, the threshold for life and death is way too low, and despite being full of plot holes, it covers everything with sheer intensity

[Personal Satisfaction]

Ranking of 2026 Japanese theatrical releases by enjoyment: 18/53
　　Story: ★★★★☆
　Characters: ★★★★★
　　　　　Visuals: ★★★★★★★★★★
　　　　　Music: ★★★★☆
Want to see in theaters: ★★★★★

[Work Information]

　　　Original Title: Mortal Kombat II
　　Production Year: 2026
　　Country of Origin: USA
　　　Distributor: Towa Pictures, Toho
　Runtime: 116 minutes
　Genre: Action
Source Material, etc.: Game "Mortal Kombat" (1992-)
　　　　　　Film "Mortal Kombat" (2021)
Official Website: https://mortalkombat-nextround.jp/

[Synopsis]

*Quoted from Eiga.com.
In the martial arts tournament "Mortal Kombat," which decides the fate of Earthrealm and Outworld, Earthrealm has already suffered nine defeats, and the world is in danger of extinction with just one more loss.

Before the final battle, the warriors of Earthrealm welcome Hollywood star Johnny Cage (Karl Urban) as a new ally and challenge the forces led by the Outworld Emperor Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford).

[Review]

The 4th installment in the "Mortal Kombat" film series and the 2nd in the reboot series.
The original game is something I haven't played yet, but judging by the gameplay videos I see on YouTube and elsewhere, I think the level of recreation for the characters and the brutal scenes is the best it's ever been. It's a quality live-action adaptation of a "brutal fighting game" that I have no complaints about, but it's seriously relentless splatter, so those without a high tolerance for gore should be careful when watching (lol).


<A new, intense character appears!>

The story follows a simple design continuing from the previous film. In a martial arts tournament called Mortal Kombat, Outworld has already won nine times, and if they win one more time, Earthrealm will be conquered, so everyone is trying to stop that. The warriors gathered in the
previous film all return and spend their days training, but this time Johnny Cage (Karl Urban) joins them! As someone who hasn't played the game, I didn't really get it, but apparently, he's a popular character in the series. Despite the serious world-building, he's completely committed to being comical, reminiscent of the position of Dan Hibiki in the "
Street Fighter
" series (1987-). Well, unlike Dan, he's actually skilled (lol).<High intensity covering for rough settings>
This movie has something in common with "

Masters of the Universe

" (2026) that I watched the other day. That is, despite having many settings that make you want to point out flaws, it has a high level of intensity that pushes forward with momentum and energy. The biggest point to nitpick is that Johnny Cage is actually a decent combatant right from the start. His profession is an actor, so he shouldn't be able to be a combat asset right away. It's revealed that he had a black belt in karate when he was young, but he's been out of practice for a long time, and even though he's an action star, it seems he leaves the dangerous stuff to stuntmen. Yet, he can fight reasonably well, which is a mystery. To begin with, the question is whether someone at a karate black belt level can even fight those superhuman Outworlders. Since he was chosen by the gods out of 8 billion people, I suppose there's some meaning to it, but isn't that just too convenient? (lol). Another point to nitpick is that the concept of death is non-existent. Characters who should have died in the previous film are easily resurrected as zombies by a necromancer. On the other hand, major Earthrealm characters die without mercy, but judging by the final exchange, it seems there's a possibility of resurrection...? I thought that was also too convenient (lol). In other movies, this kind of convenience doesn't leave a very good impression, but perhaps it's a privilege of "Mortal Kombat" to make you think, "Well, I guess it's fine," in a world where anything goes.

<Real pain because it's brutal>

Also, I definitely want to highlight the brutal scenes that are the selling point of the

original game


. Heads are crushed, bodies are sliced in two, brains are sliced, and the expression of blood and flesh splattering everywhere is just like a splatter film. Because there's that kind of painfulness, the intensity of the battle takes on a raw quality, and it gives me chills watching it. Honestly, there are some impossible ways to die where you'd think, "That wouldn't happen," but as entertainment, it's more fun when it's this extreme.<So, with that said>
Since there are many characters and they just keep fighting, the dramatic quality in terms of story is a bit thin, but I thought it was a work worthy of a live-action fighting game adaptation, including that aspect. You can also see the performances of Hiroyuki Sanada and Tadanobu Asano, two of the few Japanese actors who regularly appear in Hollywood films, and the high-impact fight scenes are well worth watching, so I would like you to experience this on a large screen in a movie theater with booming sound.