(This was originally published on May 9, 2026)

This franchise has such a great premise, people fighting to the death in a tournament. It's simple, it's easy, so it's such a shame that they have to stuff it with so much boring lore and back story.

This franchise loves it's own lore too much. If you're into that you're going to love this movie. If not this movie is going to drag for an first two acts. Karl Urban deserves an award for his performance, he's great in this. He was the only thing keeping me interested in this film until the middle of the second act. I kind of wish this reboot had been centered around his character.

Once this film commits to the tournament, it's a decent movie. It's a fun blockbuster. This movie is going to play well on basic cable. My review is a C+. Would I recommend seeing this movie in theaters, no unless you're a fan of the franchise I think you might have more fun watching this at home.

Don't sleep on that Karl Urban performance.