Written by Fire 7 – Published on October 17, 2025
Christmas came in July for many diehard Mortal Kombat fans and even general audiences when the first official trailer for the second installment in Mortal Kombat’s new cinematic universe was released on Thursday, the 17th. Predictably, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive, even breaking the record for the most-watched red-band trailer of all time. But as with any property with a massive fanbase, it should come as no shock that, after the initial excitement settled, a nearly equal measure of criticism arose.
As a proud member of the “kommunity” who has been here since the Mortal Kombat craze first hit arcades in 1992, but can remain unbiased, I would like to highlight some of these relatively universal critiques. Although the cinematic sneak peek we were given in July was very limited, an impartial look at these criticisms is still warranted.
And no, I’m not referring to Jade’s bald head in the new film, though this radical change in a fan favorite’s appearance may be grounds for a series of roundtable discussions and possibly a congressional hearing. It’s done, it’s filmed, and release is seven months away, so I’ll withhold judgment on that until after seeing the movie. We won’t even talk about Baraka’s “flimsy” teeth or his voice sounding “too human.” Both characters’ avatars also have room for improvement, but that’s not what we’re here to discuss.
Instead, I want to address three other criticisms that are equally ubiquitous but wouldn’t require any reshoots, further delays, or major supplemental budgeting. These few small upgrades to minor elements, if done correctly, could enhance the film’s overall quality, or at least make it look significantly more polished before its May 2026 debut.
1. Johnny Cage’s Retro Footage
I should preface this first recommendation by saying we don’t currently know enough about the film to say whether its timeframes run linear or jump around, so this section is largely based on assumptions, but the principle holds (even for future productions).
Originally, many fans were unnerved by the casting choice for Johnny Cage, a character known for being young, fit, athletic, good-looking, and sexy: Karl Urban, a 52-year-old actor not conventionally renowned for any such attributes. One thing the actor does share with his new fictional counterpart, however, is star power. He’s not exactly an A-lister, but he is current and likeable. For all we know, the movie’s storyline may have molded itself to fit Urban into its universe, given how well he’s been received as Billy Butcher in The Boys.
Based on the trailer alone, that theory seems to hold more water than initially suspected. An older white actor with charisma, fame, and a hefty portfolio of action film roles under his belt is a suitable candidate for a charming but older, washed-up version of a white, male, once-celebrated action star like Johnny. A creative choice that initially bewildered fans now seems to have compelled many into a greater appreciation of the decision. This version of Mortal Kombat is obviously an Elseworlds take on both the original 90s-era live-action adaptation and the video games—one that’s made some drastic changes to characters and settings, seemingly without a second thought. That being so, Karl Urban feels true-to-form in this alternative universe. Of course, that doesn’t mean we should be overjoyed about abrupt deviations from the source material, but it’s something we’d accept if the film ends up being enjoyable overall.
The teaser trailer for Johnny Cage was clearly not meant to be taken seriously, but considering it didn’t specify which version of Johnny it depicted and also ended with the headline, “Coming in October 2025,” we have yet to discern how much of the trailer was satire. But assuming (again, based on the teaser) that flashbacks could be present in this movie, not making a visual distinction between young Johnny and old Johnny could hurt the film. Such a decision might make it feel more like a low-budget TV show or a fan film—in essence, small in scale despite being made for the big screen. I’m not in the filmmaking business, nor am I a digital art expert. However, I do know that de-aging actors is very possible. This sophisticated, expensive form of CGI was used in movies like Avengers: Civil War, Avengers: End Game, and Indiana Jones, but there are also other subtler, less costly methods to achieve the same result.
All fiction requires some suspension of disbelief, but when a film demands that the audience sacrifice too much logic, it yanks us out of the fantasy and ceases to be fun. We crave immersion. That is the point of imaginative fiction: to escape into another world, one that may be far-fetched but is still engaging thanks to how well it’s constructed. In the bar scene clip, a fan who appears to be in his 30s tells Johnny, “I’ve loved Citizen Cage since I was a kid.” Suppose you throw a 52-year-old into what’s meant to be footage of himself at 22 and ignore the impracticality of him looking the same in his twenties as he does in his fifties. Expecting viewers not to question this would not only insult our intelligence and infantilize us, but also force us into stress-inducing mental gymnastics—all in an effort to deny that it looks cheap and lazy, ultimately robbing us of the full-immersion experience.
Fans have already made a compromise to accept Karl Urban as Johnny Cage in this universe. Now, we ask you to meet us halfway and make this world believable wherever possible. When even Urban’s hairstyles as Johnny Cage and Billy Butcher look alike, a good way to alleviate the feeling that Butcher is simply cosplaying as Johnny Cage would be to de-age him in any footage of Johnny’s past self. This would not only let us see a younger, more vibrant version of Karl Urban (even if digitally imposed) but would also add more depth to the film and earn its audience’s respect.
2. The Portal Stage and Other Backdrops
Part of Mortal Kombat’s lore has always been its marvelous and intriguing backdrops. Truly, some of the game’s stages have been as memorable as its characters, which is why fans were naturally disappointed by the 2021 live-action adaptation’s mundane settings. Goro was unceremoniously killed in the front yard of a family home, Reptile was finished off in a trailer home, and Kano was unalived outside that very same trailer. Even Outworld looked like a random desert void of color, population, and creativity. It’s no overstatement to say that nothing was fascinating or iconic about any of the 2021 film’s scenery.
To the delight of many who watched the recent preview, the new film clearly upgraded its backdrops. The world feels bigger from the visuals alone. The only grievance I’ve heard is the same hurdle that’s plagued the series’ live-action adaptations since 1995: that it’s all too obvious it was filmed in front of a green screen, leading to a lack of believability.
This may partially be a lighting issue. In the images of the Netherrealm, it is sometimes difficult to make out the characters’ silhouettes or the details on their clothing. In a series that lives and dies by its characters’ fighting moves and unique wardrobe designs, it’s important for viewers to be able to see the fighters’ strikes, defenses, and sweeps, and even the smallest details of their elaborate costumes. We understand that environments like the Netherrealm are supposed to have darker settings; we just want to see everything that’s going on however and whenever possible.
I haven’t found any major background issues like the “cardboard cutout” look of some scenes in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation or the infamous curtain-in-the-sky behind the 1995 version of the Nethership. However, one of the stages that has stood out to me in this trailer was the iconic portal stage behind Liu Kang and Kung Lao. It suits the scene and the concept is beautiful, but I couldn’t help being reminded of a laptop screensaver when it appeared. It seems like it just needs a little more pizzazz, some kind of spark, a touch more depth and realism. It should look mesmerizing in a way that draws us in like the mystical gateway it’s supposed to be. How will it even look in 3D? Whatever can be done, the portal stage, the Netherrealm, Sky Temple, and other beloved settings need to look like they’re really part of the characters’ world, not just a computer-generated backdrop.
3. “Finish Him!”
One resoundingaccoladeI’ve heard for the film so far has been Shao Kahn’s look, vastly improved over that of other live-action adaptations. (Yes, we’re looking at you, Annihilation.) Some are saying that Jeffrey Meek’s portrayal of Kahn in Mortal Kombat: Conquest has yet to be matched, though my personal favorite was the emperor’s ancient, imposing, larger-than-life appearance at the end of the 1995 movie. But this version appears to be at least a close runner-up to those epic interpretations of the Outworld ruler. And I can’t extol the perfect casting of Martyn Ford as Shao Kahn enough. However, one thing that is missing, at least from the trailer, is Shao Kahn’s audible resonance.
Even in the original live-action adaptation, Shao Kahn sounded powerful, demonic, and frightening, probably because he was voiced by seasoned voice actor Frank Welker, who brought Dr. Claw to life in the animated Inspector Gadget series, as well as Goro in the 1995 Mortal Kombat film. Welker excelled at making monsters sound like monsters. In contrast, viewers described Brian Thompson’s 1997 portrayal of Kahn as “weak and whiny” even though the actor had a naturally rich baritone voice. In the first game, players attributed the announcer’s voice to Shang Tsung, who had an authoritative but suave, buttery-smooth tone even as he demanded that the winner “Finish him!” But in later games, Shao Kahn brought a deeper inflection as the new announcer, imbuing his commands and taunts with gravitas. His voice was as impactful as his shoulder charge and as weighty as his war hammer. Even his laugh was so iconic that influencers like Tyrone Magnus (who does a spot-on impression, I might add) mimic it to this day.
While Ford may have the perfect frame for Kahn’s stature, I can’t speak to his acting chops. But when he yelled that classic line in the trailer, I immediately felt that it lacked the power it had in the games. In fact, what ran through my mind was “he stumbled over his words” and “that didn’t sound convincing.” Other online reactors echoed the same sentiment about this uninspired delivery. I’m sure Martyn Ford is a great guy and probably did an amazing job in the role, but his execution order in the trailer was underwhelming and reminiscent of Hiroyuki Sanada’s vapid rendition of “Get over here!” in the 2021 movie trailer, which garnered comparable criticism. When it comes down to it, Shao Kahn’s voice should be brimming with vigor, bravado, and composed confidence. As an all-time favorite among fictional villains, he deserves a strong, terrifying, and charismatic presence in live action. We have yet to see how well Ford plays him, but please at least liven up his delivery of a line as iconic as “Finish Him!”
Conclusion
Mortal Kombat unquestionably has a massive—and massively loyal—fanbase and an aura that yet attracts new admirers. No wonder it remains the best-selling fighting game of all time. Even 30 years later, the 1995 film is also deemed one of the best video-game-to-live-action movies. More than just a spectacle of violence, blood, and gore, its settings and characters, nearly as famous as Superman and Planet Krypton, help make it an enduring cultural phenomenon. This property must be handled with care and treated like it belongs on the silver screen—because it does. The new trailer brought on as much criticism as it brought the hype, but let us not forget that people only critique what they care about.
In any event, one legendary line that scores of us are thrilled to cheer again is: “It has begun!”
