‘Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind’ Review: Action-Packed and Refreshing
Directed and produced by Rick Morales, the 2022’s ‘Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind’ takes place in the post-apocalyptic wasteland that is now Earthrealm after the defeat of Shao Khan and Earthrealm’s champions. A ruthless King Kano is hell-bent on taking over Earthrealm with the aid of the Black Dragon by attacking, controlling, and taxing small defenseless towns. After being betrayed and losing sight, the lesser-known hero, Kenshi Takahashi, would have to learn discipline and train with none other than the famous retired Kuai Liang.
The events of ‘Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow blind’ is set years after the unfolding of events in Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of The Realms, and undoubtfully this wouldn’t be the last addition to the installment with the next installment coming in 2023. ‘Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind’ set the perfect scene for the next movie with the reveal of the element, Kronika’s hourglass.
Like in video games, Shao Kahn is nearly immortal and has defiled death multiple times, leading us to believe that the inevitable return of Shao Kahn was already set up at the end of the last movie.
This is the first movie that doesn’t involve the popular characters in Mortal Kombat. We get to see how Kano, a side character in the other movies, is now a powerful character that we would’ve never imagined him to be, and it brings about a very interesting and even more shocking spin to it. We even get to see the great Shang Tsung bow down to him.
At the movie’s beginning, we are immediately shown how the Black Dragon uses brute force. With this, we already have an idea of how they have been able to take control of a larger part of the universe after the Battle of The Realms.Â
Kenshi is a blind swordsman from Japan first seen in the game, and his origin story, is stated that he loses his sight to Kano, but the movie switches it up. In ‘Snow Blind,’ he lacks discipline and is still trained by Kuai Liang. The movie doesn’t change this. Making Kenshi the main character was a change of tone, especially after being a fan favorite in the video game for a long time.
The devastation in the aftermath shows a timeline of chaos after Earthrealm loses the tournament. Although Kenshi is the main character, the movie has a huge problem diverting from him as the main subject, especially when we’re invested in him. The constant split of screen time between Kenshi, Kano, and different Balck Dragon members becomes problematic and takes away from the plot’s main focus. We ultimately want to see Kenshi win and, as such, are rooting for him. We would want to see his journey from his start to the inevitable downfall of Kano.
We also see Kuai Liang fighting with his past and internal conflicts. One of these conflicts is the promise never to use his powers after hurting innocent people. Notably, there are no tournaments. The characters themselves push the plot forward. Some already-known characters make appearances. There’s the familiar team-up that uplifts the final action-packed final act. There is a little plot twist that I am sure older Mortal Kombat fans will appreciate.
The animation style is different from the previous Mortal Kombat movies. It might throw back hardcore fans, but it is neat nevertheless; the character design is very good, with a more cartoonish style with more angular features. Generally, the finishing was great, considering the limited budget. Although the movie had some beige tones, it is redeemed by the fight scenes being full of life, captivating, and enjoyable.
Although ‘Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind’ falls short when it comes to its color palette, amongst many other things, it is significantly better than ‘Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of The Realms’ in its plot presence, and if you’re a Mortal Kombat fan, you will love this. The choice to focus on Kenshi brings about a fresh but still action-packed movie. Let’s face it, in this timeline, all our favorite heroes are dead, and despite its flaws, ‘Mortal Kombat Legends: snow Blind’ is worth the watch, and I highly recommend it.
