MORTAL KOMBAT 2 - MOVIE REVIEW (A NEAR FLAWLESS FATALITY)

Mortal Kombat II, directed by Simon McQuoid, follows Earthrealm’s fighters as they finally enter the brutal Mortal Kombat tournament against Shao Kahn and the forces of Outworld. The sequel introduces Johnny Cage as a major new hero while characters like Kitana, Scorpion, Liu Kang, and Raiden battle to stop Earthrealm from being conquered.

Alright listen up, I'll be upfront and honest, this is better than the first but still a way off from being a Flawless victory.

Please bring me a Johnny Cage / Kano buddy cop team up movie. That would be five stars easily. Also Baraka, funny af. Add him to the buddy cop movie. Best fight is probably Liu Kang Vs [REDACTED]. That one felt like two players going at it.

The film is very much Kitana's. Liu Kang is pretty much a background character unfortunately. Cole Young gets like 10mins of screen time total and it's a shame they listened to the fans about it. I do like Cole I like his power but if they doubled down and just added to him they could have redeemed him for fans.

Fights, blood, humour was wicked. Story was meh at best of times. The tournament fell to the background while the pressing matters of seeking an amulet took over. The tournament I wish had more of an arena feels to it rather than "levels" or "stages". Shao Kahn I wish talked more shit to his opponents. Kano I wish had his cyborg eye. Sindel was useless. Great Ed Boon cameo. 

The theme song always slaps, overall I had a pretty good time with this and hopefully we get more from this cinematic universe.

8/10

CLICK HERE FOR MY REVIEW ON THE FIRST FILM

Mortal Kombat (2021) Film Review - Brutality!!!

Basically this film is about Cole Young who is an MMA fighter with a dragon birth mark and basically this Birthmark symbolises champions of Earth and they get picked by Raiden who is a Elder God to fight for the safety of the world in Mortal Kombat which is a brutal tournament which decides the fate of the universe. Hunted by the fearsome warrior Sub-Zero, Cole Young finds sanctuary at the temple of Lord Raiden. Training with experienced fighters Liu Kang, Kung Lao and the rogue mercenary Kano, Cole prepares to stand with Earth's greatest champions to take on the enemies from Outworld in a high-stakes battle for the universe.

I must say that Kabal, Kano, Sub Zero & Scorpion are the best characters in this film. Kano makes this film and every scene he is in, is just the best, his interactions with the other characters is a highlight and delight!

I kinda liked Cole Young in terms of if they added him to MK game, I think he would be an interesting character to play as. Every other character apart from the ones I mentioned just needed more fleshing out. They delivered when it was needed I would say. The fights in this film are wicked! Costume and characters designs are flawless! 

Despite it's fault's, I had a fun time watching this and there's so much potential for the sequel so please let this film have a sequel!!!!

6/10

CLICK HERE FOR MK2 MOVIE REVIEW

Top 10 Mortal Kombat Games

MORTAL KOMBAT!!!!!

Dun dun dun da da dun dun dun dada dun dun dun dun da da

Welcome back to my blog and here and today's list is my top 10 fave MK games! 

Let's get a flawless victory here today!

10: Mortal Kombat 

The original Mortal Kombat's significance can't be ignored. The game revolutionized the fighting genre with characters that were digitized versions of real-life actors, and its shocking, gory Fatality moves were so controversial that they essentially birthed the ESRB game-ratings system.

9: MK 2

This expanded upon everything great with MK 1 and added in some new now iconic characters.

8: Shaolin Monks

Shaolin Monks is the third, and most recent, spin-off game of the series, and it’s no doubt the best. The plot is the most interesting of any of the action-adventure games. The beat ’em up aspect of the gameplay definitely adds some much-needed excitement to spin-offs that otherwise haven’t worked very well in this franchise.

7: Deadly Alliance

Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance righted the ship after the disappointing Mortal Kombat 4, delivering a much tighter 3D combat system that introduced the ability to switch fighting styles midbattle. In what would become a tradition for the franchise, Deadly Alliance came loaded with content, including a single-player Konquest mode and a treasure trove of unlockable secrets known as the Krypt. Deadly Alliance felt both fresh and like a return to form when it released in 2002, and it laid the groundwork for future 3D iterations to come.

6: Deception

Mortal Kombat: Deception built on everything that was great about Deadly Alliance, beefing up the roster while expanding on the single-player mode and introducing online play to the series. Minigames such as Puzzle Kombat and Chess Kombat delivered some hilariously fun diversions from the fighting.

5:  MK 3

Mortal Kombat 3 was a major leap forward for the franchise, introducing the series'’ now-signature Dial-a-Combo system, upping the pace with a Run button and adding in the ability to uppercut your opponent through a ceiling and perform ridiculous Animalities. The roster expanded to include eventual favorites like Sektor, Cyrax and Kabal, though the exclusion of staples such as Scorpion and Kitana puzzled gamers. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 cemented its place as one of the finest in the series. In addition to bringing back the aforementioned key characters and adding some new stages, UMK3 introduced 2-on-2 and Tournament modes while adding new moves for much of the existing cast. This resulted in the most jampacked and fun Mortal Kombat yet, one that sent this classic trilogy off in style.

4: MK11

This game explored the furthest reaches of the Mortal Kombat lore, introduced another suite of memorable characters, and embraced the Mortal Kombat community in unprecedented ways. Whether you’re talking the nods to the series’ past or the massive Aftermath expansion that added an entire second story mode (featuring actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa reprising his role as Shang Tsung from the beloved 1995 film), Mortal Kombat 11 delivers full throttle on every front.

3: MK X

After MK9 returned the series to its roots, Mortal Kombat X began pushing the series forward in exciting ways. The awesome X-ray attacks returned in spades, with more gruesome how-did-they-get-up-from-that moves than in MK9, but the star of the show is the suite of new characters. Whether you’re talking the ice cold mercenary Erron Black, the new generation of kombatants in Cassie Cage and Jacqui Briggs, or the wildly unsettling D’Vorah, Mortal Kombat X delivered some of the most memorable characters since the original trilogy. Not only that, but the story mode weaves them together in compelling ways as they once again battle for the fate of the realms so this one really stands out for me.

2: Armageddon

What was supposed to be the ultimate culmination of the first decade and a half of the Mortal Kombat franchise gave players a lot to look forward to. Not only was every single Mortal Kombat character (at that time) included in Armageddon, but you could even create your own fighters to join the roster. We can't forget the story, the arcade endings and Kart Kombat!

1: MK 2011

NetherRealm Studios took the Mortal Kombat franchise back to basics in more ways than one. Not only did Mortal Kombat 9 return the series to its 2D fighting roots, but it also brought players back from the brink of Armageddon with a storyline that travelled in time to the beginning of the story, retelling a modified version of the events of the first three games. Aside from bringing together a collection of the series’ most iconic characters, Mortal Kombat 9 also introduced the beloved X-ray moves, where you could see the havoc being wreaked on the recipient’s innards. Perhaps MK9’s biggest legacy over the decade since its launch is its emphasis on narrative storytelling, which established the franchise as the best-in-class storyteller in the fighting game genre.

Do you agree with my list? Who is in your top 10?

What list would you like to see next? Let me know!

Thanks for reading, stay shiny!

FINISH HIM!

Top 10 Mortal Kombat Characters

MORTAL KOMBAT!!!!!

Dun dun dun da da dun dun dun dada dun dun dun dun da da

Welcome back to my blog and here and today's list is my top 10 fave MK Kharacters! 

Let's get a flawless victory here today!

10: Shao Khan

The ruler of outworld and a wonderful evil villain also he is such a douche bag since he will stop brutally kicking your arse to tell you how much you suck.  

9: Shang Tsung

He can morph into other characters, he can steal souls, he can shoot multiple fireballs and is the first big bad of the series. 

8: Cyrax & Sektor

I know it's two separate characters but I love them so much I have to bunch them into one to put them here on my list. At first, Sektor and Cyrax were interchangeable outside of armor color and what kind of explosive device they liked more. As the games went further with Mortal Kombat Gold and Tournament Edition, we started to see some real contrast. Cyrax was an honourable warrior, but Sektor was a straight-up jerk. He insisted upon being turned into a cyborg and presumably didn’t even need to be given any programming. While Cyrax was reluctant and horrified, Sektor relished being a robotic killing machine, eventually even starting his own Lin Kuei offshoot to force more ninjas into becoming robots in the hopes of world domination.

7: D’VORAH

D’Vorah is a great new addition to the roster and is filled with all sorts of creepy surprises. Her various bug-based attacks, the way she’s always petting a larva that she keeps in her own stomach for safe-keeping, her tendency to describe herself as “this one,” and so on. I find her a hoot to play as in the games.

6: Kano

Kano is a special kind of scum, and the series is better for him existing. It’s fitting that he’s the cockroach of the series in that when you think he’s gone for good, he creeps back in and shows that he simply won’t die. He’ll be taken off the board or even be considered dead every other game, but comes back slimier than ever. His live action counter parts have also been quite standout and iconic for the character.

5: Cassie Cage

Cassie is the best of both worlds between her parents. She has Sonya’s military leadership and access to all sorts of fun government weaponry, but with Johnny’s swagger, sense of humour, and tendency to hit people in the bits. Cassie is everything you’d want out of a good female protagonist and it’s wonderful that NetherRealm was able to hit the potential on such a fun character design and fun to play and interact with. 

4: Liu Kang

In the earliest version of the fighting game, Liu Kang served as a traditional combat fighter, who was best known for his martial arts capabilities. He is a Bruce Lee copy and was always saving the day but as we progressed through the series we seen such a sudden impactful shift and the recent game instalments has given Liu a fresh breath of life. 

3: Johnny Cage

The funniest character in MK but also one of the most underrated underdogs I would say. People and other fighters look down on Johnny but he has some criminally underrated powers and martial arts and he has always been a fave of mine in the series, I always tend to play as Johnny. 

2: Sub Zero

Sub-Zero is on par with his rival, Scorpion. Sub-Zero is the master of ice manipulation. Kuai Liang is the current Sub-Zero and the younger brother to the original, who became Noob Saibot. Sub-Zero’s ice projectile is said to be one of the most innovative mechanics to have been enlisted into a gaming character. Furthermore, his Spinal Rip Fatality move is noted as one of the most morbid character actions, which gave Sub-Zero his merciless disposition.

1: Scorpion

Scorpion is all-purpose. He can be good, evil, in-between, but he’s always badass. He’s still a fire-spitting, demon ninja from Hell. Scorpion has served as a mascot to Mortal Kombat since its beginnings. This character is a human whose real name is Hanzo Hasashi. His family was killed, which led him into the life of an assassin. His skills are malevolent and gory, with ingenuity such as hellfire and teleportation serving as his powers.

Do you agree with my list? Who is in your top 10?

What list would you like to see next? Let me know!

Thanks for reading, stay shiny!

FINISH HIM!