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Mortal Kombat 2: Can Video Game Movies Save Us?

Mortal Kombat 2: Can Video Game Movies Save Us?

Last updated on: May 22, 2026 at 11:42 am by Coyle Neal

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Mortal Kombat 2: Can Video Game Movies Save Us? 2026-05-22T11:42:23-06:00 Coyle Neal

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This post reviews 2026’s Mortal Kombat 2 and asks whether video game movies can save us by leading to a revival in great film

In the 1960s and 70s, American film had fallen on hard times. Movies were gritty and dark. Heroes were really anti-heroes (at best). And the vision of the nation was grim. Perhaps the movie that best typifies the era was Dirty Harry, in which justice is done, but it takes a “dirty” cop to do it.

The American people did not particularly care for this mood coming out of the West Coast. Box office receipts and attendance alike dropped (especially compared to the studio era of a decade earlier), and it looked like the era of film was over.

Image: Youtube

And then… and then two guys came along and saved Hollywood. Stephen Spielberg released Jaws and George Lucas gave us Star Wars, and an entire era of hope and optimism was reborn on the silver screen.

Since Endgame, we’ve been living in a similar set of film doldrums. Hollywood is giving us either ham-fisted political messages (usually left-wing, but let’s not pretend the right can’t release its own propaganda when it wants to) or movies so badly made they’re not worth our time, attention or money. Then in 2023 the Super Mario Brothers Movie (reviewed here) was released. This movie did well. Very well. There are all sorts of reasons for that–nostalgia, children, CGI. But one that might have been overlooked is that the Super Mario Brothers Movie was a positive movie that told a good story without cramming ideology down our throats. In other words, it did exactly what Jaws and Star Wars did. It told a good story in a good way to people thirsty for hope.

Super Mario Brothers (and its sequel) might have been one-offs. Heck, they might still be one-offs, except in theaters right now is Mortal Kombat 2.

Now, let me give you a fistful of disclaimers here: I didn’t play the game growing up; I haven’t seen the other Mortal Kombat movies (though I did see the JCVD Street Fighter, the less said about that the better); and this is absolutely not a movie to take your children to.

Religiously, it is a fascinating movie that raises all kinds of fun questions–is it really just to have a champion fight for us? Who gets to pick who represents us? Is there justice in the world? Why do those people suffer and we don’t? (Or vice versa?) All of these are hinted at, and we could say a lot about what the movie has to say (we could say a lot–the film doesn’t say much; really just enough to spark conversation).

None of that, however, is the point. The point is to tell a good story in a way that is compelling, engaging, and leaves us having felt we spent our time and money well. Mortal Kombat 2 succeeds at this splendidly, and it does so in a way that feels like the old optimism of 80s and 90s Hollywood making a comeback. (And yes, 90s Hollywood definitely gets a shout-out in the film.)

The question of course is: will Hollywood take anything from this? On the one hand: certainly. We’re going to see a slew of video game adaptations pouring our way, until we get sick of them. (The MCU model is with us to stay, unfortunately.) Don’t be surprised to see the Pong movie released soon. (Heck, they’ve already done Battleship and Clue–though of course one of those is not like the other…)

On the other hand, what we should hope to see is a revival of optimistic and quality filmmaking. There will be two opportunities for Hollywood to show us that they have learned their lesson and that the dark days are behind us (until they start again–there is a cycle to this!). The first will come with the new Masters of the Universe film next month:

The second will come this fall with Street Fighter

Now, obviously, there are a lot of movies coming out that could be made well. But I think these two are especially important for two reasons: first, they have all the advantages and disadvantages going for them that both the Mario films and Mortal Kombat had. They have nostalgia appeal, they have lots of flexibility when it comes to potential plot, theme, and character development. They have a built-in fan base. And, well, you get the point. Second, these films have already been attempted with results that were utterly spectacular failures. (And I say this as someone who enjoyed the Dolph Lundgren Masters of the Universe film–though not because it was a great movie…)

So are we on the cusp of a new and revitalized age in Hollywood? Are the Mario and Mortal Kombat films the 2026 equivalent of Iron Man or Star Wars or any of the other classics that brought Americans–and the world–back to the movies?

Time will tell. But for once I’m on Hollywood’s team and hoping they pull it off.

Dr. Coyle Neal co-hosts the City of Man Podcast and is an Amazon Associate (which is linked in this blog). He teaches Political Science, Philosophy, and History in Southwest Missouri.

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