This film centers around Snake Eyes (Henry Golding), a tenacious loner who is welcomed into an ancient Japanese clan called the Arashikage by one of its leaders Tommy (Andrew Koji) after saving his life. Upon arrival in Japan, the Arashikage teach Snake Eyes the ways of the Ninja warrior while also providing something he's been looking for: a home. He is taught by Hard Master (Iko Uwais), Blind Master (Peter Mensah) and their security officer, Akiko (Haruka Abe). But, when secrets from his past are revealed , Snake Eyes honor and allegiance will be tested-- even if that means losing the trust of those closest to him.
Others to round out the cast are Takehiro Hira as Kenta, Eri Ishida as Sen, Ursula Corbero as Baroness, Samara Weaving as Scarlett, Samuel Finzi as Mr. Augustine, Steven Allerick as Father, Max Archibald as young Snake Eyes and Simon Chin as Hama.
This was helmed with the expertise one would expect by veteran director Robert Schwentke ("Heaven!" '93, "Tattoo" '02, "The Family Jewels" '03, "Flightplan" '05, "The Time Traveler's Wife" '09, "RED" '10, "R.I.P.D." '13, "The Divergent Series: Insurgent" '15, "Allegiant" '16, "The Captain" '17) plus TV and a video documentary. With the exception of "Insurgent" and "Allegiant", this filmmaker usually directs other types of films which gives him credit in going out of his comfort zone once again. His characters were very believable in their respective roles which certainly helped make this a better film than I ever thought it would be. It was effectively written by Evan Spiliotopoulos, Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse, based on a story by Spiliotopoulos, which is based on the G.I. Joe franchise. Considering all of the seasoned writers here, this script could've been a bit tighter and cohesive. It had a tendency to meander at times and there were a couple of places that never could happen in reality. Don't get me wrong, it was a great action-packed yarn with amazing fight and stunt sequences, but the story had issues with its getting to the end. It obviously leads the audience toward another installment. Oh, com'on, like you didn't see that coming?!
It's an interesting build up to the G.I. Joe franchise, but there could've been a bit more to let the audience know that's where its heading. It's also in an IMAX format as well which I'm sure looks good on that huge screen. Grab the popcorn for this pure escape roller coaster.
Out of 4 Stars: 2.5 Rated: PG-13 121mins.
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