Film 2484 - Mortal Kombat II

Intro: When I was in Italy back in May, I rewatched the first film in this series to get ready for the sequel. Then, when I got back, I missed my chance to go to the movies - to watch "The Sheep Detectives", of all movies... - and didn't get to see it. So, as soon as the right moment presented itself, I gave this film a go.

Film 2484: "Mortal Kombat II" (2026), Simon McQuoid
Watched: From the projector
Language: English
Watched with: No one
Thoughts: To my surprise, I actually quite enjoyed the first "Mortal Kombat" and was extremely curious to see its sequel. I read reasonably good things about it, but nothing too enthusiastic, and the box office performance wasn't stellar, so I didn't know what to expect.
Fact is, I loved this movie! I think, even more so than the first one, it's great at delivering a story that's closer to its source material: we finally see the tournament happen, the players go against each other and die, and all their best moves are performed on the big screen in an environment that makes sense for what this product is: a film based on a fighting video game.
I was particularly impressed by the visual aesthetic of the film. All the settings for the fight scenes are great and feel very unique while, color-wise, I thought "Mortal Kombat II" does a great job of highlighting the different factions, worlds, costumes and elements that uniquely identify each character, in a way that doesn't feel like a simple copy-paste from the game.
Additionally, I think this sequel shows that the producers actually listened to what the audience asked for after the first film came out: the tournament, the fights, and the lore of the source material, rather than just fan service. And I believe the story does a great job of incorporating all these elements together.
That said, "Mortal Kombat II" has its flaws, although I wasn't too bothered by them. I personally struggled with the number of characters the story deals with, to the point that at times I couldn't keep up. Also, some of the characters from the previous film were just there to get slaughtered which, yeah, you could see coming from a mile away, but I thought it was bold in some cases. (spoiler) Particularly, bringing back Cole Young (Lewis Tan), aka the main protagonist of the previous film, only to have him massacred the first time he competes in the tournament was a bold move. It really surprised me and, yeah, I loved it. He was a terrible protagonist, so I think it was a good move to shift the focus to the more charismatic and entertaining Johnny Cage (Karl Urban).
All in all, I really enjoyed "Mortal Kombat II" and I can't wait to watch it again. I only wish this movie had gotten a bit more love at the box office to justify a third outing. At this stage, I'm not sure it's gonna happen, but I have my fingers crossed.
Film 2014 - Mortal Kombat
Film 2469 - Mortal Kombat
Film 2484 - Mortal Kombat II
Cast: Karl Urban, Adeline Rudolph, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Ludi Lin, Mehcad Brooks, Tati Gabrielle, Lewis Tan, Damon Herriman, Chin Han, Tadanobu Asano, Joe Taslim, Hiroyuki Sanada.
Box Office: $129.5 million
Worth a watch?: If you enjoyed the first one, I'm sure you're gonna love this sequel even more. The story is tighter, the action sequences are amazing and, in general, "Mortal Kombat II" is better paced, has found the right protagonist and is a clear improvement over the first film. I found it visually compelling, and the soundtrack is a banger. Currently, I'm obsessed with the end credits song. I highly recommend it if you enjoy club/techno music (Techno Syndrome 2026 (feat. Ed Boon) - Olivier Adams).
Awards: /
Key word: Amulet.
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Bengi

Film 2469 - Mortal Kombat

Intro: For whatever reason, I fucking love this franchise. So when I was back in Italy, I decided to watch the first one once again to prepare for the second movie coming to theaters..

Film 2469: "Mortal Kombat" (2021), Simon McQuoid
Watched: From the TV
Language: Italian
Watched with: Giulio
Thoughts: Still love this movie. I watched it for the first time back at DCU during Covid - so yeah, from home - and I remember being really surprised by how much I enjoyed it.
I mean, it's not perfect by any means, but it's a fun, easy ride. The fight scenes are good, the whole vibe isn't too serious, and for almost 2 hours you forget about everything and bask in the sweet memories of your childhood when playing videogames was one of your biggest concerns.
For what it is, "Mortal Kombat" delivers an uncomplicated spectacle that works and balances enough references to the OG game with new, cool scenes perfect for the big screen.
Film 2014 - Mortal Kombat
Film 2469 - Mortal Kombat
Film 2484 - Mortal Kombat II
Cast: Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Tadanobu Asano, Mehcad Brooks, Ludi Lin, Chin Han, Joe Taslim, Hiroyuki Sanada.
Box Office: $84.4 million
Worth a watch?: Although some performances are a bit stiff - but are we really here for the performances? - the fight scenes work, and some of them are actually quite cool to watch (and gruesome, let me tell you). I enjoyed it more than I expected the first time and enjoyed it even more this second time around. If you loved the videogame, this is for you.
Awards: /
Key word: Birth mark.
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Bengi

Film 2014 - Mortal Kombat

Intro: Ero onestamente molto curioso di vedere questa pellicola specialmente perché, a detta di tutti, i precedenti due film dedicati al famoso videogioco erano così terribili che fosse effettivamente impossibile fare di peggio...

Film 2014: "Mortal Kombat" (2021) di Simon McQuoid
Visto: dall'iMac
Lingua: inglese
Compagnia: nessuno
In sintesi: lo dico subito, così ci togliamo il pensiero: a me questo "Mortal Kombat" è piaciuto.
Non è un capolavoro e sicuramente ci sarebbe stato tanto da migliorare, ma bisogna anche essere onesti e ammettere che, nel momento in cui si sceglie di vedere una pellicola tratta da un famosissimo videogioco di lotta, non si stia cercando un prodotto che metta la qualità della storia o la caratterizzazione dei personaggi al primo posto. Un po' come per "Godzilla vs. Kong", sono le spettacolari scene d'azione quelle che contano. E "Mortal Kombat" sicuramente non manca di lasciare soddisfatti da questo punto di vista.
Poi sì, è vero che si parla tanto del famoso torneo durante il film ma, di fatto, (spoiler) il torneo non si verifica mai e che - altrettanto vero - la caratterizzazione dei personaggi è inesistente, ma si fa presto a dimenticarsene nel momento in cui la storia mette in scena i vari momenti di combattimento.
In questo senso credo che questo prodotto faccia il suo dovere, regalando allo spettatore esattamente quello che stava cercando. E' inutile prendersi in giro e aspettarsi qualcosa di più da questo franchise e, mi sento anche di dire, è persino un po' ridicolo pretenderlo. Si tratta di un prodotto di facilissimo consumo che non ha alcuna velleità artistica se non quella di presentare effetti speciali e scene di lotta degni di nota. E, da questo punto di vista, "Mortal Kombat" non lascia delusi.
Film 2014 - Mortal Kombat
Film 2469 - Mortal Kombat
Film 2484 - Mortal Kombat II
Cast: Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Tadanobu Asano, Mehcad Brooks, Ludi Lin, Chin Han, Joe Taslim, Hiroyuki Sanada.
Box Office: $81.2 milioni (ad oggi)
Vale o non vale: Praticamente un insieme di scene di combattimento alternate a una storia vagamente accennata che, nell'insieme, funzionano quanto basta per intrattenere e lasciare soddisfatto chi, come me, fosse alla ricerca di un film che non abbia alcuna pretesa se non quella di regalare picchi di adrenalina tra un pugno e l'altro. Sta poi a voi decidere se sia quello che state cercando.
Premi: /
Parola chiave: Prophecy.
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Bengi