Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins is acting as the third G.I. Joe movie in order to reboot the franchise by giving it’s most popular character in Snake Eyes by giving him an origin story and telling the story how the G.I. Joe became what they eventually became. The two G.I. Joe movies we’ve gotten with G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and G.I. Joe: Retaliation both failed at revitalizing the IP, despite some claiming that Retaliation was an improvement over Rise of Cobra. If only the G.I. Joe had the success and attention that the first couple of Transformers had, despite the quality because if you strip away the notion of being based on toys, the lore and aspects of G.I. Joe is ripe for cinema. It’s got science fiction, fantasy, action and for the case of Snake Eyes, it’s got a heavy dose of martial arts. The mythology, characters and the mixture of genres should be great things for a big screen summer movie adaptation. There’s been enough time since the release of G.I. Joe: Retaliation and Paramount is serving up the origin of not just the most beloved character from G.I. Joe but one of the most popular and most bad ass heroes in entertainment history in Snake Eyes. So giving the character his own standalone movie where he’s the primal focus and doesn’t have an ensemble of other characters around him is an interesting thing to do. Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins is pretty much your average origin story of popular comic book character, that said this movie is a lot better than it any business being. It’s an action packed martial arts extravaganza with wonderful choreography, neat visuals and solid world building. Henry Golding and Andrew Koji give solid performances a share a nice relationship about brotherhood, trust and betrayal. Aside from a few set up issues and characters that don’t feel fleshed out as much, Snake Eyes is solid and fun summer entertainment.
With Henry Golding taking the lead as the titular character, Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins serves by giving the character new life and a new angle by going more in-depth with the character. We’re introduced to Snake Eyes and he really comes from nothing, except getting himself in some cage fights and working at a factory where he guts fish. While on the job, he’s approached by a young man named, Tommy, who saves his life and gives him a more meaningful and purposeful life by inviting him into his home and having Snake Eyes join his Clan Arashikage, which is an ancient society that is devoted on obtaining order and fighting evil. Through and through, we see Snake Eyes go through rigorous training to become the famous ninja warrior, but when we start to learn more about Snake Eye’s past, Tommy starts to feel more and more uncertain about his presence by joining the clan.
With an action movie like Sake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, you would expect some intense and cool martial arts, and the biggest criticism this movie has been getting is the action because of the unnecessary amount of shaky cam, which is no where near as painful as some are suggesting. Shaky cam can be a directing choice that has worked in the past. Directors like Paul Greengrass utilizes it very well in the Bourne movies and even United 93. However, you have filmmakers like Paul W.S. Anderson and Olivier Megaton don’t have a clue on how to shoot a competent action sequence. Snake Eyes does have quick cuts, but not as much as some are saying and the shaky cam isn’t prevalent as some are saying but the strategy and precision of them is what makes them impressive. For a movie that’s PG-13, this is a violent and bone-crunching time that features terrific set pieces and awesome martial arts. The action hits hard and the orchestration of them works.
Henry Golding made his breakthrough performance in the dashing and charming romantic comedy Crazy Rich Asians and has proven to show his chops in other films like A Simple Favor and Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen. The dude is still in the very early stages of his career but he’s got the chops and the stardom and it’s unquestionable that give or take 15 or 20 years, Henry Golding will be a bigger and more popular performer. Hs performance as Snake Eyes is full of charisma and grit and it’s one of the best selling points of this movie. He pulls off the action like silk wood and works well in the play area with the other actors and set pieces. But Andrew Koji might give Henry Golding a run for his money. The relationship these two share is quintessential throughout the entire movie and serves as the real meat of the movie. They have trust for one another but this is such a great relationship that despite the goodness infused, it’s not afraid to show the altercations and the deception between them. Aside from that, Andrew Koji gives a strong and magnetic performance that equals the charm and draw that Henry Golding has as Snake Eyes.
The production design and the visuals are also majesties looking by appeasing to Japanese forms and culture, however, Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins does feature some issues. First off is the addition of Samara Weaving, who feels completely sidelined in this movie. Granted to focus of this movie is Snake Eyes and his relationship with Tommy, that said, Samara Weaving’s character felt non-existent to everything that’s happening and she never got much to do. She shows up here and there and then disappears. The other issue is almost every blockbuster has and that’s the notion of franchise set up. It’s not as problematic as Tom Cruise’s The Mummy or the most recent Power Rangers movie, but it does step it’s toe in the whole Cobra organization set up and there’s maybe a scene or two of fan service to gear up die hard fans for possible follow ups.
There are far worse mainstream action movies than Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins. This is solid popcorn entertainment shines through with its sleek design of Japanese culture, terrific martial arts and some finer performances from are two main leads.
My grade for Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins: B
Zane's take at the Cinema's 