Annlyel James 
Snake Eyes is far from perfect, and Henry Golding wasn’t the smartest casting in the world but the movie is a dose of adrenaline that action-movie lovers will enjoy.
Henry Golding enters the G.I. Joe franchise to help bring Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins to the big screen. But can the franchise finally break free of the shackles of the past and deliver something truly worthy of the namesake?
I can honestly say I’m not a G.I Joe enthusiast. I know they were toys that had a cartoon, or maybe it was a cartoon that had a toy line? I saw G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra a few years ago when I was bored. And while I thought the movie was ridiculous I gave it an A for effort. (At least they tried to make the greatest action movie of all time.)
HISTORY
So…there’s my history on this franchise. When I learned at the end of June that there was going to be a Snake Eyes movie starring Henry Golding (you know, the guy in all of those romantic comedies) I assured myself I wasn’t going to go see it in theaters. Then I watched Black Widow.
As I sat in my local IMAX theater waiting to see the first Marvel movie on the big screen in over two years (the last MCU film I saw in theaters was Avengers: Endgame) the official trailer for Snake Eyes arrived. I tried to hate it. But as I sat there in that dark theater, I found myself quite impressed by the trailer. As well as the cool-looking action sequences displayed. When July 23 arrived, I booked four tickets, and my family and I went to see the latest G.I. Joe flick, Snake Eyes.
A CONFUSED STORYLINE
In a nutshell, Snake Eyes isn’t a great movie. In fact, it may not even be a good one. Its two hours and one-minute runtime stretch on forever as it juggles several different storylines in one. A revenge drama, a subtle love story (or is it a love triangle?😉), and a typical superhero origin story all in one. While giving the audience enough action scenes to satiate their thirst for that summer blockbuster craving.
There were times when I was so bored with the story moving along at its snail-like pace that I started getting a bit drowsy. And then there were other moments where I was bent over laughing from the ludicrous things I was seeing onscreen. Like a grand action sequence that was taking itself too seriously for its own good. And yet, despite the film being a typical action flick with an overwhelming dose of corny I came away from the film beaming and instantly declaring it the best G.I. Joe movie ever made.
VERDICT
Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins isn’t perfect. And maybe Henry Golding wasn’t the smartest casting in the world (he doesn’t make a convincing ninja or Snake Eyes for that matter). But this movie is that dose of adrenaline that I think action-movie lovers will enjoy. And if you love these characters, there’s a good chance this film will probably send your excitement through the roof. Now I’m hoping we do get a sequel.
Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins is distributed by Paramount Pictures and is playing in US theatres now. The movie releases in the UK on Wednesday 18th August 2021.
Annlyel James is a Senior Correspondent of The Future of the Force. She is passionate about Star Wars and Marvel but loves a wide variety of movie genres. Aside from her role with Future of the Force she also writes for her blog: annlyelonline. Follow her on Twitter where she channels the Force frequently!
