Henry Golding goes from rom-com heartthrob to full-on action star and proves that he can carry a franchise.
An ancient Japanese clan called the Arashikage welcomes tenacious loner Snake Eyes (Henry Golding) after he saves the life of their heir apparent. Upon arrival in Japan, the Arashikage teaches him the ways of the ninja warrior while also providing him something he’s been longing for: a home. However, when secrets from Snake Eyes’ past are revealed, his honor and allegiance get tested — even if that means losing the trust of those closest to him.
This is what I call a real backstory for this character. The previous G.I. Joe movies gave just a glimpse at Snake Eyes’ backstory that was less than impressive. Snake Eyes is a complete reset of the franchise and delivers a proper and more authentic backstory to the fan-favorite character. The film explores more of the history of both Snake Eyes and Storm Shadows and their once “brotherly” bond.
Director Robert Schwentke creates a film with style and energy with a plot that creates a reasonable amount of actual drama. The movie is also a synthetic and exhilarating take of ninja films. The fight scenes are choreographed with such precision, and the whole movie has a beautiful night bloom look to shot, thanks to the cinematographer Bojan Brazelli.
For a supposed kid’s franchise movie, it’s pretty damn good, but that’s mainly due to star Henry Golding. I’m just gonna put this out there: Golding needs to seriously be considered for the role of James Bond. Snake Eyes makes it abundantly clear that he’s got the beauty, the charm, the glamour, the danger, and the essential Bond quality – the ability to tell the most lethal thoughts to an audience without uttering a single word.
Even though Snake Eyes isn’t quite a superhero, the film felt like it had elements of a Marvel movie, and with enough pulsating action-for-its-own-sake, it could be a Fast & Furious spinoff. Movies now seem to get stuck in rerun mode, but what I like about Snake Eyes is that it succeeds in making a rerun feel like something you haven’t seen before.
Snake Eyes is now playing only in theaters.
What did you think of the film? Sound off in the comments.
