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A bold vision of the Mortal Kombat franchise began with 2020's Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge, an animated feature film loosely retelling the events of the original 1992 arcade game. Following last year's Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms, the gory martial arts story continues in the latest movie Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind. Released in time for the video game franchise's 30th anniversary, Snow Blind tightens its narrative focus and takes the animated film series in a decidedly more serious direction while maintaining the spirit of the source material.
Decades after the events of Battle of the Realms and the epic war between Earthrealm and Outworld, Earthrealm has been reduced to a desert wasteland, with humans struggling to survive in small villages. Taking advantage of this post-apocalyptic chaos is the villainous Kano, joined by the mystical Shang Tsung, leading the Black Dragon to conquer settlements as part of his brutal empire. The rise of Kano coincides with the arrival of a young martial arts prodigy named Kenshi Takahashi, who receives guidance from a familiar, war-weary figure to become the wasteland's last hope for freedom.
Compared to the freewheeling martial arts tournament of Scorpion's Revenge and the sweeping fantasy action of Battle of the Realms, Snow Blind is the most intimate story of the Mortal Kombat Legends trilogy. This shift serves the overarching saga well; if Battle of the Realms went too big and bombastic at the expense of character development and a sense of genuine stakes, Snow Blind is all about character at its heart. With a post-apocalyptic premise following a large time jump, Snow Blind feels like Mortal Kombat by way of Mad Max, complete with vicious roving bands and a largely lawless civilization where brutal strength is the only universal constant.
This tightened focus isn't to say that Snow Blind eschews the source material connection and deliriously violent action that Mortal Kombat has long been known for, with director/producer Rick Morales and screenwriter Jeremy Adams delivering the goods. There are plenty of martial arts fights to keep audiences riveted while keeping much of the tale centered on Kenshi, with his journey serving as its emotional core. Given its runtime, Snow Blind packs plenty of brutal set pieces, with Mortal Kombat's penchant to never pull its punches still on full bloody display.
Manny Jacinto brings the cocky swagger of Kenshi to life in his performance, balancing braggadocio with charisma in effective measure; Kenshi is definitely a headstrong protagonist but is kept in check enough for the audience to become invested in his story. David Wenham takes on the role of Kano, an antagonist who is simultaneously bored by his savage accomplishments and absolutely aware of just how much of a bad guy he truly is, without a single hint of remorse. Filling out the ensemble is Ron Yuan as the icy Sub-Zero, a ninja without a clan at the end of the world, lying low until faced with the possibility of redemption.
For those looking for the Mortal Kombat Legends series to scale back down to a more manageable story, Snow Blind absolutely delivers without compromising what makes the franchise great. Bloody as all get out but with a more mature and serious approach to the mythos, the latest animated film is something of an effective course correction. With the film leaving plenty of room for a potential sequel to go, the future of Mortal Kombat continues to look bright 30 years on.
Produced and directed by Rick Morales from a screenplay written by Jeremy Adams, Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind is available now on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and digital HD.