Mortal Kombat 2 star says the first movie was "kind of like a prequel" as the sequel finally launches the tournament

If you saw 2021's Mortal Kombat, you probably noticed a major omission: the tournament that has defined the blood-spattering fighting game since its inception. Imminent sequel Mortal Kombat 2 course-corrects that strange choice by structuring the entire film around five fights to the death, with Earthrealm on the line.

It's understandable, then, that even the first movie's lead actor, Lewis Tan, views 2021's Mortal Kombat as a "prequel" to the main event, with the star detailing his thoughts during an exclusive conversation with GamesRadar+ in London.

"I think the story and how many characters there are, and the lore behind it, it takes some time to set up," says Tan, who plays Cole Young – a character who has never appeared in the games. "At least in my opinion, I look at the first movie as kind of like a prequel in the sense that this second film is just from the very beginning, the tournament, non-stop action."

Mortal Kombat 2 also recenters the action around a new adversary – Shao Khan (Mad Max: Fury Road star Martyn Ford) and his adopted daughter, Kitana (Adeline Rudolph), with Cole among those fighting for Earthrealm. Evening the odds (sort of) is Earthrealm's newest champion: Johnny Cage (Karl Urban).

"Now we're fully into the world. We don't need to set anything up," Tan continues. "We're there from the moment the movie opens, it's just non-stop action and chaos. We tried to take as many things from the game and put it into into the film and make one of the best action movies of all time."

This echoes Mortal Kombat 2 director Simon McQuoid's recent words to SFX Magazine: "The thing we wanted to embrace was the outrageous nature of Mortal Kombat," McQuoid said. "I got better at seeing that as an advantage. Then we amplify things, so that we carve out our own unique space in the greater cinematic landscape."

Sitting alongside Tan and man-mountain Ford, Jax actor Mechad Brooks notes that "both the films were made by Mortal Kombat fans for Mortal Kombat fans, but we turned up the dial on the second film." Producer Todd Garner's recent claims that studio Warner Bros. didn't know what it had with Mortal Kombat may go some way to explaining the series' newfound confidence in its video game origins.

"It's everything you want," Brooks tells GamesRadar+. "All of us grew up as Mortal Kombat fans and the first movie was good, but this one is exactly what you want if you're a fan of the game, period."

Mortal Kombat 2 releases in theaters on May 8. For more, check out our list of upcoming video game movies or our full list of upcoming movie releases.