The Goriest Video Game Movie of the 21st Century Conquers Streaming

2 days ago 6

Published Mar 5, 2026, 6:14 PM EST

Shrishty is a decade-old journalist covering a variety of beats between politics to pop culture, but movies are her first love, which led her to study Film and TV Development at UCLAx. She lives and breathes cinema and sometimes wakes up with the close-up shot of Ryan Gosling's hands playing piano in La La Land, in her head.

She has worked with numerous media outlets, including Burda Media (MSN News), DKODING Media, The Voice of Fashion, Hindustan Times, and more. Throughout her career, she has interviewed an array of people, from CEOs and politicians to filmmakers and farmers.

One of the movies that broke the video game curse in recent memory for fans was 2021’s Mortal Kombat. The R-rated movie directed by Simon McQuoid won hearts worldwide despite a pandemic-time hybrid release. It's counted among the video game adaptations that brilliantly build on existing IP and introduce a brand-new hero, Cole Young, portrayed brilliantly by Lewis Tan.

In the following years, fans found a fortune in good video game adaptations coming to the screen, like The Last of Us, The Super Mario Bros., and A Minecraft Movie. So, the anticipation for another installment ran high, and the makers obliged by adding well-known characters and events to the upcoming sequel, which also cast Karl Urban as Johnny Cage and will feature the return of Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion.

Though Mortal Kombat 2 saw multiple delays, the feature is finally set to drop in May this year. It has a delicious cast playing fan-favorite characters, with McQuoid back in the director’s chair and a screenplay written by Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire scribe Jeremy Slater. Fans have applauded the marketing material that’s come out by far, especially the emotional new trailer. And it seems they are preparing for the sequel in advance.

Mortal Kombat is at the #9 spot on HBO Max’s domestic charts, as per FlixPatrol. The 55% Rotten Tomatoes-rated movie stands among titles like Dead of Winter, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, and the like. For the audience who haven’t caught up to the martial arts movie yet, it’d be the right time to watch it.

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What Do We Know About ‘Mortal Kombat 2’?

The audience has already seen the trailer and appreciated various fight sequences, character intros, and glimpses of the tournament. Speaking to Collider, game creator Ed Boon highlighted what to expect: “The previous Mortal Kombat movie was the first one that was rated R, so it is unabashed Mortal Kombat. Double that, and then you have this movie. It's pretty crazy. It absolutely lives up to what fans are going to be expecting, demanding of Mortal Kombat. We have the tournament, which is a big request from fans, and it will absolutely satisfy.” He further teased that the opening sequence “punches you in the face,” adding that “the rest of the movie just lives up to it. It's such a powerful opening scene.”

Check out Mortal Kombat on HBO Max before the sequel drops in theaters on May 8. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.