Mortal Kombat 2 has debuted to mostly positive reviews and has even become one of the highest-rated video game adaptations ever made. However, producer Todd Garner still isn't pleased with some of the critical response, calling out "baffling" responses that he's read.
Posting on X, the movie producer wrote: "Some of these reviews are cracking me up. It’s clear they have never played the game and have no idea what the fans want or ANY of the rules/canon of Mortal Kombat. One reviewer was mad that a guy 'had a laser eye!' Why the fuck do we still allow people that don’t have any love for the genre review these movies! Baffling."
The producer went on to respond to several people, reiterating that they "made it for the fans" rather than critics. He added to another: "It’s called Mortal Kombat 2 for a reason…" However, one fan did point out that there "a lot more good reviews than bad ones".
Indeed, it seems the sequel has been a much bigger hit with critics than the first movie, which came out in 2021. Currently, it's got a 74% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 81 reviews. This makes it the highest rated Mortal Kombat movie as well as third highest video game adaptation film on the review aggregation site, just behind Werewolves Within and Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
Our own Mortal Kombat 2 review gave it three stars, calling it "a bloody fun second round" and giving particular props to Karl Urban's Johnny Cage who joined the franchise for the second movie.
"Karl Urban adds irreverent energy as a post-Deadpool Johnny Cage, while the all-important fights mostly deliver the goods," reviewer Jordan Farley wrote. "A step up from 2021’s bizarrely tournament-less Mortal Kombat that lands some killer blows, but it’s far from a flawless victory."
Mortal Kombat 2 releases in theaters on May 8. For more of what's on the way in 2026 and beyond, check out our list of upcoming video game movies and our list of movie releases this year.
