Film Preview: Mortal Kombat II (2026)

Film Poster

Page Revisions:

(March 1, 2026) Original
(April 19, 2026) New Posters (#24-#26) — New Trailer (#2)

Release Date:

May 8, 2026

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “The fan favorite champions — now joined by Johnny Cage himself — are pitted against one another in the ultimate battle to defeat the dark rule of Shao Kahn that threatens the very existence of the Earthrealm and its defenders.”

Poster Rating: C / C- / C / C- / B- (16) / C / C+ / B+ / C+ / C / C+

SEE ALL POSTERS BELOW
Review: (#1, C) This movie-within-a-movie concept poster has some appeal from a narrative perspective but is largely bland and doesn’t quite speak to any trend in action poster design. (#2, C-) A simple 3D title subsumed by empty blackness. A dull teaser. (#3, C) Another dip at the Uncaged Fury well that doesn’t work, though it looks a bit more like Mission: Impossible than the first one looked like something Schwarzeneggar-esque and perhaps that teasing thematic work makes sense but it’s incredibly dull. (#4, C-) Using the dragon of the Mortal Kombat logo as a tease is fitting but not terribly exciting. (#5-#20, B-) These character posters are excessive and rudimentary but the use of unique colors and infusing them into the sign is visually appealing even if the background mutes a lot of that. (#21, C) The iconic spinning blade is yet another attempt to create a tease that doesn’t work. (#22, C+) Although the earliest poster designs that were just the iconic logo with the dragon were pretty dull looking, this one throws in a few interesting affectations, which seem to include all of the characters’ weapons, is a much more interesting and appealing “tease” effort. (#23, B+) So much could have been done with the background to improve this design but it’s a visually compelling effort that is regimentally stacked with all of the characters, which is another issue as there is some measure of symmetry but it looks too forced.

(#24, C+) The cast is perhaps too small in the background, but the flaming Roman numerals are intense and visually attractive. Something like this but with the figures in a stack where you could see more details of their faces and outfits would be more fitting. (#25, C) IMAX once again opts for the dull with this simple scene from the film in aggressive warm colors without genuinely exciting content. (#26, C+) This 4DX effort does that the ScreenX should have done but goes in the wrong direction. While it does pit the figures of the film against one another dramatically and with the appropriate colored theme, the empty white background and the general blandness of the conflict fail to seal the deal.

Trailer Rating: C / C+

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Review: (#1, C) The film seems to be taking itself a little too seriously in this laugh-starved return to a series of video game adaptations that want to resurrect long dead films. The effects are tepid at times and compelling in others making this hodge podge of action-fighting tropes look unspectacular.

(#2, C+) Of the two ’90s pastiche fighting video game adaptations on target for 2026 release, this one has done a better job conveying it’s corny excitement without feeling like it’s entirely built on nostalgic elements, though those are certainly present. Perhaps that a result of having Karl Urban anchoring the film rather than the unknowns in the other film but the end result is something that looks like it could be mildly entertaining even if not cinematically good.