Back in 2020, the Mortal Kombat Legends series of animated films launched with Scorpion’s Revenge. 2021 brought Battle of the Realms and 2022 gives us Snow Blind.

Along with a trio of mercenaries, Kano (voiced by David Wenham) attacks one vulnerable location after another. He guides these assaults with no mercy and demands total subjugation.

Rebel combatant Kenshi (Manny Jacinto) tries to halt Kano’s plans, but he proves unable to mount a credible defense. With the training of older warrior Kuai Liang (Ron Yuan), Kenshi strives to gain the abilities he requires.

As I probably noted in prior reviews of Kombat products, much of the video game’s appeal 30 years ago stemmed from its graphic violence. Kombat took matters to an extreme that shocked many back then.

Whatever developments have come along with the franchise since those origins, Blind reminds us that blood ‘n’ guts remains the Kombat calling card. The opening attack stages violence with over the top gore that seems par for the Kombat course.

Does Blind offer much beyond the typical Kombat nastiness? Not really, largely due to the jumbled story.

From start to finish, one can play a game of “Spot the Ripoff” here. Blind steals from a slew of sources.

Early on, we see obvious nods to the Mad Max films, and the overall tale borrows heavily from Kurosawa. Eventually the Kenshi/Kuai Liang tale turns into a cheap copy of Karate Kid.

All of this means Blind never remotely forms an identity of its own. We just get one cliché after another without anything to add force to the narrative.

It doesn’t help that Blind connects these elements in a jumbled, semi-incoherent manner. The movie just throws out whatever it can find and hope some of it sticks.

Unfortunately, nothing here musters real punch or drama. We get a cheap, sloppy piece of animated product without merit.

Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind appears in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This became a terrific presentation.

Sharpness excelled. The movie always came across as tight and well-defined, so don’t expect any signs of softness.

Jaggies and moiré effects also remained absent, and the image lacked edge haloes or artifacts. In addition, print flaws were a non-factor and didn’t appear at any point.

In terms of colors, Blund went with a palette that favored a mix of ambers, yellows, reds and blues. The tones looked solid, as they showed positive richness and vivacity.

Blacks were deep and tight, while shadows showed nice clarity. Across the board, the image worked well.

I thought the DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of Blind opened up the violent material well. The forward channels brought out the majority of the audio, but the entire package added a lot to the movie. Music presented strong stereo imaging, while effects cropped up in logical spots and blended well.

The surrounds also contributed good information. For the most part, these reinforced the forward channels, but they also contributed a fair amount of unique material.

These instances mainly occurred during bigger action scenes. The back speakers brought out a nice sense of space and environment.

Audio quality always satisfied. Speech was warm and natural, without edginess or other issues.

Music sounded lively and full, while effects displayed good definition. Those elements seemed accurate and dynamic. All of this led to a positive presentation that deserved a “B+”.

As we shift to extras, we begin with an audio commentary from director Rick Morales and writer Jeremy Adams. Both sit together for a running, screen-specific discussion of story and connections to Mortal Kombat games/mythology, characters and design choices, cast and performances, audio and music, animation, deleted scenes and connected material.

Adams and Morales provide a peppy and engaging chat. I can’t claim it comes packed with insights, but it gives us enough to keep us with it, and the light tone allows it to go down easily.

A pair of featurettes ensue, and Adapting Evil goes for nine minutes, 26 seconds. It brings info from Adams, Morales and actor David Wenham.

“Evil” looks at the movie’s villains and their move from video games to animated film. A few insights emerge but the show lacks a lot of substance.

Kenshi: From the Video Game to Snow Blind runs seven minutes, 41 seconds and offers notes from Morales, Adams, and actors Manny Jacinto and Ron Yuan.

As expected, this program looks at the use of Kenshi in the games and the movie. Like “Evil”, it lacks much depth.

Two Deleted Animatics appear: “Kuai Liang and King Kano” (1:26) and “Kuai Liang and Kenshi Takahashi” (3:42). As expected, these provide unused scenes in crude form. Neither seems memorable or especially valuable.

Little more than an aimless collection of cinematic influences, Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind lacks value. We get one trite element after another in a slow package only occasionally punctuated with the usual graphic violence. The Blu-ray boasts excellent visuals, solid audio and a mix of bonus materials. Even for those with low expectations, Blind seems unlikely to satisfy.