Snake Eyes

I was pleasantly surprised to find that this movie stars not just Henry Golding as Snake Eyes but also Andrew Koji from Warrior. They play off each other well and elevate the story of blood brothers and betrayal of trust. I did watch the G.I. Joe cartoon as a child, but I didn't have the toys or read the comics. It's been so long that I've forgotten everything except character names like Scarlett, Cobra Commander, Baroness, etc. Storm Shadow is one of the characters I forgot, so I was really pleased to meet him here; this is his origin story too, and Tommy Arashikage is given a lot of depth and complexity, as the heir to an ancient ninja clan in Japan. Snake Eyes saves his life and gets invited to join the clan, but first he must pass three tests.

The movie does become too slow when Snake Eyes is hanging out in the Japanese castle grounds, almost feeling like he's stuck in a medieval world, but he does sneak out to Tokyo so we can see proper modern cities and confront the crime boss Kenta. At times the action does seem a little ridiculous, that the ninjas keep fighting with katanas (and even fans) when their Yakuza enemies could just shoot them down with guns, but there is also a mystical energy plot about a magic jewel protected by the Arashikage, so that may account for their feeling of invulnerability.

Snake Eyes is on a mission of revenge for his father's death, so he makes unwise decisions before he realizes how he's been duped and used as a pawn. His discovery of the larger battle between G.I. Joe and Cobra leads him to rethink his alliances and switch sides. That's when Scarlett drops in with her crossbow, and the Baroness arrives with a Cobra army of goons with guns. I like this movie overall, and it helps me endure the wait for other Asian-led movies such as Shang-Chi in September. I also saw a trailer for a new Maggie Q movie where she seems to be back in Nikita assassin mode. That might be fun.