Mortal Kombat 2 released in theaters on May 8, 2026. On Rotten Tomatoes, At the time of VGC’s report, the film sat at 73% on Rotten Tomatoes and 48 on Metacritic, Reviews have been divided, with Rotten Tomatoes skewing more positive than Metacritic. However, the film’s producer, Todd Garner, was unimpressed with the negative reviews. He took to X (formerly Twitter) and criticized reviewers who gave the movie negative ratings.
The producer suggested that some critics reviewed the film without really knowing the original material. He believed that the reviewers had not played the game and did not understand what fans wanted. Todd wrote, “It’s clear they have never played the game and have no idea what the fans want or ANY of the rules/ canon of Mortal Kombat.”
He further mentioned that one reviewer complained about a character having a laser eye. He wrote, “One reviewer was mad that a guy ‘had a laser eye!'”
The producer seemed baffled and continued his outburst, “Why the fuck do we still allow people that don’t have any love for the genre review these movies! Baffling.”
Todd’s message on X read as, “Some of these reviews are cracking me up. It’s clear they have never played the game and have no idea what the fans want or ANY of the rules/ canon of Mortal Kombat. One reviewer was mad that a guy “had a laser eye!” Why the fuck do we still allow people that don’t have any love for the genre review these movies! Baffling.”
Some of these reviews are cracking me up. It’s clear they have never played the game and have no idea what the fans want or ANY of the rules/ canon of Mortal Kombat. One reviewer was mad that a guy “had a laser eye!” Why the fuck do we still allow people that don’t have any love…
— Todd Garner (@Todd_Garner) May 6, 2026
A movie critic felt that playing games or knowing the original story isn’t necessary to enjoy or review the film. He believed the movie should be judged on how well it works as a film rather than a piece of fan service.
The critic post read as, “Idk man I’m just kinda over this wave of anti-criticism sentiment. Your movie has a 77% on RT and counting. You won. You can make something for the fans without excluding the opinion of those who aren’t. I don’t think playing the games or knowing the lore should be a prerequisite for viewing. Films should be reviewed on how they function as…films, not as a piece of fan service.”
Idk man I’m just kinda over this wave of anti-criticism sentiment. Your movie has a 77% on RT and counting. You won. You can make something for the fans without excluding the opinion of those who aren’t. I don’t think playing the games or knowing the lore should be a prerequisite… https://t.co/jI70PBM98d
— Griffin Schiller (@griffschiller) May 6, 2026
Todd argued that critics who already disliked the franchise’s main concepts could not fairly judge the film and felt that the reviewers should keep in mind when a movie is clearly made for fans.
Todd wrote, “I’m really sorry you feel this way. My comment was very squarely directed at a couple of reviewers that did not like the “zombies” and the fact that there was a “guy with a laser eye,” etc. Those are elements that are baked into the Mortal Kombat IP and therefore we were dead in the water going in. There is no way for that person to review how it functioned as a film, because they did not like the foundational elements of the IP. I just wish when something is so obviously fan leaning in its DNA, that critics would take that into consideration.”
When followers questioned his opinion, Todd clarified that he did not have an issue with negative reviews overall, but he felt frustrated that reviewers weren’t familiar with Mortal Kombat.
To a user comment that said, “It’s just for the fans” … who else would this movie be for lol 😂,” Todd replied, “It’s called Mortal Kombat 2 for a reason…”
To another user’s comment that read, “If we’ve learned anything from Michael, it’s that critics are losing influence and fans don’t care about their opinions. It’s all about what the fans want and care about. And I’ve seen nothing but fan excitement. Seeing it tomorrow night and can’t wait 🙏🏾🙌🏾,” the producer replied, “Absolutely. The gamification of movie reviews has gotten absurd.”
When a user pointed out that one review claimed the movie was clearly made only for fans and gave it a bad rating, but the majority of reviews are excellent and Rotten Tomatoes gave it 75%, Todd replied that he indeed “made it for fans.”
Although Todd did not seem to be taking the backlash seriously, he appeared amused by the criticism. In response to another fan, he simply wrote, “I’m genuinely laughing,” suggesting that the He replied, ‘I’m genuinely laughing.’
Mortal Kombat II brings back several cast members from the 2021 film, including Lewis Tan as Cole Young, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Josh Lawson as Kano, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Mehcad Brooks as Jax, Tadanobu Asano as Lord Raiden, and Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion. The sequel also adds major new fighters from the games, including Karl Urban as Johnny Cage, Adeline Rudolph as Kitana, Tati Gabrielle as Jade, Martyn Ford as Shao Kahn, Damon Herriman as Quan Chi, and CJ Bloomfield as Baraka.
