Mortal Kombat II (2026) Review

 

In order to save Earth from an interdimensional tyrant, 90s action star Johnny Cage (played by Karl Urban) must join a group of fighters to compete in a martial arts tournament.

So let’s get right to the point; this is a martial arts movie, and I can safely say there are some pretty cool fight scenes throughout the film. It was fast-paced and kinetic, but not so fast you didn’t lose track of what was happening. Plus, how they used all the different weapons I thought was pretty creative and distinct for each character.

I think people are really going to enjoy Karl Urban's performance; he does the action scenes convincingly, and you believe his emotional arc, but he also has really good comedic timing. Like, I think this is one of the funniest performances he’s ever given; it feels very natural and it’s pretty funny.

I would say the two main characters of this movie are 1. Johnny Cage and 2. Kitana (played by Adeline Rudolph), a princess of an alternate dimension called Edenia whose land was taken over by the villain Shao Kahn (played by Martyn Ford), and she’s out for revenge. I like the relationship between Kitana & Shao Kahn. After he takes over, he adopts Kitana as his own daughter, and this gives Rudolph’s acting a chance to shine, as she’s very good at showing someone conflicted and trying to save millions, but by getting close to someone she hates, it was an interesting dynamic, and I thought they gave her a fun arc in a "Lord of the Rings good versus evil” kind of way.

But I have to say my favorite character was a returning Josh Lawson as Kano. You could tell the actor was having a blast playing this gruff but sarcastic bounty hunter, and a good chunk of his dialogue was probably improvised lol, but they were pretty funny and a real highlight of the film.

While not getting a whole lot of character development, I thought the supporting cast was solid: Jessica McNamee had a lot of fun spunk; Mehcad Brooks was sold as the “Tough Guy."

I was pleasantly surprised with Ludi Lin as Liu Kang; he was probably the best fighter in the movie, and his relationship with his resurrected cousin Kung Lao was very enjoyable in a "Star Wars, Darth Vader, and Obi-Wan” kind of way.

Lewis Tan did a good job and has one of the most unintentionally funny scenes in the movie.

Oh, this sequel infuses the story with more comedy than the original, and I think that’s when the script is at its strongest. The first half is good but nothing you haven’t seen before and very self-serious, but once they go to the outland (which is a great location) and run into Baraka (which, like the location, has a great design), the movie's humor really starts to shine, and the film really finds its groove as a fun comedic adventure film.

There are a lot of characters in this movie, like the movie is nearing its climax before Scorpion is roped back into the story, but he is fun to see, and as always, Hiroyuki Sanada is very good and enjoyable.

The CGI is solid; the best shots are saved for the over-the-top kills, which is good, and some locations can look a little green screen-ish at times, but they work with enough actual sets that for the most part they’re able to blend it well.

I wish Raiden had a little bit more to do, but they used him well in the story.

The art department was very creative with all the different locations for the tournament. I especially liked the character Sindel’s creepy boiler room torture basement; her character is basically a zombie witch, and I thought her location added a fun Hellraiser-themed haunted house atmosphere with spikes coming out of the floor during the fighting and strange, bubbling, green liquids; it was quite spooktacular lol.

Sort of spoiler: at the beginning of the film, they show one of Johnny’s 90s action movies, and that was one of the funniest scenes in the movie, just how they play it so seriously while doing some fun, silly things with really spot-on

While not a perfect movie and definitely having its moments of cheese, Mortal Kombat II has an enjoyable sense of humor and dedication to the fight, choreography, special effects, and fun tone that the film overcomes a decent script and really delivers a fun adventure film, best enjoyed on a lazy day. I give a film 3 1/2 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫. I’d actually be interested in a sequel; what better compliment can you give a film? 😂

Michael (2026) Review

 

Michael tells the story of Michael Jackson and his life from 1966 with the forming of the Jackson 5 to his solo Bad tour in 1988.

Jafar Jackson, who is the nephew of Michael Jackson, portrays Michael, and he does a pretty spot-on performance, not only in physical resemblance but also in mannerisms, voice, and especially the dance choreography; like, at certain points, it feels like you could be watching actual concert footage of Michael back in the day.

Coleman Domingo portrays his father, Joe Jackson, who also gives a standout performance. He brings a menacing charisma and believable intimidation to the role but also some subtle nuances that don’t necessarily vindicate Joe but do show that he is a very complicated person… But mostly a dick, lol.

I do wish they had explored a little bit more of Michael’s brothers in the movie, because they’re mostly treated as background characters and more like Michael’s bandmates than his actual brothers; it would’ve been nice to see them have more distinct personalities and their personal relationship with Michael, especially since so many of them produced the movie; it could’ve been interesting to see their own personal connection to their brother.

The makeup department did a fantastic job making everyone resemble their real-life counterpart, although there were certain shots that they were trying to make Joe look menacing with him, in the shadow and creeping about, that made him look like Blackula, like I had expected him to try and suck Michael’s blood 😂, but that was probably a connection only I made.

Antoine Fuqua directed, and he brought a very slick, fast-paced style to the film, got strong performances out of the entire cast, and did a very impressive job at not only creating iconic

Michael Jackson music videos and concerts, but at making you feel like you are actually there, which brings a strong crowd-pleasing element to the film, which I'm sure many audiences will enjoy.

Miles Teller plays Michael’s manager (John Branca), and while he doesn’t have a whole lot of screen time, the actor uses his screen time effectively.

I was also quite impressed with Juliano Krue Valdi, who plays young Michael, and for someone so young, he was really good at the dance choreography and recreating Michael’s dance moves, not to mention bringing a lot of emotion and charm to the role. He's not in the film a whole lot; I could see him going on to bigger things.

The decorators and costume department both did an excellent job at re-creating the 70s and 80s; everything seemed very time period accurate.

Now there are many different types of biopics, and this film feels less like an exploration of the actual guy and more of a love letter to the music icon, which isn’t a necessary or bad thing, but Michael was such a huge and complex person. I was hoping to see more of a grounded, natural look at the man himself, but throughout so much of the film, they show Michael in such a saintly light; he feels less like a person and more like a mythic figure.

For example, one of the side characters is Michael’s bodyguard (Bill Bray), who really doesn’t have much in the movie to do besides walk beside Michael and every so often see Michael do something nice and just smile and nod his head like, “Boy, that Michael is a special kind of guy. He’s just so good, clean, and wholesome, so it doesn’t feel like you’re learning anything new about how it really was; instead, it feels like you’re watching a sanitized version of events.

Also, this movie has the exact same structure and story beats as Walk Hard: the Dewey Cox story… And that was a parody of biofilms from almost 20 years ago, so it’s a little surreal to see something that was played for comedy now played for drama.

Bubbles the monkey appears in the film and the recreation using CGI, which looks good, but it did take me out of the film a little, like you can clearly tell they’re interacting with a CGI creature, and I wish I had just gotten an actual monkey to make it feel more realistic. Plus, they're really trying to play up the cute factor, giving Bubbles really big wide eyes and always having to make really cute faces, almost like he’s Michael’s cute "Grogu"-type sidekick. But he’s not in the move a whole lot, and what they have them do isn’t too bad, so it really isn’t that distracting.

The music was all right, kind of mid… Just kidding, it’s Michael Jackson music, so the soundtrack was definitely a big standout and a lot of fun.

Don King appears in the film in a small scene with him and Joe Jackson, and both actors do a good job, but both are trying to out-"sinister" the other in their performance that I have expected them to grow horns and have lightning strike while they’re cackling lol.

The pacing was pretty good; I never felt the length of the film, and things moved at a pretty brisk pace.

Also, like Bohemian Rhapsody, Mike Myers has a small cameo that I did not realize it was him until I saw the credit. If I had a dime for every musical biopic feature Mike Myers in a small cameo that I do not realize until the credits… I would have two, which is a lot, but still an interesting coincidence lol.

In summation, I was hoping for a more unique and original bio story, since there’s so much unique material for them to tackle with Michael Jackson’s life, and the movie instead plays it safe by telling a more traditional and standard biopic. Not to say the cast and crew didn’t do an impressive job and put a lot of hard work into the film; they did. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping for more originality. I give “Michael” an enthusiastic 3 1/2 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 again; for a more regular audience, they’ll have fun with this movie and not have as many nitpicks as me; it’s a good crowd pleaser.

Lee Cronin’s The Mummy Review

 

After going missing in Cairo eight years ago, Charlie & Larissa Cannon’s daughter Katie is found alive but was discovered partially mummified in a sarcophagus, and the family quickly starts to realize that something supernatural might be at play and involved with their daughter and her disappearance.

Not to spoil anything, but as you would expect in a mummy movie, there is a tomb, and I really enjoyed not only the design of it, but also the use of shadows and darkness, which was very effective and a cool visual; it’s definitely one of the creepiest-looking mummy movies. I’ve ever seen

For the most part, I enjoyed the family in this. The director is really good at getting natural and funny performances out of his actors, and he is especially good with children. He knows how to make them funny and cute but not to the point where it seems like they’re trying too hard; it comes out very genuine.

I also enjoyed how the story built the mystery of who and why Katie went missing, like the kidnapper seemed like they didn't want to do this, but something was compelling them to, and that certainly hooked me to want to know what was going on.

Just to warn people ahead of time, but this movie gets nasty. Cronin took a lot from his last Evil Dead film and applied it here. The direction and style feel very Sam Raimi-inspired (which I like that style also; I was cool with it), with a lot of wild camera movements and extreme close-ups, not to mention a lot of contouring body parts, squishy guts, and crispy skin, not to mention a good amount of blood and projectile bile. Big props to the Foley artist for going above and beyond on this one lol.

I would have to say my favorite character is Dalia Zaki, a detective (played by May Calamawy) who is investigating Katie’s reappearance, and she was very straightforward, down-to-earth, sympathetic, and smart. Plus, it was just kind of fun watching her unravel the mystery of what’s going on.

So in the first third, I liked how we were developing this family and their unique dynamic, and then in the second half, while still interesting, I do feel like the story started to hit a lot of the clichés of “possession movies"; you’ll have the possessed person say something creepy in a very low demonic tone, creepy things start happening around the house, people float, and jump scares are aplenty. And like I said, Cronin has enough unique camera shots and gross-out moments to keep it interesting and engaging.

But it does lean more on the familiar.

Another standout for me was Verónica Falcón as Katie‘s grandma; she brought a lot of humor and sass to the role. It was a very sympathetic and grounding character amongst all this supernatural craziness.

Like I mentioned, all the special effects and gore were very well done, so big props to the special effects department; you guys killed it… Literally in some cases lol.

I can see some people getting frustrated with the parents in the second half, and I understand that after so long, finally getting their daughter back, they become very protective of her, but they also ignore some pretty red flags the size of a barn in the process, so I can see some people feeling disconnected with that, but it doesn’t get too bad, I will say.

There are some interesting set pieces. I will say there is one with a nail clipper that had me squirming and another one that takes place in these little tunnels in between the walls that was pretty neat.

There’s a creepy VHS video that’s brought into the story, and I always enjoy when that story element is brought to a movie; something about VHS in the grains just adds to the unsettling factor that I enjoy.

The movie also could’ve been a little bit shorter, not too much, but it does run a little long, and with maybe a tighter edit the film could’ve popped a little more, but what we got for the most part did have pretty good pacing, and I was engaged throughout, so it’s always nice lol.

The third act is a little predictable and definitely leans more towards the demonic possession cliché than mummy clichés, but I did kind of enjoy the final part in a sort of Twisted Tales from the Crypt (no pun intended, lol) twist ending kind of way… If you think about it too hard, there are a few plot holes, but for the most part you can go for it, and it is a very cathartic moment, which is nice.

This film has definitely been getting mixed reviews from critics and audiences, and for me personally, I enjoyed the film. I can understand people‘s criticisms of it feeling more like an exorcist movie than a mummy movie, especially with that last exorcist movie, “Exorcist: Believer," and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t notice a few shared plot points between the two, but being mummies and demons are very similar supernatural creatures, so I’m having some gimmick was never too distracting to me. Plus, the story was done better than Believer, so the movie definitely gets extra points for enjoyment value. But the story isn’t anything mind-blowing either, so I guess it depends on what you want out of this movie. I wanted just a well-told creepy mummy movie, which I got, so I’m satisfied. I give the film somewhere between 3 1/2 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 and four stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. What can I say? I was really… Wrapped up in the story lol

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Review

 The Mario Brothers and friends are back, this time going on a cosmic adventure to save Princess Rosalinda and stop Bowser Junior from rescuing his father and taking over the galaxy.

Right off the bat, I got to give big props to all the animators who worked on this film. One of the most enjoyable things about the Mario world is… the world lol. All the different areas you explore and characters you come across all have a unique and appealing design, and this movie really exemplifies that. My favorite was definitely “Wart’s Casino," where all the different villains from the games come and gamble, and it’s one big square room, but each side of the room has its own gravity, so basically you could walk on the wall of one and then walk down and then walk on the floor, etc., and the way the animators played with color and all the different cameos, not to mention this really cool and inventive fight scene that happens there, was a lot of fun in a unique battle set piece that I really enjoyed.

Speaking of, all the fight sequences I thought not only had really smooth animation but also really well thought-out choreography, and how they kept escalating within the fight was pretty engaging, not to mention some funny strikes that Super Mario fans will probably get a big kick out of.

Speaking of, I am no Mario expert. I’ve played some games here and there over the years, but my knowledge of the character and the world is very basic, and this film originally was released during Easter weekend, which makes a lot of sense because this movie has a ton of Mario Easter eggs throughout, like I kind of wish I went with a Mario expert so they could sporadically throughout the movie turn and go, “OK, that villain right there, that’s for the second game," or “Oh, that costume right there, that’s from this game." Now, it never got to a part where I couldn’t follow what was going on in the story, so I have to give it points for accessibility with people who are experts in the game, but if you are one, I definitely think you’ll get some fun surprises throughout the film.

Ironically, my favorite character in a Mario Brothers movie is the bad guy, Bowser. Jack Black, as per usual, gives a very funny and jovial performance as Bowser tries to get over his anger and “galaxy domination” issues, and not only do I think he has a pretty interesting arc, but I really like his relationship with his son Bowser Junior. Those scenes are pretty sweet and sincere and have some pretty fun, almost dark funny moments as both bond over their dream of conquering the galaxy lol.

Benny Safdie plays Bowser Junior, which is a little ironic, seeing the guy who directs such intense dramas like Uncut Gems and Good Times play this video game character, that would be like getting Werner Herzog to voice Snorlax in a Pokémon movie… Which would actually be pretty awesome lol. But again, I liked his relationship with his father, not to mention he had a cool weapon with this paintbrush that he could make anything with; I thought that was pretty creative and led to some cool action set pieces.

So remember, when I said I liked Bowser‘s arc in the film, well, one of the big standouts of it was that it is the only arc in the film that any character has. Other characters seemingly have arcs set up: Mario wants to ask the princess out on a date, and Peach is feeling lonely because she doesn’t know where she comes from and might have a connection with this other princess, Rosalinda, but neither is given hardly enough time to get any development. The characters are so focused on the plot, and the plot is so focused on getting the characters from one place to another that we don’t get any real time for character development or breathing time, really. I mean, you can sort of say they get resolution, but in the most basic ways that if you blink, you might miss it.

I enjoyed Charlie Day as Luigi; I wish he had more to do, but he had some funny moments.

So as teased in the post-credit scene of the last film, Yoshi is in this film, and you think, being such an iconic and beloved character, he’d have more to do, but he’s just kind of there in the background to look cute and eat stuff; that’s about it. Now in his introduction there is a cool little montage that I thought had a very interesting and distinct visual direction and was a fun little sequence, but that’s about as much Yoshi development you’re going to get; like I said, he’s there to be cute and for the character recognition. Also, Donald Glover voices Yoshi, and honestly, you could not tell; his voice is so high-pitched, and he just says his name over and over, so this must’ve been one easy paycheck for Glover lol.

Speaking of, I don’t know if I want to spoil this, but heck, the marketing already spoiled this (which I don’t know why they did). It would’ve been much cooler and more surprising if they had saved it for the movie; it would’ve been like an "Oh my God, I did not see that coming” moment, but whatever. Fox McCloud from the Star Fox games is in this, and Glenn Powell does a good job voicing him, and I like the character, but this film has way too many characters as is, and while I did enjoy his inclusion and I hope this leads to a spinoff movie, I do think the film would’ve benefited from focusing on only a handful of these characters and really giving them more development instead of cramming them all in because the fans will enjoy seeing them all.

Princess Rosalinda, voiced by Brie Larson, is another example; she feels more like a MacGuffin than an actual character. She lives on a spaceship where she is a mother to a bunch of stars, who are all voiced by kids, and she's pretty cute and funny, but they feel more developed, and they’re more like comedic relief and actual characters, and Rosalinda actually has a pretty significant connection to Princess Peach that could’ve been interesting to explore, but she spends most of the movie locked up, and the film could’ve had more emotional weight if they had done more with her character… Which again is a recurring theme with most of the characters and storylines.

Overall, the movie is fine; it’s enjoyable enough with stunning visuals, fun action, set pieces, and some good jokes here and there, but it’s very much so on a basic level. The film could use a lot more character development and not have so many different characters competing for screen time. Sure, Mario fans will enjoy all the different cameos and references, but the movie itself won’t have as much staying power or substance as it could’ve had. I give the film 2 1/2 stars ⭐️⭐️💫; like, kids and families will enjoy the film, but for something with this much potential and fandom, you wish they had done a little bit more with it to really make it something special.

The Drama Review

Robert Pattinson and Zendaya play Charlie and Emma, a happily engaged couple who, before a wedding, learn a secret from Emma’s past that throws their whole relationship into a tailspin.

I was very impressed with the tone of this movie because it starts out feeling like a classic Woody Allen-Nora Ephron type romantic comedy, very laid-back and sweet, then the secret comes out, and then it feels like you're in a psychological 70s movie like Taxi Driver or an awkward comedy like Being John Malkovich. Now these tones are very different and should not really work together, but I have to give props to the director Kristoffer Borgli for finding that perfect balance.

Zendaya is very good as Emma; she brings a confident charm and fun demeanor to the romantic scenes, but I was pleasantly surprised how well she was at playing nervous and introverted for the more dramatic scenes. That's something I haven’t really seen from her before, and she did an excellent job.

Robert Pattinson also did a good job playing the two different tones; the first part is very reminiscent of Hugh Grant in 90s movies, very charmingly befuddled. But once things get more tense, Pattinson doesn't do an effective job at leaning into the more awkward comedy bits and making the audience feel uncomfortable with his character but not lose empathy for him.

Alana Haim and Mamoudou Athie play Charlene, Emma‘s best friend/best man and maid of honor, and they both give strong, supportive performances. Haim’s character also fluctuates a little between being sympathetic and being likable, but not in a way you don’t understand.

The film's topic is rather heavy and serious, but the film manages to explore this theme in a very empathetic and rather nuanced take that I haven’t seen much of, so I appreciate all the effort and mixing of tones. The filmmakers did; it was quite effective.

I quite enjoyed the directing throughout the film. Borgli injects a lot of creative montages in dream sequences to convey the story throughout, which I found very effective, not to mention a surprising amount of cameras throughout, which effectively conveyed the characters' rising insecurities and intentions in a very subtle, but effective way

The cinematography was very gorgeous, a lot of natural lighting and soft color palette, which fit the wedding aesthetic, but was also a nice position with the more serious elements of the film

A nice pleasant surprise was Hailey Gates as Charlie’s coworker, I feel like that role could’ve been a very straightforward and underwritten character, but Gates brought a lot of nuance and “character” to the part that was refreshing, felt like a real person‘s reactions, and a nice bit of subtle humor

I will say some of the awkward humor can get very “squirm in your seat” for certain viewers so be aware going in, but I think it’s nothing too outrageous that it will take away from the story

The film was well paced and had some interesting editing choices, very artsy and creative

The music/soundtrack was quite effective and was very diverse in it’s tracks and tone.

I would say the movie’s main theme is “Would you judge someone for the worst thing they ever did?" And as previously stated, not only do I think it was explored in a very nuanced and mostly believable way, but a story like this can really depend on the ending, and personally I think the story had a very satisfying ending that also fit with the characters and the overall story.

The drama is an interesting work about a couple's relationship and is good at presenting a dilemma to the audience and prompting them to explore their own thoughts and feelings on the subject in a very nuanced and almost darkly silly kind of way. This is helped with a great cast, wall, strong performances, creative film techniques, and a surprising amount of heart and understanding. I give the film four stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, although I definitely don’t recommend this movie as a first date flick, not unless you want a slightly awkward car ride afterwards 😂.