Movie Breakdown: Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins

Pre-Screening Stance:

While I haven’t exactly been looking forward to Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, I also haven’t not been looking forward to it. The movie has practically been a ghost in my mind, one that floats around on occasion and slightly startles me with its existence. With all of that being said, I’m pulling for it.

Post-Screening Ramble:

Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins is fine, but there’s certainly a couple of ways to look at it. So, let me tackle it from each side, which would be casual movie-goer and then, of course, G.I. Joe fan.

If you’re looking for a solid action movie, Snake Eyes is an option for you. The story itself is pretty basic – guy filled with revenge gets recruited by someone who can help him get said revenge, and then he goes about doing this person’s bidding. Along the way, he makes friends, regrets his actions and discovers his true self and purpose. Also, he punches and kicks a lot of people. There’s some this and that about a terrorist group called Cobra and an anti-terrorist group called the Joes, but it doesn’t weigh too heavily on the overall movie. On the not so great side of things, there’s some dodgy CGI, the runtime is too long at two hours, and outside of Henry Golding, the cast is kind of whatever (in particular, Samara Weaving always looks like she’s reading her lines off a cue card). Will you be entertained though? Mostly, yes.

If you’re a big fan of G.I. Joe, I think Snake Eyes soars a good bit higher for you. In a lot of ways, it’s structured like The Wolverine (from 2013), in that Snake Eyes (Henry Golding) is doing his own thing, then he gets pulled into a power struggle between two old foes and has to sort his way through it. One of these frenemies is Tommy (Andrew Koji), or as G.I. Joe lovers know him – Storm Shadow, which means that this film also serves up his origin. Cobra is slyly introduced fairly early into the film, as are the Joes, and honestly, I was fairly surprised at the steady nods to characters and more from that world. None of it is heavily done, but there’s enough there to make any fan perk up a bit. Additionally, this film is cleverly concluded in a way that sets up Snake Eyes 2 and/or, if it’s really a hit, a big G.I. Joe affair. The action is good, the FX are hit or miss, and Golding shines but the rest of the cast is just OK – though you won’t care because it’s just fun seeing these classic characters on the big screen.

Ultimately, Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins is a good time, but if you’re not a G.I. Joe nerd, you can wait to catch it at home. Fans though should make the effort to hit the theater for it, as it’s big and fun and does actively try to do right by the cartoon (or action figures, if you prefer).

One Last Thought:

There’s a moment near the end of this movie where someone says “Yo Joe!” and it’s the most uninspired “Yo Joe!” of all-time. And then, as if the famed G.I. Joe battle cry slowly and sadly drifting out of this person’s mouth wasn’t enough, none of the surrounding characters react to it. I wonder if it was a post-production addition?

One More Last Thought:

Ignore all marketing that shows Snake Eyes in his usual costume – that’s straight the last shot of this movie.