Mortal Kombat 2—the film, not the game—released earlier this week and reviews were mixed: games outlets like GamesRadar and IGN were generally favorable, but it copped a flogging in most other quarters. AV Club called it "dreck", The Hollywood Reporter called it "tacky", and Vulture called it "depressingly rizzless".

It's a familiar story where game-to-film adaptations are concerned: we saw a similar split with the recent Mario movie. But Todd Garner, producer of Mortal Kombat 2 and its predecessor, doesn't want to have a bar of it.

Whatever that actually means—and I don't know—it's ludicrous for Garner to expect an $80 million Hollywood action film with ubiquitous marketing, tied to a household name IP of over 30 years vintage, should only be appraised by "fans". You made a film. You sit in a theatre and watch it. You don't get to perform any fatalities. And we're basically forced to know about it.