Mortal Kombat (1995)

When the fighting game Mortal Kombat debuted in arcades in 1992, its success led to a sequel, Mortal Kombat II, in 1993. As Mortal Kombat 3 (MK3) was being developed for a 1995 release, the games were expanded into a multimedia franchise, including a PG-13 live-action film, Mortal Kombat (MK95), released months after MK3. While I was aware of the franchise for the longest time before being formally introduced to it through the 2011 game, I became curious about MK95 film after seeing the 2021 reboot, but didn’t follow through on it until recently when I saw Mortal Kombat II (2026) in a theater. While I found it to be enjoyable in places, I found it to have a flawed execution and some missed opportunities.

Mortal Kombat II (Film)

Note: This review contains spoilers for Mortal Kombat (2021).

Back in 2021, during the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Warner Bros. released their first film in a rebooted Mortal Kombat film series, simply titled Mortal Kombat (MK). As this release occurred as part of a day-and-date theatrical and streaming film slate for that year, I watched it through HBO Max and liked it enough (with a much more positive view on a rewatch), though I was unsure if it would ever materialize. Sure enough, this year saw the release of Mortal Kombat II (MKII), which received a better critical response (64% on Rotten Tomatoes vs 55% for the original), though with a shaky box office return that may put the prospect of a third film in jeopardy. Nevertheless, I actually watched this one in a theater, albeit a few weeks late, and walked away wishing for the potential third film.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III

Note: This review contains spoilers for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III.

While the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ first foray into live action proved rather profitable, making $202 million worldwide (lifetime) on a budget of a mere $13.5 million, the wider franchise couldn’t replicate its success. As the 1990s continued, the initial wave of Turtlemania waned thanks to declining toy sales and 1987 cartoon viewership, on top of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (TMNT II) pulling in a lower box office performance ($78.7 million against a $25 million budget) than the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film (TMNT I). In an effort to squeeze more money out of the franchise while they still could, Golden Harvest would produce a third film, simply titled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (TMNT III), released in 1993, that not only continued the trend of diminishing returns (earning $54.4 million against a $21 million budget), but earned a reputation for driving the franchise into relative dormancy until the 2003 cartoon aired. As someone who had just missed Turtlemania by virtue of being born too late for it, I had no real attachment to the turtles until later incarnations, which eventually led me to slowly exploring other parts of the franchise, including the live-action films. During my recent journey of watching the films in order, I ended up at TMNT III and finished with a complete understanding of why it couldn’t turn a profit.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze

As Turtle Mania continued into the ‘90s, it was natural to follow up the success of the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) film (TMNT I) with a sequel, this one coming just one year later in 1991 as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (TMNT II). Much like the first film, this was one I was vaguely aware of since childhood, but didn’t watch for the first time until around the release of the 2016 TMNT film, Out of the Shadows. After rewatching TMNT I, I decided to give TMNT II another fair shot, finding it to still be enjoyable, if weaker than the first.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

While Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) debuted in 1984 with a sleeper hit independent comic book series by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, it didn’t truly become a global phenomenon until it was adapted into an animated series in 1987. With Turtle Mania going strong, the next logical step would be to adapt it into a live-action film (as was the style at the time), also named Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT I), in 1990. As a kid, I was vaguely aware of this film growing up, but I never watched it until the Turtle bug bit me much later. Although my first viewing was around the release of the 2014 film, I felt like giving it another shot after attending a pre-release for the Magic: The Gathering | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles expansion. Even without having any personal nostalgia for it, and it isn’t perfect, it’s easy to see why this film is so beloved and is easily the best of the original film trilogy.

Elf

As time goes on, more Christmas films are considered classics of their genre or, depending on who you ask, staples of the season. One of these is Elf, a 2003 comedy directed by Jon Favreau and starring Will Ferrell. Back when I was only eleven, I saw the film during its original theatrical run and although I had enjoyed it, I never saw it again for one reason or another. Years later, I would see the film referenced more and more to the point where I thought I would give it another try, both to experience it with essentially fresh eyes and see if it was worthy of the praise others had given it. Twenty years after its initial release, I feel it’s safe to say that not only did it hold up pretty well on its own merits, it was actually better than I had remembered.

Dungeons & Dragons (Film)

Note: This review contains spoilers for Dungeons & Dragons (Film) and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

While modern audiences may be more familiar with the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) tabletop game nowadays, including the recent Honor Among Thieves film, few may be aware that there was another D&D film, simply titled Dungeons & Dragons, released all the way back in 2000. The backstory behind the film is actually interesting, but the short version is that director Courtney Solomon obtained the film rights from TSR, the original D&D publisher, when he was 19. However, the film wouldn’t come to fruition for ten years, partly from most of Solomon’s ambitions, including securing big names like Francis Ford Coppola or James Cameron in the director’s chair, either rejected or toned down. As such, he had to direct it himself through his own production company, Sweetpea Entertainment, resulting in a critical and box office flop that didn’t even make back its $45 million budget. Having finally watched the film ourselves, born from curiosity after watching and enjoying Honor Among Thieves, we can personally confirm that this take on the property is best left in the dungeon where you found it.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods

Although the DCEU consisted of mostly duds (depending on who you ask), one of the few films that stood out was Shazam!, a 2019 film about the DC hero of the same name (previously known as Captain Marvel). While not without its flaws, it was still a very fun time, enough that we eagerly awaited the 2023 sequel, Fury of the Gods. Unfortunately, while Fury of the Gods still entertains, it feels like something got lost along the way.

8-Bit Christmas

It’s not often we watch new movies on a whim, but sometimes it’s good to take a risk like that. 8-Bit Christmas, based on the book of the same name by Kevin Jakubowski, is such a film, one that we didn’t know about until shortly before it premiered on the HBO Max streaming service, with the hook being that it was a Christmas movie centered around the atypical subject of a video game console, in this case the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). I will admit I went into this with low expectations, even with Neil Patrick Harris getting top billing, however, while imperfect, it turned out to be a lot better than I expected.

Mortal Kombat (2021)

Video games movies haven’t had the best track record for the longest time, but the efforts of films like Sonic the Hedgehog and Pokémon: Detective Pikachu have helped change that perception. In the past, however, there was the occasional film that broke the stigma, at least among fans, including the PG-13 Mortal Kombat film from 1995. While I haven’t seen that film as of this writing, and have only played Mortal Kombat (2011) and Mortal Kombat X, I like the series enough that I looked forward to Mortal Kombat (2021) and watched it opening day through HBO Max. It doesn’t achieve a flawless victory, but it does show that film adaptations of video games can still be good in the right hands.

Shazam!

In the current age of superhero movies, there are few that I look forward to without feeling some sort of obligation to keep up with the continuity it is attached to. Aside from the forthcoming Avengers: Endgame, Shazam! was one of them, as the trailers made it seem like a legitimately fun superhero movie, let alone a genuinely fun DC movie. Having read some amount of the New 52 run of Shazam (aka DC’s Captain Marvel), I was able to recognize some elements from those comics in the trailers and wondered if the movie would handle them any better. Upon seeing an early screening via Fandango, I can safely say that Shazam! does not disappoint, and is up there with Wonder Woman as one of the best DC movies I’ve ever seen.

Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny

During a recent trip to a record store, I discovered a Tenacious D single, The Pick of Destiny. Coincidentally, when I visited a different one soon after, I found the album, The Pick of Destiny, which said single belonged to. This was my first time listening to Tenacious D, but when I listened to it, I liked it. It was actually a quite humurous recording, and it showed off Jack Black's guitar playing quite nicely (if you have not heard Tenacious D yet, I suggest you keep it from younger listeners, as there is cursing abound). I was also aware that the album belonged to a movie of the same name, so I figured I might as well watch the movie to round out the experience. One rental later, I can say one thing: it was enjoyable, but didn't exactly live up to my expectations.

Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny stars the members of Tenacious D, Jack Black and Kyle Gass. If you're a fan of Jack Black, you may remember him from the movie School of Rock. The movie begins by showcasing the "origin" of Tenacious D and how they met. Jack Black, called JB and Jables throughout the film, meets Kyle Gass, also called KG and Kage in the movie, and wants to be a better guitar player. After looking at various magazine covers, the two realize that all the guitarists featured use a similar, strange looking pick. While visiting a guitar store, they are told that it is, in fact, the Pick of Destiny, forged from Satan's tooth, and that whoever wields it will become the world's greatest guitarist (citing Van Halen as an example). Tenacious D then sets off in search of the legendary pick, in order to win an Open Mic competition, and hilarity ensues.

I am aware that a show about Tenacious D aired before this movie came out, but since I have not seen it, this movie was my first exposure to the fictional history of the band. The movie was actually easy to follow, delivered in a steady pace. The movie did a good job of presenting itself as a comedy, though it did become more of a stoner film at one point, which I will talk about later. The mythology surrounding the titular pick was actually kind of interesting, which makes using a replica pick a bit more empowering.

The characters of Jack Black and Kyle Gass seem more like charicatures, though they actually have deep qualities of their own. In the beginning, JB is briefly shown to have a bad relationship with his father, which actually contributes somewhat to certain parts of the movie, and shows that he is a bit insecure because of it. When this doesn't appear in the movie, he is more of a man of action, and is more serious about his goal to obtain the Pick of Destiny. KG at first seems like more of a mentor to JB when he's introduced, but during the first act, this falls apart and reveals that he's actually poor, relying on others for money. He also has more of laid-back type of personality, and isn't so serious at first about getting said pick. Jack Black's performance was a bit hammy, especially compared to Kyle Gass', though this actually made the film a bit funnier.

On the humor side, this movie was really funny at times, however, I didn't really find it as funny as I thought it would be, since a lot of the humor was very lowbrow for being rated R. Aside from that, I actually got a good laugh out of it every so often. One of the better examples would be a scene where JB becomes high in a forest and believes that he's related to a sasquatch, which in hindsight also seems to reveal more about his lack of a father figure.

While this movie had its moments, the thing I liked the most about it was the music. I recognized the songs after hearing them from the album first, but some of them are much better, and often funnier, with the visual accompaniment. Of particular note is the song "Classico," where JB improvises words to go along with Kage's guitar playing, and especially "Beelzeboss (The Final Showdown)," which was just as epic watching as it was listening to.

Overall, it was an enjoyable movie, but I'm not sure I would exactly own it if I wanted to see it again. In my opinion, it's good for a quick rental if you're in the mood for something different. If you're a big Jack Black fan, especially one of Tenacious D, and wish to complete your collection, I would definitely recommend this movie to you. Otherwise, I suggest you rent this movie first before you decide whether or not to own it.