(film review) - Mortal Kombat II

What’s wild to me is that back in the ‘90s, they actually tried to make a Mortal Kombat movie, and at the time… we just accepted it. To be fair, it was definitely better than Street Fighter, but that still didn’t make it good. It was just the best of a bad bunch.

But back then, that was all we had. A bit like those early X-Men films in the 2000s—whether they fully worked or not, fans just had to take what they could get.

Then, a few years ago, they rebooted the franchise with Mortal Kombat, and while that film was definitely an improvement over the ‘90s version, I still wouldn’t call it amazing because it made some genuinely questionable choices.

This sequel though? Yeah, this is leagues better.

The film pretty much picks up where the last one left off. The tournament is finally here, and Raiden needs a new champion pr the Earth Realm will fall. Alongside Sonya Blade, they approach Johnny Cage, an actor who initially brushes the whole thing off after meeting the likes of Liu Kang, Jax and Cole. But once he’s dragged properly into the chaos, Johnny has no choice but to stop acting like a hero and actually become one.

And honestly, I had a blast with this film.

The plot itself is still pretty basic—stop the bad guys from taking over Earthrealm—but the difference this time is that almost everything else has been improved. The action is better, the pacing is better, the characters are more enjoyable, and the fight choreography is on another level compared to the previous film. The previous film kind of felt like an action film with fighting, where this one feels more like an action martial arts film.

Seeing classic moves from the games finally translated properly onto the screen was a genuine game-changer.

The dialogue is still cheesy in places, but I found myself laughing, chuckling, and fully enjoying the ridiculousness of it all throughout the film. The movie knows exactly what it is and leans into it.

The addition of Karl Urban as Johnny Cage was honestly perfect casting, especially with how they handled the character. He brings the exact kind of energy the movie needed.

The visual effects are solid, too. Not groundbreaking or Avatar-level spectacle, but they absolutely do the job. And there are loads of moments that reminded me of other cult classics and fantasy properties like Big Trouble in Little China, Game of Thrones and even Pennywise at one point.

There’s even a fake movie within the movie called 'Uncaged Fury', and honestly? I’d genuinely watch that. It is all the nonsensical and over-the-top action from a B-rated (I think it is called B-rated) movie, from the early 80s...almost like Dolemite Is My Name (see my review on that).

Overall, this is just a fun time. Good action, brutal fights, decent humour, solid performances and way more entertaining than the previous film. If you enjoyed the first rebooted movie, you’ll probably have a great time with this.

But if you’re expecting some deep, serious masterpiece… this definitely isn’t that.

(trailer review) - The Odyssey

 

Here is something interesting straight away—I don’t actually think I know this story all that well. It’s been a long time since I properly read up on Greek mythology and while I’ve always found it interesting, this particular story feels fresh to me. That said, when you’ve got Christopher Nolan behind it, you already know it’s going to be elevated into something much bigger, or at least, this is how I feel, and honestly? This trailer looks epic.

It looks grand in scale, finely acted by everyone involved, and shot with that kind of precision that just screams big-screen cinema. I genuinely can’t see this being anything less than awards-worthy. And yes, maybe I’m biased because it’s Nolan, but damn… this looks good.

The trailer opens with Tom Holland floating alone in the ocean on a piece of wood, with the line: “Tell me what you remember.” The response: “A wife, a son, and we won the war.” Straight away, it sets the tone. From there it’s flashes of everything—Anne Hathaway, the Trojan Horse with soldiers emerging from it, armies storming in, Jon Bernthal roaring, and Charlize Theron asking question after question until it lands on: “And then what?” Then Matt Damon delivers the simple but powerful line: “Help me go home.”

From the trailer, it looks like his journey back is where all the chaos unfolds, while back home things seem tense, with Robert Pattinson seemingly wanting Anne Hathaway’s character to choose him while she holds out hope for her husband’s return. There are loads of quick shots of battle, despair and survival, but the standout for me was Odysseus and his men fighting what look like giant soldiers, with one literally being launched into a tree hard enough to snap it.

Then you’ve got Anne Hathaway’s delivery of “That world is gone”—which lands perfectly—followed by the line: “No one can stand between me and home, not even the Gods.” That’s the moment the trailer really locks in and I am fully engaged into the story. We then get soldiers charging across beaches, ships battling brutal waters, a whirlpool sequence, what looks like a giant figure moving through the trees (possibly the Cyclops), burning cities, and that final line: "I think it’s asleep.” Naturally, whatever “it” is… moves.

Everything about this looks huge, intense and classic Nolan. And from what I’ve heard about the Trojan Horse sequence already, that’s apparently one of the most tension-filled moments in the whole thing.

Yeah… this looks incredible.