Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins
The all-American G.I. Joe – aka Snake Eyes – is resurrected by the Anglo-Malaysian Henry Golding in a gruelling escapade set in Tokyo.
Fighting fit: Henry Golding and Samara Weaving
After Mortal Kombat and before the arrival of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings next month, we have Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins. Much the same, really. A helluva lot of fighting. Following a pre-credit gunshot to the head, the film cuts to a brutal cage fight in which G.I. Joe – or ‘Snake Eyes’ (Henry Golding) – is having the waste matter kicked out of him. Then at the last minute he rallies to the occasion and is declared the victor. But Joe – or ‘Snake Eyes’, let’s call him Snake – is not just adept with his fists, but with anything he can fire, swing or slice with. However, before he can become a true warrior he must sign up to the one currency that really matters: trust. That is, according to the Yakuza warlord Kenta Takamura (Takehiro Hira), who recruits the services of Snake in return for finding the killer of Snake’s father. But first Snake must infiltrate the Arashikage clan, a noble brotherhood that possesses a priceless artefact called the ‘Jewel of the Sun.’
Like many a film, G.I. Joe is part of a franchise inspired by a toy. And the toy, marketed by Hasbro, took its name from the titular American comic strip that started life in 1942. Since then, the cinematic phenomenon has spawned a full-length animated feature, a trio of direct-to-video cartoons, an animated TV series (95 episodes’ worth) and two big-budget live action features, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) and G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013), in which Snake was played by Ray Park. So, Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins is uncategorically a reboot, with the Anglo-Malaysian Henry Golding (the BBC’s The Travel Show, Paul Feig's Last Christmas) taking over the martial arts.
But, like porn, a little bit of combat goes a long way. Yet Snake Eyes cannot help itself. The fighting never stops, with hordes of screaming Yakuzas routinely appearing out of nowhere to be cut to ribbons by a single combatant. This is formulaic stuff, albeit with a story so complex that it would baffle a child of twenty. There’s the Yakuza, and then there’s the Arashikage, and then there’s the terrorist cell Cobra (“a shadow organisation devoted to global revolution through violence, fear, and extortion”), with Snake switching his allegiance from one t’other like a fast-spreading runny nose. But all he really cares about is avenging his dad’s murder.
On the plus side, there’s a strong distaff contingent, including the female head of the Arashikage (a commanding Eri Ishida), the unscrupulous mistress of Cobra (Úrsula Corberó) and the seemingly unbeatable combatant Akiko (Haruka Abe). Henry Golding himself is always amiable company, although he’s given little opportunity to act, let alone smile. Visually, director Robert Schwentke provides the film with some sweep and wellie, while it’s nice to be back on the neoned streets of Tokyo after the Olympics and People Just Do Nothing: Big in Japan. But with the sketchiest of characterisation and little human interest, it’s all bit of a slog.
JAMES CAMERON-WILSON
Cast: Henry Golding, Andrew Koji, Úrsula Corberó, Samara Weaving, Haruka Abe, Takehiro Hira, Iko Uwais, Peter Mensah, James Hiroyuki Liao, Eri Ishida, Steven Allerick, Samuel Finzi, Max Archibald, Mojo Rawley.
Dir Robert Schwentke, Pro Brian Goldner, Erik Howsam and Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Screenplay Evan Spiliotopoulos, Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse, Ph Bojan Bazelli, Pro Des Alec Hammond, Ed Stuart Levy, Music Martin Todsharow, Costumes Louise Mingenbach, Sound Eliot Connors.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Skydance Media/Entertainment One/Di Bonaventura Pictures-Paramount Pictures.
121 mins. USA/Canada. 2021. Rel: 18 August 2021. Cert. 12A.
