Mortal Kombat is a fighting game in which players compete for the honor of decapitating their opponent in the most cartoonishly gruesome way possible. Adapting that gimmick into a live-action movie requires a delicate balancing act of taking the whole thing extremely seriously while also embracing the absurdity of it all. Critics are split on whether Mortal Kombat II succeeds at this thankless task. Some are calling it a decently fun time watching weirdos beat the crap out of each other . Meanwhile, at least one review accused it of being a sequel that “combines direct-to-video schlock with blockbuster boredom.” Out May 8, Mortal Kombat 2 is director Simon McQuoid’s continuation of the 2021 movie, which was extremely faithful to the source material and burdened with way too much exposition. It spent more time setting up the history of its characters and the stakes of the titular “Mortal Kombat” tournament between Outworld and Earthrealm than having fun.…