Snake Eyes

A reboot to the G.I. Joe films and Hasbro's toy based franchise, Snake Eyes is the origin story to the silent ninja. Henry Golding stars as the title character wherein after his father is murdered as a child, Snake Eyes travels the world in search of the killer as he gets recruited by the Yakuza, joins an ancient ninja society, and gets in the middle of a rift between the Joes and Cobra. As standard with the previous films back in 2009 and 2013, this one isn't what one would call smart but it's at least fun. The story is very standard but tells itself really well, especially when Snake Eyes goes through the training to be accepted into the Arashikage clan. Though how it portrays the main character himself is very questionable as it often feels like we should be rooting for him when we really shouldn't due to his actions, and that the character who eventually becomes Storm Shadow is treated like a villain despite him being right. While the story is interesting, revealing that the Joes and Cobra are already well known organizations is a missed opportunity due to not being about their origins. Though often filled with cliche and over expositing dialogue, it's honestly not that bad and the actors all make it work. Despite Snake being a character known for not showing his face and being silent, Golding at least gives a good performance that makes you wonder how a sequel would lead to that. Though a big complaint is that he doesn't get to where his trademark suit until the very end as sequel bait. The other cast members, that include Andrew Koji and Samara Weaving, all give strong performances but the ones that steal the film are Iko Uwais as Hard Master and Peter Mensah as Blind Master. Being a movie about a ninja society there is of course well choreographed fight scenes, whether hand to hand or with weapons, but a few get bogged down through constant camera movement and over editing. One of the biggest achievements that this movie has is through the combination of the production values and cinematography to perfectly capture the settings that are meant to be seen on screen. Despite taking some questionable liberties from what the franchise has done, being rather formulaic, and a main character with dubious morals, Snake Eyes still has the fun energy that the last two films are known for but with a more serious tone that elevates it just enough from them. Over all: 73%

2021 top list so far:

1. In the Heights

2. Nobody

3. Black Widow

4. A Quiet Place Part II

5. Raya and the Last Dragon

6. Jungle Cruise

7. Cruella

8. Wrath of Man

9. F9

10. Snake Eyes

11. Old

12. Space Jam: A New Legacy