5 Brutal Movies To Watch If You Loved Mortal Kombat II

HOLLYWOOD — If you were in a theater last night for the opening of Mortal Kombat II, you know the vibe.

The collective gasp when Karl Urban finally stepped onto the screen as Johnny Cage was enough to shake the floor. This movie isn’t just a sequel; it is a full-throttle love letter to every fan who spent their childhood mastering high-punch combos and accidentally breaking controllers. But I know how it goes.

You leave the theater with that adrenaline still humming in your veins, and the last thing you want to do is go home and watch a quiet period drama. You want more bone-crunching choreography, more supernatural lore, and more of that beautiful, R-rated chaos that makes this franchise a legend.

Stop endlessly scrolling through your streaming apps; I have done the heavy lifting for you. Here is exactly what to binge while you wait for the Mortal Kombat II VOD window to open.

The Curation Criteria For High-Octane Action

When I put this list together, I wasn’t just looking for people hitting each other. Any boring action flick can do that. To match the energy of Mortal Kombat II, a movie needs three things: world-class martial arts choreography, a touch of the fantastical or the hyper-real, and a protagonist who looks like they have actually been through a meat grinder.

We are talking about movies that respect the physical art of the fight while leaning into the “over-the-top” nature of pop culture. I focused on titles currently sitting on major US streamers like Max, Peacock, and Hulu, so you can jump straight into the fray.

Before we get into the heavy hitters, tell me: who was your main in the original games? I was always a Mileena girl myself.

Mortal Kombat (2021)

• Platform/Where to Watch: Max
• Release Date: April 23, 2021
• Genre: Action, Fantasy, Martial Arts
• Director: Simon McQuoid
• Main Cast: Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Joe Taslim

If you just walked out of the theater after seeing the sequel, you have to go back and revisit where this new canon began. The 2021 reboot did something the 90s movies couldn’t: it gave us the R-rated gore the fans deserved.

Seeing Joe Taslim as Sub-Zero was a religious experience for action junkies. His opening fight against Hanzo Hasashi (Scorpion) sets a bar for the entire series. It’s gritty, it’s cold, and it actually treats the lore with a bit of gravitas.

The proof of this movie’s staying power is in the numbers. Despite a day-and-date release on what was then HBO Max, it became one of the most-streamed titles on the platform during its opening weekend. It holds a 6.1/10 on IMDb, but don’t let the critics fool you; the 86% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes is the only metric that matters here.

It’s a banger that perfectly sets the stage for the Johnny Cage era we are currently living in.

Monkey Man

• Platform/Where to Watch: Peacock
• Release Date: April 5, 2024
• Genre: Action, Thriller
• Director: Dev Patel
• Main Cast: Dev Patel, Sharlto Copley, Pitobash

Dev Patel went from Slumdog Millionaire to a full-blown action god, and I am here for it.

Monkey Man is what happens when you mix the “one man against the world” trope with deep-seated cultural mythology and some of the most claustrophobic, brutal elevator fights ever filmed. It has that raw, kinetic energy that Mortal Kombat II thrives on.

If you loved the underground fight club vibes of the new MK, this is your next stop.

The data back this up as a certified hit. It pulled in over $35 million at the domestic box office against a modest budget, proving that audiences are hungry for original, R-rated martial arts stories. With an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, it is widely considered one of the best action debuts from an actor-turned-director in the last decade. It’s stylish, it’s bloody, and it slaps harder than a Scorpion spear.

Boy Kills World

• Platform/Where to Watch: Hulu / VOD
• Release Date: April 26, 2024
• Genre: Action, Dystopian, Dark Comedy
• Director: Moritz Mohr
• Main Cast: Bill Skarsgård, Jessica Rothe, Michelle Dockery, Yayan Ruhian

This movie is essentially a live-action video game on acid.

Bill Skarsgård plays a deaf-mute protagonist who is trained by a mysterious shaman to become an instrument of death. It features a literal “culling” tournament vibe that feels like a spiritual cousin to the Outworld competitions.

The choreography is fast, inventive, and unapologetically violent. It uses a colorful, dystopian aesthetic that mirrors some of the more vibrant stages in the Mortal Kombat games.

On IMDb, it holds a steady 6.4/10, but its true strength is in its cult following among the “Letterboxd crowd.” It’s a fever dream of a movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously, which is exactly the kind of energy you need after watching a man get his soul sucked out by Shang Tsung.

If you want something that feels like a hidden gem you can brag to your friends about, this is the one.

The Raid: Redemption

• Platform/Where to Watch: VOD (Apple TV / Prime Video)
• Release Date: March 23, 2012
• Genre: Action, Martial Arts
• Director: Gareth Evans
• Main Cast: Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim, Yayan Ruhian

I cannot talk about martial arts without mentioning the GOAT. The Raid: Redemption changed the industry. Period. Before this, Hollywood action was mostly “shaky-cam” and quick cuts. Gareth Evans showed everyone how to film a fight.

Since Joe Taslim (Sub-Zero) got his big break here, it is practically mandatory viewing for the MK faithful. The plot is simple: a SWAT team is trapped in a tenement run by a drug lord, and they have to fight their way up.

It holds a legendary 87% on Rotten Tomatoes and is often cited by directors like John Wick’s Chad Stahelski as a primary influence.

The Silat-based combat is so fast you might need to rewind just to see how a guy got kicked through a door. It is the gold standard for choreography, and if you haven’t seen it yet, you are missing out on a fundamental piece of action cinema history.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

• Platform/Where to Watch: Disney+
• Release Date: September 3, 2021
• Genre: Action, Fantasy, Superhero
• Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
• Main Cast: Simu Liu, Tony Leung, Awkwafina, Michelle Yeoh

If the part of Mortal Kombat II you loved most was the mystical elements and the family drama, then Shang-Chi is your best bet on the “cleaner” side of the aisle. While it’s PG-13, the bus fight and the scaffolding sequence are some of the best-choreographed set pieces in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe.

It treats martial arts with a level of respect and cinematic flair that feels very in line with the “chosen one” narrative of Earthrealm’s defenders.

Financially, this was a behemoth, raking in over $432 million worldwide. It sits pretty with a 7.4/10 on IMDb and a staggering 91% critic score.

It’s the perfect “palate cleanser” that still keeps the fight choreography top-tier. Plus, seeing Tony Leung and Michelle Yeoh in the same movie is basically a gift from the cinema gods.

BingeTake Verdict

Look, Mortal Kombat II is going to be the talk of the town for the next month, and for good reason.

It’s big, it’s loud, and it finally gives us the Johnny Cage we deserve. But the beauty of the current streaming landscape is that you don’t have to wait for a sequel to get your fix.

Whether you want the gritty, grounded revenge of Monkey Man or the stylized, dystopian madness of Boy Kills World, your weekend plans are officially set.

If you really want to feel the MK connection, start with the 2021 prequel on Max and then move into The Raid to see what Joe Taslim can do when he isn’t frozen.

Jogendra Mishra, Journalist

Which Mortal Kombat II newcomer had the best “Fatality” style moment in the new movie? Drop your thoughts below!