Mortal Kombat II

Following its 2021 reboot (and before that, the 1995 and 1997 originals), one of the most enduring video game movie franchises returns for round two courtesy of Warner Bros.

From the outset, at the 0:13 mark we hear that A-minor theme (root, subtonic, minor third, root) associated with the first Mortal Kombat from 1995. The Immortals’ “Techno Syndrome” came to be better known as “the Mortal Kombat theme song,” its remix replete with sound effects from the original 1992 video game. The callback here is subtle, at least at first—enough still for anyone familiar with the series to pick up on, however. Under an uplifting monologue, we hear snippets of the theme on piano, moving through a series of re-harmonizations. This is cut at 0:35 to focus on the action and land a one-liner (“I really don’t feel comfortable hitting a girl / Don’t worry—you won’t”). When taken in a slow tempo, the rhythmic and melodic resemblance of this theme to the Imperial March from the Empire Strikes Back seems more than coincidental.

At 0:50 a wash of synths accompanies the release date title card, with strong, sweeping chord changes and the occasional epic percussion for flair. The conceit so far focuses on Johnny Cage, a character from the first game who originated as an American action film star with a martial arts background, thrust into a fantasy world in the vein of isekai (Japanese, “another world”).

At 1:22 we get our next mic drop moment—“finish him!”, the iconic phrase from the video game, of course—and at 1:24 the synth wash and melodic theme come together for the big action montage. The relative unassuming quality of the melody and the texture of the arrangement—large, pulsing—provide a good contrast to the version they’re likely comparing it to, which was much more hard-hitting and driven by mid-90s techno energy.

At 1:54 – after the words of Liu Kang, “You Johnny Cage are part of this now”—the music cuts once more to make room for the sound of Johnny grabbing his shades. This marks a moment of acceptance for our protagonist, who until now has been incredulous, hesitant to embrace this fantasy world.

“It’s showtime,” he quips, as the final segment focuses on a more familiar rendition of the theme—staccato, aggressive, energized; a payoff after two minutes of buildup. And, of course, the iconic “Mortal Kombat!” scream at the very end, for good measure.

Exploring a fantasy world through the eyes of a “regular” protagonist is not a new idea, but it’s in vogue lately, especially with video game movies—Minecraft and Super Mario come to mind. The way Mortal Kombat eases into this idea through a mini character arc for Johnny Cage effectively modernizes the franchise, while leaning musically on its famous theme. What’s interesting here is how the music mirrors this character arc, beginning in subtle, hesitant steps, building to a full embrace of the theme, and Johnny of his role.

Mortal Kombat II drops May 8th 2026.

— Curtis Perry