Mortal Kombat II is headed into its opening weekend and is backed by positive reviews from most of the critics. Despite that overall reception, producer Todd Garner has publicly taken issue with some of the negative reviews as he finds them “baffling.”

Mortal Kombat II is currently sitting at a score of 68% on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s way higher than 2021’s first movie, which earned a Tomatometer score of just 55%, and has already become one of the highest-rated video game adaptations ever.

What is the Mortal Kombat II producer saying about the negative reviews?

While the response is mostly strong with the sequel, producer Todd Garner took to X to bemoan some of the negative reviews. He wrote, “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.”

One fan even argued that Michael’s success proves why critics’ reactions don’t matter anymore, as what truly counts is whether the movie delivers what fans want. Garner replied, “Absolutely. The gamification of movie reviews has gotten absurd.” Responding to another user, the producer doubled down on who the sequel is aimed at, “I made it for fans!!!!!!”

Garner has also brushed off the backlash itself, and in a reply to another fan, he simply responded, “Im genuinely laughing.”

Mortal Kombat II features the return of Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion, Lewis Tan as Cole Young, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Josh Lawson as Kano, Tadanobu Asano as Lord Raiden, Mehcad Brooks as Jax, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Joe Taslim as Bi-Han and Sub-Zero, and Max Huang as Kung Lao.

Speaking of new cast members, Karl Urban joins as Johnny Cage, Adeline Rudolph as Kitana, Tati Gabrielle as Jade, Martyn Ford as Emperor Shao Kahn, Damon Herriman as Netherrealm demon Quan Chi, and Desmond Chiam as Edenian King Jerrod.

Mortal Kombat II releases in theaters on May 8, 2026.