The "GI:JOE" franchise has always had a hard time transitioning to film. "Rise of Cobra" was a huge flop and "Retaliation" did slightly better, but not enough for Paramount to actively persist on a third film. As "Transformers" is getting rebooted thanks to "Bumblebee", Hasbro hopes that they can repeat the same formula with "GI: JOE" with the fan favourite character, Snake Eyes. While I love the character for his cool factor alone, it's hard to not see how manipulative of a product the film is in regards to its goals and execution as an origin/stand-alone film.
Positives:
- The base storyline of Snake Eyes and his journey/arc. The titular character is on a revenge path on trying to find and kill the man who murdered his father many years ago. While working for the Yakuza, he saves the life of Thomas Arashikage, a heir to the Arashikage Clan. Thomas thanks Snake Eyes by recruiting him into the clan, much to his superior's concerns. As Snake Eyes starts his training as he completes the three trials of initiation, it's revealed that he's actually still working for the Yakuza leader, Kenta, who demands a special artifact in exchange for his father's murderer. Snake Eyes is internally conflicted as he must choose one side or the other as a larger threat reveals itself. While the narrative has its cliched elements, I actually enjoyed the origin for the character as it shows how morally grey he can be and the way his bond with Thomas gets torn is very clever as it ties into the arc of Snake Eyes finding his place in the clan, while Thomas is banished due to harbouring negative emotions, all of which is brought up because of Snake Eyes's actions in the film. It's different from previous adaptations, but it's a unique interpretation and actually gives a great origin for the "silent" ninja.
- Henry Golding as the titular character. Golding is great at being an edgy yet likeable protagonist. He has his moments of levity, but he tends to play the character as seriously as possible, which makes sense given his arc. If someone had to give a face and voice to the ninja, Golding did a nice job in making you believe that he can translate to this character.
- Andrew Koji as Thomas/Storm Shadow. Koji is able to bring some humbleness and over-the-top outbursts as the future rival to Snake Eyes and it's really all down to the character writing. Koji manages to paint Thomas almost as if he was the protagonist as his storyline and personality interconnects with Snake Eyes and, despite their bond as friends, how their personal goals manage to tear them apart when they are brought to life. When Thomas is banished from his clan, you understand his anger and betrayal, even if he's in the wrong. Koji's performance practically outshines Golding in regards to making you believe in the flawed nature of his character.
- Most of the side cast. Haruka Abe as Kenta, the Yakuza leader and antagonist, is really good at playing this confident and cunning warrior who is overcome with revenge towards the Arashikage Clan. Haruka Abe as Akiko works well off of Golding and Koji as the family advisor and guardian who, at first, distrusts Snake Eyes for his lack of background and suspicious activity. Iko Uwais as Hard Master is an enjoyable douchebag who undermines Snake Eyes yet still being an effective mentor and equal. Lastly, there's Peter Mensah as the Blind Master, the wise and skilled second-in-command of the Clan whose disability proves to underestimate his enemies and is one of the most badass characters of the movie.
- The music by Martin Todsharow. While not outstanding, Todsharow offers some nice oriental-inspired themes and cues and an effective action soundtrack.
- The direction by Robert Schwentke. It's not perfect, as we will get into in the negatives, but the Japanese setting and uses of vivid colours make the film stand out with the neon signs, the sharp hues on the costumes of the ninja, and the beauty of the castle setting. All of this is complemented by the cinematography from Bojan Bazelli, who offers some decent one-track shots and pans that give the modest budget film a larger sense of scope.
Negatives:
- Whenever the story is trying to connect to the larger world of GI:JOE, it's painfully shoved in, underdeveloped, and teasing of future films that it's distracting. I don't mind Snake Eyes's backstory with his dad having to do with JOE and COBRA, but when the rest of the movie is trying to push these elements into the main plot, it's really obvious in how executive it is.
- The tone. For the most part, I actually liked the tone established in the first half or so as the film is trying to take itself more serious and not have many quips or jokes. By the third act though, the tone becomes more akin to a Marvel movie with poses, one-liners and far lighter tone than previously seen. It also doesn't help that the film starts to introduce more mythical elements such as a gem that sets things on fire or literal giant snakes! While some say that this is more based on the comics, the previous films and shows tend to stay a bit more realistic in its world-building, and the introduction of magic and giant ass snakes may be way too silly for those wanting a more grounded "GI:JOE" movie.
- Samara Weaving and Ursula Corbero as Scarlet and Baroness. While Weaving and Corbero are decent actors and look good in costume, their involvement in the film is so questionably dumbfounding as they are literally just there to establish their affiliated organizations and tease more movies with them. There's a moment where Scarlet could easily kill off Baroness in the third act, but asks to briefly team up to stop Kenta, to which Baroness leaves in the middle of the fight. It's so stupid on the decision-making Scarlet has, and the movie treats the team-up like a big deal when they aren't even the focus of.
- The editing by Stuart Levy. The editing is more noticeable during the action sequences, but Levy fails to make smooth cuts and transitions that feel natural. It feels like there was another half-hour left of the movie that was cut out for pacing and the editing clearly shows.
- The action sequences. For one, Levy's editing cuts way too much throughout the majority of the action to the point that epic showdowns such as Snake Eyes taking out a bunch of Yakuza with a knife or the forced-in female empowerment scene are cut down too much or not even shown onscreen. For the first two action set-pieces, Schwentke and Bazelli establish their unappealing aesthetic of shaky-cam and close-up shots in grey environments akin to a Bourne movie. While the rest of the action does look more visually pleasing in regards to the lessened amount of handheld camera and more interesting backdrops, that issue persists due to Levy's quick editing. Lastly, as much as the sword-fighting and martial arts are stylish and fun to look at, it's missing both impact and violence to make it feel engaging or visceral. So the action isn't the worst and I do commend on them keeping CGI to a minimal, but there's just simply better action movies to watch this year alone from "Godzilla vs Kong" to "Nobody".
- The fact that this movie demands that a sequel must be made for the story to be complete. Going into the movie, you think that the story will cover everything of Snake Eye's origin, particularly the epic showdown between him and Thomas and how he began his vow of silence. This movie does get towards the betrayal and torn bondage of the two, but Snake Eyes himself hasn't given up on Thomas and seeks to save him from a destructive path. The ending not only has the balls to have both Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow get recruited by their respective teams, but the moment where the character finally puts on the iconic costume is at the final shot of the damn movie! I was guessing maybe he was going to put the costume on by the third act, but nope, final shot of the movie instead. The fact that they showed the shot in the marketing and even use the costume in select posters is just ballsy for the studio to make. The worst thing about all of this is that Paramount is hoping that you will spend enough money on this movie to give you what you really want, which was the full origin of Snake Eyes and the costume in action. Instead, they pulled off a "Sonic the Hedgehog" and basically demand that you will only get the movie you're asking for if you spend money on a cheap-ass product first.
"Snake Eyes: GI:JOE Origins" is Paramount's unapologetic attempt at kick-starting the "GI:JOE" franchise once more. From the forced involvement of the GI:JOE characters and universe, the uneven tone that introduces magic and giant snakes into the military-action franchise and Marvel-esque lightheartedness, Scarlet and Baroness feel pointless and even idiotic at times by the manipulative script, Levy's awful editing, action sequences plagued by an unappealing aesthetic, shaky-cam, editing, and lack of brutality, and the film's assumptions that a sequel will certainly be made to finish Snake Eyes's origin story and finally have him in the iconic costume. Despite how corporate the film can be, I wouldn't lie if there are some positives to point out. Snake Eyes's narrative is engaging despite a bit predictable, Golding is great as the lead role, Koji is fantastic at playing the sympathetic yet irrational Thomas, some of the side cast is enjoyable and well-acted, Todsharow's score is pretty good, and the direction and cinematography by Schwentke and Bazelli can bring out some neat shots and eye-candy, particularly when the film sets itself in Japan. It's in a similar boat akin to "Sonic the Hedgehog", where the first movie is bare-bones in order to ensure a franchise. While I do prefer this over "Sonic the Hedgehog" in regards to my expectations, it doesn't mean that it's a good movie regardless.
Verdict: 5.5/10. Average action blockbuster with good character-writing sandwiched between sequel-teasing and universe-building. If you want a mindless action spectacle, watch "Nobody" instead or just go see "Space Jam: A New Legacy" if you just want to turn your brain off and have fun.
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