I have high hopes thatMortal Kombat 2will be amazing. As a longtimeMortal Kombatfan, I was excited when the 2021 film was released and rebooted the long-dormant movie franchise. Unfortunately, the 2021 film was quite underwhelming and didn’t even feel like a properMortal Kombatmovie at times. Thankfully, theending of 2021’sMortal Kombatperfectly sets up a sequel story that is much more exciting. As is teased at the end of the first movie, the characters will compete in anactual Mortal Kombat tournamentin the sequel.
Since it will feature an actual tournament, fan-favorite characters like Johnny Cage, Shao Kahn, Kitana, Baraka, and many more will be introduced in theupcomingMortal Kombat 2. The story of the sequel will be even more high-stakes than that of the first movie, since Shao Kahn, Emperor of Outworld, will be able to invade Earthrealm if he is victorious in the tournament. Overall,it seems likeMortal Kombat 2will more closely adapt the ambitious story of the video games, which is something I’ve been waiting my whole life to see.
Mortal Kombat Fans Are Loving Early Screenings Of Mortal Kombat 2
Mortal Kombat 2 Will Likely Be A Very Entertaining Movie
While the 2021 film underwhelmed longtime fans ofMortal Kombat, as well as people who were new to the franchise, test audiences are reportedly loving the upcoming sequel. In a recent interview,Mortal Kombat 2writer Jeremy Slater claimed that there have been several test screenings for the sequel that have garnered extremely positive reactions from fans. According to Slater,fans loveMortal Kombat 2and even compared the test screening reactions to his own experience watchingAvengers: Endgame. Read his full comment below:
I’m so excited for people to see the movie. It’s been done for a while. We’ve been waiting for the right release date and waiting for the right window. I have been to those test screenings, which are full ofMortal Kombatfans, and watching them react to it the way I reacted toAvengers: Endgame. They were cheering and jumping out of their seats. Every joke is landing and they are loving it. It’s one of the greatest moments of my life. That’s why you get into this business.
Based on Slater’s comments,it seems likeMortal Kombat 2is going to be an amazing theater experience. WhileMortal Kombat 2’swriter is obviously not gonna say anything bad about the film he wrote, this kind of reception is exactly what the franchise needs after the underwhelming 2021 film. Therefore, I’m hopeful that the sequel will address all the problems with the first movie and will be a much more entertaining experience overall.
Mortal Kombat 2 Sounds Like A Proper Mortal Kombat Movie Adaptation At Last
Mortal Kombat 2 Will Include More Characters & Thrilling Fights
There were many problems with the first movie in the rebooted franchise, but the main issue was that it didn’t include an actual Mortal Kombat tournament. Instead of including a tournament, which is the focus of most of the games,the 2021 film follows Shang Tsung and his chosen Outworld warriors as they try to kill Earthrealm’s fighters before the tournament.
Additionally, the first film mostly follows Cole Young, a character that was created for the movie and has never appeared in anyMortal Kombatgames. Obviously, these story decisions disappointed many fans of the franchise. It’s currently unclear whether Cole Young will still be themain character inMortal Kombat 2, but it seems like the sequel is at least fixing the other problems with the first movie.
As mentioned,the sequel includes way more characters from the video games, who will all be fighting in an actual Mortal Kombat tournament. Slater claimed that these test screenings were full ofMortal Kombatfans, so clearly the fights, character interactions, and overall story of the sequel will be better received this time around, which bodes well for the future of the franchise.
I Think Mortal Kombat 2 Will Be The Best Mortal Kombat Movie Ever
The Mortal Kombat Video Games Are Hard To Adapt
Before the 2021 movie, only two other live-actionMortal Kombatfilms were made way back in the 90s. Just like the 2021 film,1995’sMortal Kombatand 1997’sMortal Kombat Annihilationunderwhelmed audiences. The 1995 movie adapts the story of the first game quite faithfully and has some fun moments, but is also very cheesy and feels like a fan film rather than a major Hollywood production at times. Meanwhile,Annihilationis widely regarded as a major disaster, which is obvious from its 4% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes (viaRotten Tomatoes).
47%
58%
4%
24%
55%
85%
n/a
Therefore, it’s clear that live-actionMortal Kombatmovies have struggled to resonate with critics and audiences.Mortal Kombatis definitely a franchise that is full of outlandish characters that are hard to adapt for live-action, but it also features an epic story that deserves to be told on the big screen. Because of this, I’m glad thatMortal Kombat 2is getting great reactions from fans, and I hope it can do the story of the games justice.
