As Hollywood becomes more and more obsessed with intellectual property, there have been plenty of upstart franchises that wanted to cash in on a little bit of what Marvel seemed to figure out. G.I. Joe was one such franchise that gave that a shot, but Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins put a stop to that.
The movie stars Henry Golding as Snake Eyes, the famed G.I. Joe character, in a spinoff focused entirely on his character. The movie was not a hit in theaters, but has become one since arriving on Netflix. Here are three reasons you should check it out on the streamer.
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Henry Golding is a great action hero
Henry Golding’s career is far from over, but after the success of Crazy Rich Asians, it seemed distinctly possible that Golding would have a long and prosperous career as a Hollywood leading man. Snake Eyes was one of his biggest bets on that career trajectory, and the movie’s box office failures had almost nothing to do with him.
Golding is great throughout the movie, playing his central character as a loner in search of purpose who finds himself torn between the life he left behind and the one he found amid the ninjas who gave him a home.
The movie’s narrative is just the right amount of complicated
Modern blockbusters can sometimes overcomplicate their stories in an attempt to give the audience something to latch onto. Snake Eyes veers in the other direction, telling a remarkably simple origin story about a man who finds a home and must fight to defend it. This means that the movie is pretty easy to follow, and also that it’s willing to embrace a more basic approach to the story it’s trying to tell.
This may sound like a bit of a backhanded compliment, and it can certainly be taken that way. If you’re looking for a slick blockbuster that is not as complicated as a Nolan film, though, this might be perfect for you.
It’s got a solid Japanese inflection
Although Snake Eyes is an undeniably Hollywood product, much of the movie is set in Japan, and the action is also infused with that sensibility. The film put its budget on the screen, and the location shooting really helps the movie feel distinct from many of the blockbusters we see today that are set on a giant spaceship that isn’t actually real.
Don’t get me wrong, there are moments in Snake Eyes that don’t look perfect, but the movie manages to get a lot out of being set in a real place in the real world.
Snake Eyes is streaming on Netflix.
