Is the 'Mortal Kombat 2' movie appropriate for teens? A parent's guide
Is the 'Mortal Kombat 2' movie appropriate for teens? A parent's guide
Brendan Morrow, USA TODAYThu, May 7, 2026 at 2:31 PM UTC
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Ready to test your might?
"Mortal Kombat," the movie franchise based on the infamously violent video games, is back on the big screen with a new sequel that boasts a dizzying number of fight scenes and as much blood and guts as fans demand. "Mortal Kombat II" (in theaters May 8) is the follow-up to the 2021 reboot, which came out during the COVID-19 pandemic and hit HBO Max the same day it was released in theaters.
The film is likely to spark a question that parents have been asking since the first game came out in 1992: Is "Mortal Kombat" appropriate for my kid?
Here's what you .
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Karl Urban joins the fight as washed-up Hollywood actor Johnny Cage in "Mortal Kombat II."What is 'Mortal Kombat II' about?
"Mortal Kombat" generally follows a high-stakes fighting tournament, where champions are selected to represent their realm and duke it out in delightfully savage fashion.
In "Mortal Kombat II," champions from Earthrealm fight in a tournament against baddies representing the evil Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford). Heroes returning from the 2021 "Mortal Kombat" movie include Cole Young (Lewis Tan), Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee), Liu Kang (Ludi Lin) and Jax Briggs (Mehcad Brooks). For help in the tournament, they recruit newcomer Johnny Cage (Karl Urban), a washed-up Hollywood actor. Kitana (Adeline Rudolph), a fan-favorite character from the video games who was raised by Shao Kahn after her father's death, also joins the fray this time.
The fighters "are pitted against one another in the ultimate, no-holds barred, gory battle to defeat the dark rule of Shao Kahn that threatens the very existence of the Earthrealm and its defenders," the plot synopsis reads.
What is 'Mortal Kombat II' rated?
"Mortal Kombat II" is rated R for "strong bloody violence and gore, and language." The movie from 2021 was also rated R, for "strong bloody violence and language throughout, and some crude references."
These two recent films have placed more of an emphasis on blood and guts than the original "Mortal Kombat" movie from 1995, which was less extreme with its violence and earned a PG-13 rating. The 1997 sequel, "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation," was also rated PG-13.
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Hiroyuki Sanada returns in "Mortal Kombat II," a sequel that offers wall-to-wall fight scenes for fans of the video games.How bloody is 'Mortal Kombat II'?
The "Mortal Kombat" games have always been known for their violence going back to the 1990s, when footage from the series was shown during congressional hearings scrutinizing violent video games. In fact, outcry over the violence in "Mortal Kombat" contributed to the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) being created to give video games their content ratings.
In keeping with that, "Mortal Kombat II" is incredibly violent and frequently quite bloody. Most of the film consists of visceral, one-on-one fight scenes, which often end with the loser being brutally killed in a big, graphic finale, known in the games as a "fatality." Don't expect the movie to cut away from the deaths, either. Heads get crushed, fingers get cut off, bodies get impaled, and more.
The 2021 "Mortal Kombat" also had plenty of gore, and "Mortal Kombat II" is roughly in line with that, but with a bit more blood overall than last time. As in the games, the violence is intentionally over-the-top and cartoony, never aiming to even remotely approach realistic.
It's also worth noting the modern "Mortal Kombat" video games are generally much more violent than any of the movies, so anyone old enough to play those is definitely old enough to see "Mortal Kombat II."
How much fighting is there in 'Mortal Kombat II'?
The real question is how much of "Mortal Kombat II" is anything other than fighting, and the answer is, not that much!
The plot is little more than an excuse to string together a series of fight scenes, emulating the experience of playing the games. We counted a whopping 14 separate fights, starting in the first few minutes and going through to the end. Fans of the games should be thrilled with that, and there seems to have been an effort made to address complaints that the 2021 movie did not actually feature a fighting tournament.
Parents, though, should keep in mind that "Mortal Kombat" is essentially wall-to-wall punching, kicking, tossing into walls, and so on.
Adeline Rudolph is a force to be reckoned with as Kitana, one of the participants in the fighting competition in "Mortal Kombat II."Is there bad language in 'Mortal Kombat II'?
Yes, there is a fair amount of cursing in "Mortal Kombat II," particularly by Johnny Cage (Urban) and Kano (Josh Lawson). Both of those characters have a Deadpool-esque way of speaking by spouting off nonstop crude remarks, and when they get together in a room, let's just say they make it difficult for the film to eventually be shown on television.
How long is 'Mortal Kombat II'?
"Mortal Kombat II' clocks in at 1 hour and 56 minutes. That makes it the lengthiest entry among the four live-action films, so in addition to testing your might, this one might test your bladder.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is 'Mortal Kombat 2' suitable for teens? Our guide for parents
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