Mortal Kombat II comes out swinging and barely stops to catch its breath. It’s basically 90% fighting and 10% plot, and honestly, that’s a good thing. Because you want to see a bunch of wildly powered fighters beat the hell out of each other in brutal, crowd-pleasing ways. On that level, the movie absolutely delivers, making fans feel excited and satisfied.

First and foremost, the fight scenes are off the hook. They’re fast, aggressive, and full of personality. What makes them work so well is how much the choreography understands each Kombatant. The fight scenes build around what these characters can do. Their abilities shape the rhythm of each fight, which, in turn, gives every matchup its own spark.

Not to mention, there’s also a nice sharpness to the way everything moves. The fights are quick without becoming messy. In other words, you can actually follow the hits, the counters, the weapons, and the power moves—allowing you to revel in the beautiful choreography. Plus, it never drags or falls into that overly staged rhythm where the action pauses just long enough for everyone to reset. Mortal Kombat II keeps things moving, and that momentum makes the chaos more enjoyable, especially when we get to the fatalities.

Mortal Kombat II delivers fast fights, brutal fatalities, and a stronger sense of fun in a sequel that knows exactly what fans came to see.

The other thing that surprised me is how well the movie handles its massive cast. With this many characters, someone usually gets pushed into the background. Here, everyone gets a moment. Some characters obviously get more screen time than others, but the movie understands that fans show up with favorites. It gives each fighter a chance to pop, whether it is through a major battle, a funny line, a small emotional beat, or a power showcase that gets the audience going.

That is where the sequel really improves on the reboot. Mortal Kombat II still has drama and character stories, but it’s not weighed down by them. The first film took itself a little too seriously, almost as if it was afraid to admit how wild this world is. This one loosens up. It has laughs and has attitude. Plus, it lets the characters be cool, weird, intense, cocky, and ridiculous when the moment calls for it.

Does the story break new ground? Not really. The plot is mostly there to move everyone from one fight to the next. But for this kind of movie, that works. Mortal Kombat II knows exactly what it is selling, and it does not waste much time pretending otherwise.

Overall, if you are the type of viewer who needs a deep story and prestige-level character work, this probably won’t be your thing. But as a bloody, energetic, fan-friendly action sequel, Mortal Kombat II is a blast. It’s bigger, faster, funnier, and more confident than the reboot. Most importantly, it FINALLY feels like a Mortal Kombat movie.

Rating: 4/5 atoms

Mortal Kombat II hits theaters on May 8th.

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Warner Bros. brought Dune: Part Three to CinemaCon 2026 with Denis Villeneuve, Timotheé Chalamet, Zendaya, and Jason Momoa. Villeneuve says that this next chapter takes place 17 years after the second film and is a faster, more emotional, and more action-packed.

Rather than simply repeating what came before, the film looks ready to show the cost of everything Paul Atreides has become. The world has changed, the visions and nightmares have turned real, and Paul is now living with the consequences. The story was described as a redemption arc and as a broken love story between Paul and Chani. That emotional split appears to be the heartbeat of the movie.

Timothée Chalamet framed Paul as a man who has become his own worst vision. He is still trying to hold onto part of himself while protecting the people he loves, even as he takes his place as a dark emperor. On the other hand, Zendaya’s Chani also seems poised to fight for more here. The years have not been kind to the world of Dune, and they have not been kind to her either. Even under that pressure, the film appears ready to keep her at the center of the story rather than leaving her in the background.

One of the more intriguing reveals involved Duncan Idaho. His body has been regenerated from Duncan’s cells, but he is no longer the same man. They present him as a gift to Paul, yet also described in stark terms: “he’s hate now.” That alone hints at a Duncan who could be both tragic and dangerous.

Finally, attendees were shown footage of the first 7 minutes of the film, which immediately set a harsher tone. Sirens wail as ships descend toward Paul’s home planet of Caladan. Explosions light up the sky, and the falling ships crash toward the surface. The sequence has a war-film feel, with a heavy sense of dread hanging over everything.

Inside the dropships, soldiers sit in near silence. The mood is tense and carries a strong Saving Private Ryan energy. These soldiers are Fremen, and they’re led by Stilgar (Javier Bardem). One of them talks about “water falling from the sky” because for the first time, they’re about to see rain. Remember, for the Fremen, rain is not normal. It is something almost unbelievable. Once on the ground, they move ahead.

The calm does not last. Stilgar warns everyone to wait, then shouts for them to get down. Sentry guns fire, spraying bullets as soldiers and ships are hit. A tower rises from the ground, turning the battlefield into a trap.

Stilgar keeps the group moving, brushing aside the moment with, “Enough sightseeing.” From there, Stilgar calls out coordinates, and a giant missile slams down toward the tower. The Fremen ask for the Shield Piercer, and Stilgar asks for three shots, but even that is not enough. The blasts bounce off, and some of the fire comes back toward them.

The footage sounds like a brutal opening, one built on fear, confusion, and overwhelming firepower. It also sets the stage for a much more war-driven film than audiences may expect.

After that opening, Warner Bros. showed a montage of scenes from the rest of the film. Paul tells Duncan, “You’re an Atreides, I need Duncan Idaho,” suggesting that their relationship will be a major part of the story. The montage also teases the growing divide between Paul and Chani. At the end, Chani stands against Paul on a battlefield while a sandworm bursts out of the sand.

For longtime fans, Dune: Part Three looks like the chapter where everything finally comes crashing together. It’s an emotional conflict on a huge scale. Paul is no longer just facing destiny. He is trapped inside what he created. We can’t wait.

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The preview centers on Matt Hagen, who looks badly disfigured, lying in a hospital bed with bandages wrapped around his face. Even before the footage fully reveals what is happening, quick cuts of terrifying imagery appear.

Hagen’s face starts to melt and warp, becoming something unstable and unnatural. The effect is messy, disturbing, and deeply personal, making the horror feel tied to identity just as much as physical pain. Various scenes push the body-horror angle in a way that feels far more intense than many might expect from a DC title.

The first look ends with him lying in a bathtub and smearing his ruined face into clay. It is the kind of shot that drives home that this film wants to make Clayface tragic and terrifying at the same time.

Based on this early look, Clayface seems ready to take one of DC’s more unusual villains and turn him into something much darker. If this footage reflects the final film, Clayface could end up being one of the studio’s boldest comic book swings in the James Gunn/Peter Safran era.

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The scene begins with Liu Kang asking Baraka for help, but Baraka shuts him down. Kang tries to challenge him, but that goes nowhere, too. It is Johnny Cage who finally gets a reaction, though not in the smartest way possible. Cage mocks Baraka and the Tarkatans, which quickly gets Baraka’s attention and turns the moment into a challenge Cage instantly regrets.

From there, things get hilarious. Johnny clearly thinks he’s about to die, and nobody around him seems eager to tell him otherwise. As Baraka attacks, Johnny evades it all, but Baraka is relentless. Johnny runs and hides inside a hut, where he finds two Tarkatan kids already inside. “Eww,” he says, then promptly tells the kids to keep his location a secret. Unfortunately for Johnny, the kids immediately give him away the second Baraka walks in.

Johnny gets launched through the roof, and Jax dryly sums it all up by saying, “Well, this is a stupid way to lose.” Sonya gives Johnny the push he needs. He picks up his sunglasses, puts them on, and announces, “It’s show time.” From there, Cage finally starts fighting like the version fans came to see. Johnny Cage goes toe-to-toe with Baraka in a full-on showdown, trading blows and holding his own. Then, to cap it all off, he lands his iconic split punch, which gets the perfect reaction from Jax: “Goddamn.”

If this footage is any sign, Mortal Kombat II looks bigger, funnier, and more confident this time around. It knows how ridiculous this world can be, but it also knows how to turn that into a very good time. Johnny Cage may have stolen the footage, but the bigger win is that the film seems ready to embrace the wild energy fans have been waiting for.

Mortal Kombat II hits theaters on May 8th.

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Jason Momoa also took the stage and spoke about finally getting to play Lobo. From the sound of it, he sounds like someone having the time of his life. On his first day, Momoa had to ride in on Lobo’s bike with a fireball blasting behind him. He guns it, slides onto his mark, and pulls out a cigar. It’s there he realizes one thing: “I’m fuckin’ Lobo, baby,” he says. Unfortunately, he kept missing his mark after that. Luckily, the first take was so good that they ultimately used it in the film.

The footage shown made the movie look fast, funny, and much more chaotic than a typical superhero origin story. Kara is first seen sitting at a bus stop when a spaceship bus lands in front of her. Once onboard, the setting becomes packed with aliens, and Kara casually gives one of them a piece of gum because he keeps smoking inside the bus.

Things quickly go sideways when space pirates invade the ship and start robbing passengers. Kara’s young companion is ready to fight back and pulls out her sword. However, the pirates demand both Kara’s watch and the girl’s weapon. Kara hands them over while trying to play it cool, even insisting the sword is not worth much. She then says she has a plan (kind of).

That is where the footage really starts to move. Kara steals one of the pirates’ teleporters and uses it. The sequence looks playful and messy in the best way, with Kara teleporting onto passengers, around enemies, and across the bus while trying to take control of the situation.

The action then expands even further when Kara gets locked in an airlock. She asks the pilots where the sun is and even wonders if they can move it closer, only to get a sarcastic response. She finds a spacesuit, and as she tries to put it on, she gets blasted out of the airlock and into space. Once the sunlight finally reaches her, she heals, powers up, and goes on the attack.

Next, the footage becomes a full-blown cosmic battle. Kara tears through pirate bots outside the ship, dodges incoming fire, and flies toward the sun as the pirate ship chases her through debris. As the pirate ship shoots its laser at her again, she uses her heat vision to overpower the pirates’ own laser beam.

Attendees also got a look at a montage of clips from the film. The girl asks Kara what Superman is like. Kara calls him a nerd, saying he sees the good in everyone while she sees the truth. It is a small line, but it says a lot about how this version of Kara may differ from Clark. We also get to see Kara’s past during the last days of Krypton.

Lobo also makes his presence felt by trading barbs with Kara after recognizing her from a dive bar. Lobo asks, “Aren’t you the ditz in the dive bar?” Kara replies, “funny I said the same thing about you.” Now, between that, the giant space action, and Kara using the full range of her powers, Supergirl looks like a superhero movie that wants to be weirder, bigger, and a little more unpredictable. Most importantly, it looks like Kara is getting a story that truly feels like her own.

Supergirl hits theaters on June 26th.

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The movie is directed by Takashi Yamazaki, the director of Godzilla Minus Zero, with J.J. Abrams producing. That’s a strong creative team, and the concept alone already sounds built for a mega theatrical experience.

Sony did not share many plot details, but it honestly didn’t need to. “Mecha vs. kaiju” says a lot all by itself. Yes, we’ve got Pacific Rim, but you know what they say: The more, the merrier. In the small bits of footage attendees saw, it promises large-scale destruction, huge visual set pieces, and the kind of battle movie that plays best on the biggest screen possible.

What gives the project an extra layer of interest is the talent behind it. Fresh off the completion of Godzilla Minus Zero, Yamazaki brings an eye for scale and emotion. At the same time, Abrams adds another major name to the production side. Together, that gives Grand Gear instant weight even before a trailer exists.

Right now, the film is still in its early stages. Still, Sony’s brief CinemaCon reveal was enough to put Grand Gear on the studio’s radar as one of its most intriguing future releases.

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The presentation also included two teaser posters.

Then came the new footage. The footage shown at CinemaCon leaned hard into Peter’s emotional life rather than teasing the film’s new action sequences. Peter is in a bodega looking at his phone when Ned walks in and grabs some mini kegs of beer. Thanks to the events of No Way Home, Ned does not recognize Peter at all. Distraught, Peter follows him, which leads him to a college party.

Inside the party, Peter wanders through the apartment and spots a Chewbacca LEGO minifig, a call back to his friendship with Ned. He later finds a wall covered in Spider-Man material. Ned walks in and admits that he’s been trying to figure out who Spider-Man is so he can thank him face-to-face. “He’s saved me and my friend a couple of times,” he said. He even created a “Spidey-tracker” to track his whereabouts. Ned figures he’s based out of Brooklyn, and the two people he suspects of being Spider-Man are Flash Thompson and Midtown High teacher Mr. Harrington.

MJ then enters the scene, and Peter’s thrown off, awkwardly introducing himself as “Maynard.” MJ discusses receiving a job offer with Ned and decides to turn it down because she does not want to work for a “soulless” corporation. Then things get worse for Peter when MJ’s new boyfriend walks in and kisses her right in front of him.

The footage ended on a more physical note. Peter stretches before taking on prison guards. “I’m not in high school anymore,” he says as he stretches in front of the guards.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day hits theaters on July 31st.

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The footage shown to attendees focused on mood, tension, and dread. It begins with a man walking through the snow toward a house. He enters and finds no one inside. As he moves through the building, he keeps calling out, asking if anyone is there.

From there, things get stranger. He tries using the phone, only to get a dead response. He then calls his girlfriend, and the footage cuts to moments of him moving through Raccoon City. As you can imagine, the city looks grim and dangerous, and the tension builds as he goes deeper into the nightmare—everything taking place at night.

One of the most memorable moments shown was a large, pale zombie in the sewers—a giant, bloated figure resembling Stellan Skarsgård’s Harkonnen character from Dune. Soon after, even more zombies appear, spilling into the frame and chasing after him as the chaos ramps up.

What stood out most about the presentation was what Cregger did not do. The footage avoided obvious nods to the games. It’s been reported that “Aiming for an original story set in the world of the games rather than any of its well-known characters,” and “the writer/director is instead taking inspiration from the second through fourth installments.”

That approach could be a smart move with Cregger’s recent hits. Resident Evil has a built-in fanbase, but a straightforward survival-horror movie could help it connect with a wider audience, too. This reboot could do what the other Resident Evil movies and shows couldn’t: tell one tense, scary story without overcomplicating it.

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From the start, the movie feels like a celebration of the Mario universe. It is loaded with references, callbacks, and Easter eggs that make it clear the filmmakers understand why people love these characters and this world. Some of those moments are easy to spot, while others are deep dive details that super Super Mario fans would recognize. That makes the movie fun to watch, especially for fans who have spent years with these games. There is always something to catch, and that sense of discovery adds a lot to the experience.

Also, one of the film’s biggest strengths is how it handles its large cast. With so many characters in the mix, it would have been easy for the movie to lean too hard on just Mario or one other familiar face. Instead, the film gives everyone a chance to step into the spotlight. Each character gets a moment to stand out, and that helps the story feel more balanced. Rather than making this one hero’s journey, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie turns the adventure into a shared experience. That choice gives the film more personality and makes the world feel fuller.

That group dynamic also keeps the movie moving at a fun pace. The different characters bring their own energy to the story, whether through humor, action, or heart. Their interactions help the film stay lively, and it never really feels stuck on one note for too long.

Still, for all the film gets right, it falls short in the story. There is a clear improvement over the first movie, and this one feels like it has more direction. The plot is easier to follow, and the stakes feel slightly bigger. But even with those steps forward, the story still lacks substance. It does enough to keep the movie going, but it never feels especially rich or layered. The film moves quickly from one set piece to the next, and while that keeps things exciting, it also leaves very little room for the story to fully materialize.

The same issue applies to the character development. Even though everyone gets a chance to shine, the film does not spend enough time building them in a meaningful way. Their moments are fun, but they do not always lead to real growth. That keeps the movie from landing with the kind of emotional weight it could have had. There is heart here, but not enough depth to make it truly memorable on that level.

Where the movie leaves no room for debate is in its animation. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is easily one of the best-looking films Illumination has made. The colors are bold and vibrant, and the action sequences are smooth and exciting. Even the smallest details stand out, showing just how much care went into bringing this world to life.

Overall, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie works best as a fun, nostalgic, crowd-pleasing adventure that fully embraces the series fans love. The story may lack depth, and the characters could have benefited from stronger development. Nevertheless, the film makes up for it with its charm, energy, and some of Illumination’s best animation to date. It may not reach the emotional heights it could have, but as a colorful, nostalgic ride, it absolutely gets the job done.

Rating: 3.5/5 atoms

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie hits theaters on April 1st.

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Instead, the shifts in tone feel natural. The humor keeps the story light when the science gets dense. The emotional moments give weight to the mission. And the action sequences bring real tension to the screen. Lord and Miller handle it all with confidence, creating a film that feels both smart and accessible.

At the center of the story is Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace, a man who wakes up alone on a spaceship with no memory of how he got there. Gosling has always had an easy charisma, but Project Hail Mary lets him show a wider emotional range. Grace is awkward, funny, and sometimes overwhelmed by the impossible task ahead. Gosling plays those moments with warmth and sincerity.

What makes his performance stand out is how natural it feels. Grace isn’t a traditional action hero. He’s a scientist trying to solve a problem that could save humanity. Gosling leans into that vulnerability, and his reactions feel honest. Whether he’s panicking over a new discovery or celebrating a breakthrough, it’s a performance that attracts audiences to the character.

Project Hail Mary blends science, humor, and heart into a thrilling space adventure as Ryan Gosling faces impossible odds to save humanity.

Of course, the emotional heart of the film comes from Grace’s relationship with Rocky. Their unlikely friendship quickly becomes the soul of the story. Without giving too much away, Rocky’s presence makes the film something much bigger than a space survival story.

Their connection is sweet, funny, and surprisingly touching. The film shows how trust builds between them. They learn from each other. They support each other. And together, they try to solve a problem that neither could handle alone.

It’s that friendship that highlights one of the strongest themes from Andy Weir’s original novel. The story is not just about science saving the world. It’s about cooperation, and the idea that progress happens when people work together, share knowledge, and refuse to give up. The film captures that spirit beautifully.

Visually, Project Hail Mary is also a treat. The space and Kubrickian-style mind-bending sequences are breathtaking. Wide shots of distant stars and alien worlds create a sense of scale that feels truly cosmic.

Overall, Project Hail Mary delivers exactly what great science fiction should. It thrills with big ideas and big visuals. But most importantly, it connects with the audience on an emotional level. With Lord and Miller behind the camera, Gosling at the center, and a story built on friendship, the film becomes something truly special.

Rating: 5/5 atoms

Project Hail Mary hits theaters on March 20th.

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