Why Mortal Kombat 2 Star Max Huang Disagrees That Fight Scenes Are Like Dancing

There’s a common way people describe fight scenes. Clean, precise, in sync. But for Max Huang, that idea doesn’t quite sit right.

“A lot of people refer fighting to dancing,” he said. “I personally disagree with that.”

“My personal approach is to make something that’s choreographed look unchoreographed,” he explained.

That shift changes how you watch a fight. Instead of focusing on how clean the movements are, you start to feel what’s actually happening underneath. Because for Max, the movements themselves aren’t the point, they’re just the language.

“Those beats are our lines,” he said, comparing fight choreography to dialogue. But just like acting, it’s not about saying the lines perfectly. It’s about what you’re trying to communicate. “Eventually you have to forget the lines and get across what you want to say.”

That’s where a lot of action falls short. It looks good, but it doesn’t always mean anything. “The choreography is always fancy,” Max said, “but the question is, what’s the deeper meaning behind those movements?”

Ludi Lin builds on that from a more emotional perspective. “When there’s conflict, it’s always from either a point of fear or a point of love,” he said. And in the case of Liu Kang and Kung Lao, that emotional layer runs deep. “It’s really a fight for love,” Ludi added, pointing to the history between the characters.

In a franchise known for its intensity, the fights in Mortal Kombat 2 still deliver visually. But underneath that, there’s a clear effort to make them feel grounded.

Watch the full Mortal Kombat 2 Cast interview.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. PH.