Snake Eyes

Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins could have been a great action movie if screenwriters Evan Spiliotopoulos, Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse could have found the right approach to teach us the origins of one of the most popular characters of the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero series. After being portrayed in the movies by Ray Park in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) and in G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013), it's actor Henry Golding's turn to play him in what looks to be a prequel to those two films. We can also easily understand Hasbro who, in partnership with Paramount, wanted to produce a film that would allow them to relaunch the G.I Joe cinematographic saga. Unfortunately Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins does not have a sufficiently compelling storyline and the action scenes are really lacking in scope. 

After an introductory scene taking place in the past in which Snake Eyes (Henry Golding) as a child witnesses the murder of his father by a gang of mobsters, the action starts in the present day when Snake Eyes earns his living by participating in fights in an illegal manner. He is then recruited by a rich Yakuza boss Kenta (Takehiro Hira) who offers him to work for him in exchange for allowing him to put his hands on his father's murderer. Kenta will then ask him to join the Japanese Arashikage clan by saving the life of Tommy (Andrew Koji), the future leader of this clan. The Arashikage will then teach him real methods of ninja warrior and ask him to pass three tests so that he can belong to this clan. However, Snake Eyes will realize that Kenta has manipulated him and that he will have to redeem himself with the Arashikage after having betrayed them and stolen a magic stone.

If Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins disappoints is that the film despite a promising cast including Andrew Koji (the excellent Warrior series), Iko Uwais (The Raid 1 &2 (2011-2013), The Night comes for us (2018)) and Samara Weaving (Wedding Nightmare (2019), Guns Akimbo (2019)) they do not have roles consistent enough to give this film real airs of blockbuster. In the same way, while Snake Eyes should appear as an expert in firearms and fights (black belt in 12 different fighting categories in the numerous comics), he appears here as a simple fallible fighter who can't face Hard Master in a fight during one of his test scenes. Cruelly lacking experience in action films, actor Henry Golding turns out to be a real casting error. One suspects that with an actor like Donnie Yen the film would have been more effective and could have been one of the must-see action films of this year.

In the same way, director Robert Schwentke does not seem to be the perfect choice for such a film. Certainly handicapped by a script lacking originality and spectacular scenes, this uneven director capable of the best Flight plan (2005), Red (2010) and often the worst RIPD: Rest In Peace Department (2013), Divergent 2 : Insurrection (The Divergent Series: Insurgent) (2015) and Divergente 3: Beyond the Wall (The Divergent Series: Allegiant) (2016) is surely not the best choice here as making a good action movie requires a real cinematographic ease in filming fight scenes. 

Finally, it is interesting to see that this summer two American films with a mostly Asian cast tried to find a large audience but only one of them, Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings, was really able to impose itself without any doubt as the action film of this summer and to stage spectacular fight scenes on a perfectly mastered plot. Snake Eyes for its part does not benefit from the same care.  It is not three huge anacondas with special effects not always conclusive that will tip the balance on the side of Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins especially since the release of the film has been purely cancelled in France following the unflattering American critics and an important commercial failure.

Snake Eyes: G.I Joe Origins
Directed by Robert Schwentke
Screenplay by Evan Spiliotopoulos, Joe Shrapnel, Anna Waterhouse
Story by Evan Spiliotopoulos
Based on Snake Eyes by Larry Hama, G.I. Joe by Hasbro
Produced by Brian Goldner, Erik Howsam, Lorenzo di Bonaventura
Starring Henry Golding, Andrew Koji, Úrsula Corberó, Samara Weaving, Haruka Abe, Takehiro Hira, Iko Uwais
Cinematography : Bojan Bazelli
Edited by Stuart Levy
Music by Martin Todsharow
Production: companies: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Skydance Media, Entertainment One, Di Bonaventura Pictures, Hasbro
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release date : July 23, 2021 (United States)
Running time : 121 minutes

Seen on August 17, 2021