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Mortal Kombat 2 Producer Rages At Critics Following Negative Reviews

By Ryan Scott

May 8, 2026 12:36 pm EST

Warner Bros.

At least one person involved in the making of "Mortal Kombat II" isn't happy with critics who had a negative take on the sequel. In theaters now, the movie serves as a sequel to 2021's "Mortal Kombat," as well as an adaptation of the very popular video game property of the same name. Despite things looking good both critically and commercially, though, producer Todd Garner still has a bone to pick.

Garner, who has produced both box office hits such as Kevin James' "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" and all-time critical misfires like "The Master of Disguise," took to X/Twitter to share his misgivings with some of the reviews of "Mortal Kombat II." As Garner sees it, some of these critics aren't even qualified to be reviewing the movie. Here's what he had to say:

"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 f**k do we still allow people that don't have any love for the genre review these movies! Baffling."

There's a lot to be said in light of these comments. For one, the sequel has been largely met with a positive response. It holds a decent 68% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, to go with a damn good 90% audience rating. Writing for /Film, Bill Bria called "Mortal Kombat II" a "(mostly) flawless victory" in his review. It's been viewed, by and large, as a big improvement upon its predecessor.

If the movie were getting dog-piled on by critics, that would be one thing. In this instance? Garner's very public comments are worth raising an eyebrow over.

Mortal Kombat II has earned mostly positive reviews, despite Todd Garner's complaints

Warner Bros.

"Mortal Kombat II" follows the champions of Earth, now joined by Johnny Cage (Karl Urban), as they are pitted against one another in a no-holds barred, gory battle. As such, they must band together to topple the evil Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford), who threatens the existence of Earthrealm.

At the time, /Film's Chris Evangelista labeled 2021's "Mortal Kombat" an "underwhelming video game adaptation" in his review. He was far from alone in his opinion, as many fans were frustrated with its lack of an actual tournament. Todd Garner, director Simon McQuoid, and all other concerned parties have since righted that ship with the sequel, yet Garner remains frustrated.

Understandably, filmmakers are sometimes unhappy with certain critics. It's the nature of the beast. Garner has suggested that critics who didn't love "Mortal Kombat II" simply aren't familiar enough with its source material, but many people who see movies like this are in the same boat. Similarly, critics should be able to share their view of the film as a film. Garner doesn't have to like those reviews, but calling them out on social media, especially when the overall response to "Mortal Kombat II" has been positive, is a choice.

Again, filmmakers taking issue with critics is nothing new. Kevin Smith ("Clerks") infamously avoided screening his movies for critics for years and was vocal about his misgivings. Smith eventually made peace with critics, but it took a while. This to say, Garner's frustrations are understandable from a certain POV, but when things are going well, generally speaking, it does feel strange to get stuck in the mud like this. Not that Garner is soliciting advice, but take the win, my good man.

"Mortal Kombat II" is in theaters now.