Mortal Kombat Legends: Cegueira Glacial

This is coming from a true fan of the video game franchise created by Ed Boon and John Tobias. Reverse anagram Boon and Tobias to get the character Noob Saibot(I wonder why he hasn't been featured in any of the storylines so far in the franchise).

The story seems to be inspired by the MK11 video game with characters introduced in MK Armageddon (for those who are not familiar with some of them).

The plot has a very beautiful unusual concept of a Mad Max inspired dystopian future, the art style is very beautiful and stylish, voice acting is decent and of course there is the characteristic over-the-top gore. It's strongest point is the action which is fluid and contributes to the overall entertainment.

Character development is good, even though it's focus is on the two main characters. Could have done with more details into Kenshi's training and development into the blind swordsman. It's lengthy but still not properly handled. That part of the plot was a bit all over the place. The movie's plot twist involving Kenshi's relationship with both Shang Tsung and sub zero threatens to affect it's faithfulness to the source material.

Pretty decent action which is not lacking in entertainment value.

'Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind (2022)' takes place in a post-apocalyptic future, presumably decades after the events of 'Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle Of The Realms (2021)'. A cyber-enhanced Kano rules over the desolate realm with an iron first, his Black Dragon clan viciously raiding the few remaining settlements to mercilessly kill, maim or capture whoever they can find. Enter Kenshi, an arrogant up-and-comer whose desire to prove himself the best fighter of all puts him in the unfortunate position of not having any eyes. After he's wounded and left for dead, he crosses paths with a mysterious cold-shouldered individual who nurses him back to health and shows him how to survive - and fight - without his sight. The story is simple and to the point, setting up its world and characters before shifting its focus to an extended training montage and a brutal final battle. Its pacing drags in places and feels rushed in others, with some plot points even coming across as completely uncooked. However, it's generally entertaining and features a number of exciting, blood-soaked set-pieces that do justice to the notoriously violent nature of the games it's based on. Speaking of which, the cast is comprised of several characters who've appeared in various entries in the series and there are several references to the games sprinkled throughout. Fans of the source material will surely find a lot to appreciate here, and it's interesting to see how the post-apocalyptic aesthetic is transposed onto characters we've previously seen. The piece has a different look to its predecessors, with their harsh black shading being replaced with softer colouring and their blocky outlines being replaced with sharp yet slightly sketchy line work that overlaps in unexpected places. The visuals are distinct and effective, especially during the high-octane action. It's during these sequence that the animation really shines, remaining fast and fluid yet snappy and impactful. The blows are all crunchy and the gore is all grisly, leading to a series of scenes in which pain is almost palpable. Sometimes, the violence seems over-the-top for the sake of it, designed to shock rather than support the action or the atmosphere, but it generally enhances the experience rather than distract from it. It's one of the picture's unique selling points, too. The 'X-ray' elements aren't present, but I'd be lying if I said I actually missed them - or even noticed their omission prior to writing this sentence - despite the fact that they were fairly effective in the previous movies. Ultimately, this is an enjoyable and typically exciting action flick. It's a fair bit of fun throughout.

I'll start by saying I'm a fan of Sub-Zero (especially Kuai Liang) so giving him central focus obviously sways my preferential treatment of this movie. Additionally, I always enjoy his team up with the grandmaster of his rival clan so yeah this works for me. It's removed from the klassic Mortal Kombat storylines but we have (several) other movies about that so this one is a nice supplementary story to the franchise. Favorite part is when Kuai Liang teaches Kenshi about "...nothing more poisonous than 'I can't.'"

The only thing I'm not sure is whether this connects fully to the previous installments "Scorpion's Revenge" and "Battle of the Realms". As a stand-alone it works thanks to MK11 timeline shenanigans. Best to take it as an individual offering.

Having watched the previous two film in this Mortal Kombat Legends trilogy, Snow Blind feels quite different. There are different characters and the graphic animations here is vastly more gruesome, violent and brutal. Right from the opening scene, it sets the tone for the rest of the film.

The story is a step up from the second film Battle of the Realms and overall more engaging throughout. The animation and color is just as good. There could have been more developed work for the characters.

At times, there are confusing scenes as but in general this film seems more fitted for hardcore fans of the franchise.

After the convoluted and rushed mess of a predecessor, Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind is a huge step up in quality that offers a more contained story that wisely focuses on the insanely gory action and character beats opposed to the convoluted lore.

Although it does indulge in a few of the more frustrating impulses that the franchise just can't seem to escape from but thankfully they are still fun and unexpected but definitely not necessary for this smaller, self contained story.

Manny Jacinto is a really good Kenji, bringing the misplaced confidence that transitions into a wiser maturity. David Wenham is a solid Kano, the humour and viciousness is still there even if he doesn't rival the best versions of the character.

The animation is really good even if it struggles with movement, swapping from the old DC style to the one utilised in newer, rebooted ones which also works here as everything looks a little more vibrant and striking, especially the character designs.