Mortal Kombat 2 review: A desperate apology to angry fans who hated the last movie
The story
Mortal Kombat 2 is also a full-throated apology for the 2021 movie, in response to fan criticism over Cole Young and the lack of tournament fighting
From the source
2021’s Mortal Kombat was one of the best experiences I've ever had seeing a movie in the theater, and it had nothing to do with the film itself. In April 2021, both the world and movie theaters were gradually re-opening after COVID quarantines, but neither had fully returned to normal. So I did the only logical thing an increasingly claustrophobic movie lover could do at that point: I rented out a movie theater and watched Mortal Kombat with about a dozen friends, at a rate of about $20 per person. The movie itself was pretty dumb, even by Mortal Kombat movie standards , and failed to even show the titular fighting competition that the franchise is named for. But I still look back fondly at the experience of shouting "Finish him!" at a massive AMC screen with some of my closest friends.
Fast forward five years, and while I wouldn't describe 2026 as "normal," you can have a pretty standard moviegoing experience these days. But that's not what happened with Mortal Kombat 2 . Instead, Warner invited me to a fan screening, complete with specialty cocktails like "Johnny Cage's Midnight Mojito," cosplayers, a pre-show DJ, and T-shirt cannon. It was yet another night at the movies I'll always remember, even though the movie itself was, once again, pretty forgettable.
Because yes, Mortal Kombat 2 is an extremely forgettable movie. Calling it a movie is actually pretty generous: It feels more like a series of well-choreographed fight scenes set against meticulously crafted backdrops, then strung together with a plot and dialogue that recreates the experience of watching a video game cutscene. Mortal Kombat 2 is also a full-throated apology for the 2021 movie, in response to fan criticism. (More on that momentarily.) If that's what the Mortal Kombat fandom is looking for, more power to them. But if you're expecting any of the hallmarks of quality storytelling, you won't find them here.
Who and what
Key names and topics in this story: Mortal Kombat.
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