Scream 7

God, this doesn't even feel like a Scream movie. They've lost sight of everything the series was about. 

There's hardly any humor or movie references. There's one scene where one of the characters starts to talk about horror movies, and another character literally cuts them off by saying, "We don't do that anymore." I'm sure that was a nod to the fourth wall, but I have to ask: If Scream is no longer a self-referential horror snarkfest, then what sets it apart from other horror movies?

Mild spoilers ahead. So Ghostface starts killing again, what a shock. But then Sydney gets a video call from Stu Macher, taunting her and promising to come after her daughter. There are questions as to whether Stu actually survived the original film, or if it's an AI deepfake. I won't spoil that here.

It's a serviceable mystery/horror with some very explicit gore, but it lacks humor and clever dialogue. The twists aren't particularly notable, and the end reveal is underwhelming. It's also annoying how often people survive insane injuries. 

Sydney keeps telling her daughter, "Always shoot them in the head" as if Ghostface is a zombie. But she's right. People keep getting up minutes after getting shot repeatedly in the chest, while wearing clothing too tight to hide a bulletproof vest.

And for all the "rules of horror" they used to talk about, people make ridiculous decisions in this one. They've basically turned the series into a straightforward horror story, complete with all the tropes they used to reference ironically.

I don't know what this is, but it isn't Scream.

Mortal Kombat II (2026 Film)

"Best Mortal Kombat movie" isn't a very high bar, but this was just fantastic. I liked the 1995 movie at the time, but in retrospect it was mostly the novelty of it all. There weren't a lot of video game-based movies back then, and MK was one of the better ones. The sequel, MK Annihilation, was so bad it's good, or so bad it's terrible, depending on your mood.

2021's reboot was a solid film, but it wasn't very memorable. It did a serviceable job of reintroducing the characters and had some decent action, but it didn't make much of an impact on me. The best thing I can say about it is that it's "good for a Mortal Kombat movie."

I don't have to make that sort of excuse for 2026's Mortal Kombat II. It's just a fantastic movie. It's just so pretty. The fights are beautiful, with backgrounds right out of the games, but presented in the hi-def glory only Hollywood can produce. 

The plot? Look, if you're not into video game movies, this isn't going to change your mind. It's pretty goofy. But it's the best possible telling of a Mortal Kombat plot. 

Feel free to skip the 2021 film and jump straight to this one. MKII does assume you've seen the former, but it's not hard to catch up. Introducing Johnny Cage helps, since the other characters have to explain the situation to him.

Thoughts on the characters:
Kung Lao - Excellent adaptation. The special effects on his hat are great.
Johnny Cage - Since Karl Urban is the biggest name in the cast, they use him as much as possible. I like how they address his age. Urban was a bit old to play Johnny Cage, so they framed him as an aging action hero who mostly makes money from conventions now. This was a good choice.
Kitana - She was my favorite character in the movie. Her relationship with Shao Khan reminded me of Gamora and Thanos. Kitana looks and acts spot-on for the character.
Shao Khan - Perfect. His helmet looks awesome. He's truly scary, even when doing the silly moves straight out of the video game.
Baraka - I really liked him, but he was probably one of the few special effects in the movie that didn't stick the landing. His CGI mouth wasn't bad, just sort of distracting.
Jade - She looked great, and her subplot really worked for me.
Scorpion and Bi-Han - Continuing their story from the first movie, it's more of the same. It kind of feels like they were written into the movie as an afterthought, an excuse to include two of MK's most popular characters. Still, it was nice to see them again.
Shang Tsung, Sonya, Jax, Raiden, and Liu Kang - Kind of bland, but not bad. They do the job.
Quan-Chi - I've always hated him in the games, but at least he moves the plot forward here.
Cole Young - Who? They spent the entire first movie telling his story, but he barely feels like more than an extra in this one. Considering the fan backlash against him in the first movie, this may have been the best decision.

Overall, it's a decent movie, with lots of fun action, and terrific VFX. People who haven't played the games might not find much to like, but it's a wonderful treat for fans of the games.