I legitimately think MKII (2026) is a contender for one of the best video game adaptations of all time. It's fun, faithful to the tone and spirit of the games, features a veritable boatload of nods and homages to the IP, juggles a massive amount of character with relative ease while not shorting any of them yet it tells a relatively original story set within the huge lore of the series.
The characters are great, the fights are pitch perfect, I was shocked that they managed to include Johnny Cage yet they also made Kitana massively important in a have their cake and eat it too style, the score got me JACKED, the gore was outrageous, the effects were glorious (Baraka's mouth is an insanely great practical effect in 2026) and I absolutely marked the hell out that QUAN F'N CHI is here and being a scheming little weirdo. I was supremely surprised with how well they played the 'stakes' throughout the film in way that really resonated.
It's clear that this series of MK films are handled by people who really do care, love and respect the games. They're not 1 to 1 adaptations and they don't need to be because the diligence the creatives, crew and cast all took with bringing the film to life shines through. Again it's not an award winning melodrama with a powerful message but it shouldn't be; it's a Mortal Kombat film and **** me if it isn't fun as ****!
Sidenote: seeing this only makes my stance on the Cregger Resident Evil film even stronger. I don't want to hear a video game can't be adapted faithfully because of its tone or content when MKII is over here being a certified banger of a time.