The Mortal Kombat 2 movie is almost ready to fill cinemas with over-the-top fights and gallons of blood, and the good news – following its predecessor’s lukewarm critical reception – is that first reactions are looking positive.

Mind you, critics might still perform a fatality on it when the full review embargo lifts, but so far, those sharing their thoughts on social media after the first screenings are happy with the results that returning director Simon McQuoid and new screenwriter Jeremy Slater (Moon Knight) have delivered.

“The fights are bloody, the stakes higher, and the dynamics stronger than its predecessor. Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage brings meta comedy and JCVD energy, while Adeline Rudolph’s Kitana gives the carnage emotional weight,” film critic Michael Lee wrote. Multiverse of Color backed those claims up. “Mortal Kombat 2 is for fans of the game, featuring improved action sequences and gruesome fatalities that will impress,” it wrote. “Johnny Cage and Kitana provide the beating heart of the story.”

Comic Book’s Chris Killian called it a “stark improvement over the first [movie] in just about every way possible”, highlighting its “better fights, cooler costumes, and nastier fatalities”, and adding it stays campy and remarkably faithful to the games. It’s a sentiment also shared by journalist Hunter Bolding, who wrote, “Hits the video game styling, crowd-pleasing moments aplenty, satisfying story, it’s all here.”

Hopefully that early buzz translates into positive reviews once the full embargo lifts. For comparison, 2021’s Mortal Kombat struggled to impress critics (Eurogamer called it “boring”), though it earned an 85 percent audience score and was successful enough in theatres and on HBO Max to secure this sequel.

In the run-up to the movie’s release, writer Jeremy Slater has been discussing the creative team’s goals this time around, including the deliberate decision to develop Johnny Cage beyond one-note comic relief. “In some of the games, he’s the biggest movie star on the planet,” he told TheGamer. “And when you start a character from that spot, it doesn’t leave them a lot of room to grow or evolve or achieve any sort of goals or dreams, versus starting Johnny from a little bit more of a vulnerable position, a guy who maybe had it all at one point and then lost it, and now is sort of seeing it all slip through his fingers.”

Karl Urban, meanwhile, revealed it was his two sons who first told him not to mess the role up: “Oof, big fanbase. Don’t f*** it up.” According to the actor, he felt more relaxed when he saw Slater’s approach to Cage, “because he didn’t write a character that was fueled by so much ego. This is a very dispirited character”.

Mortal Kombat 2 opens in cinemas on 8th May in the United States, with other territories getting it the same week. UK fans will have to wait until 15th May.