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A Review of “Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins (2021)”

 

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GI Joe was never my thing when I was growing up. My only experience with this IP was the two big blockbuster GI Joe movies and they were terrible. Snake Eye was the best aspect of those terrible movies though as he was a badass mute ninja. I was a little surprised and intrigued when it was announced that there would be a prequel/reboot focused on him before he was mute.  The premise is “An ancient Japanese clan called the Arashikage welcomes tenacious loner Snake Eyes after he saves the life of their heir apparent. Upon arrival in Japan, the Arashikage teach him the ways of the ninja warrior while also providing him something he’s been longing for: a home. However, when secrets from Snake Eyes’ past are revealed, his honour and allegiance get tested – even if that means losing the trust of those closest to him”. So is the Snake Eye origin a story worth telling or is it just another bad attempt at the GI Joe franchise?

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Firstly, Henry Golding is good as the titular character. It is clear that Henry is giving 100% in every scene. There is an emotional moment in the final act and Henry gives a very convincing performance during it. Andrew Koji is also great as Tomisaburo Arashikage/Storm Shadow. He has a really strong voice and presence that is great to watch. I also love the moments between Henry’s Snake Eye and Andrew’s Storm Shadow. The chemistry between the two is great and it does feel like they were close friends or brothers. I also really like the gorgeous set design from the Japanese style of the Arashikage base to the neon-filled city. There is also a pretty good action sequence with long takes in the rain at a neon-drenched alleyway that was visually good to watch.

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Unfortunately, the rest of the action sequences in this film are forgettable.   The director, Robert Schwentke, implements shaky cam during close-ups of fights and also uses a ton of quick cuts which ruins the scene. It’s such a shame as the alleyway fight scene shows that he could easily do entertaining fights but doesn’t. The music score is also very generic with this electronic thump sound throughout the movie that occurs in action and even non-action scenes.

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The biggest issue with this movie has got to be the terrible screenplay and story. The titular character, Snake Eyes, is an unlikeable main character that is difficult to root for. Without spoiling things, he does questionable things for the sake of revenge for the death of his father. Additionally, his redemption arc happens right at the very end of the movie and by that point, I could not like his character anymore. He didn’t deserve any forgiveness whatsoever. Furthermore, Tomisaburo becomes the famous GI Joe villain, Storm Shadow, through some stupid logic. The first two acts of the movie is a grounded ninja, martial art movie but the final act is a tonal shift with it feeling more in line with superhero movies with silly magical power garbage.

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Overall, Snake Eyes: GI Joe origins is the best GI Joe movie so far but it is still a bad movie. This movie succeeds in ruining the titular character by turning him into a dumb idiot. It also has forgettable action sequences that feel more aligned with generic action movies than the famed martial art movies. I don’t know if this will get a sequel or another reboot in 10 years but I hope the next entry is a lot better than this…



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