“Mortal Kombat II” takes big swings in making sure fans get their brutal cravings satiated.

We’ve come a long way since the first “Mortal Kombat” game was released in arcades back in 1992. When it first came out, there was a scare regarding the amount of violence that was starting to show up in video games at the time. “Mortal Kombat” was a video game so violent that it ultimately led to the creation of the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), the US equivalent of an MTRCB for video games. To this day, modern renditions of the game still face bans worldwide for its over-the-top gore. Yet, that hasn’t stopped the crew behind “Mortal Kombat II” from holding back.

Picking up quickly from the first film, “Mortal Kombat II” switches from following Cole Young (Lewis Tan), Liu Kang (Ludi Lin), Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee), and Major Jax Briggs (Mehcad Brooks) to new additions to the cast, a princess looking to avenge her father, Kitana (Adeline Rudolph), and washed-up Hollywood action star Johnny Cage (Karl Urban). As Johnny struggles to come to grips with his role in becoming one of Earthrealm’s defenders, Kitana plots against Shao Kan (Martyn Ford), the tyrant who claimed the life of her father. On Shao Kan’s side, we have Kitana’s lifelong friend and bodyguard, Jade (Tati Gabrielle), an immortalized version of Kitana’s mother, Sindel (Ana Thu Nguyen), and the return of soul-stealing sorcerer Shao Kahn (Shang Tsung). Characters like the spine-chilling Bi-Han (Johannes Taslim), fallen comrade Kung Lao (Max Lang), and the Aussie merc-with-a-mouth Kano (Josh Lawson) also make a return.

Fans of the game will find it a treat to know that the second film is a spectacle of action-packed fight scenes, one after the other. Stakes feel higher, and it wastes no time in getting us through each battle. While the gore doesn’t go all the way to “The Boys” level of blood and guts raining all over the place, there’s a satisfying amount of fatalities to make audience members cheer or squirm in their seats. Some scenes give the same amount of satisfaction as performing fatalities in the game. Your adrenaline levels are sure to spike throughout as you worry over the fate of each fighter. To give the audience some time to mellow down, there are humorous bits and somber moments every now and then. Both newbies’ arcs are quick to follow, and their actors do a remarkable job of getting into the roles of their characters.

Of course, as fun as it was to see things play out on an IMAX screen, there are still some personal gripes. Part of the story suffers slightly from the film’s quick pace. There are flashbacks to remind us of key moments from the first film that feel unnecessary if you’ve already seen it. Some dialogue lines reference other Warner Bros. IPs like “The Lord of the Rings.” While these quips are fun at times, one too many feels reminiscent of the blatant IP glazing that people hated in “Space Jam: A New Legacy.” Similar to how the first film ends, the vibes of “Mortal Kombat II” can at times feel like a lead-in to a third movie as well.

Overall, “Mortal Kombat II” offers nearly two hours of action-packed sequences that would make any fan of the franchise proud. It’s a reminder of how we are at a wonderful time to see video game series and movies that respect their source material.