Mortal Kombat II (M18)

116 minutes, opens on May 7 ★★☆☆☆

The story: After the events of 2021’s first film, strong new fighters must be drafted into the Earthrealm team to cover the losses. At stake: the Earth’s population, which comes under the rule of the cruel Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford), emperor of the Outworld realm, should the squad lose. Earthrealm fighters Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee) and Lord Raiden (Tadanobu Asano) try to recruit Johnny Cage (Karl Urban), a washed-up actor selected by the gods for an unknown reason. Meanwhile, Kitana (Adeline Rudolph), Shao Kahn’s adopted daughter, uses her position in the emperor’s court to save Earthrealm from defeat.

The good news is that this sequel features the tournaments that are at the centre of the video game on which it is based. The bad news? The plot is just as messy, if not more so, than the first movie.

This reviewer is unfamiliar with game lore, so part of the reason for the story’s incoherence can be blamed on not understanding references to characters and their catchphrases. But it is apparent about a third of the way into Mortal Kombat II that the character-building is inept, either ...