Snake Eyes (2021) Trailer - Reaction/Review

Snake Eyes is one of the most popular G.I. Joe characters. The black clad ninja is one of the most recognizable and it was a matter of time before he got his own standalone movie.

 

This is the third film in the series, following G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) and G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013). The ensemble cast includes Henry Golding as the black clad ninja, Andrew Koji as the titular character's blood brother Storm Shadow, Úrsula Corberó as Baroness, Samara Weaving as Scarlett, Iko Uwais as Hard Master and Peter Mensah as Blind Master.

 
Check out the trailer:

 

 

Snake Eyes is recruited by Storm Shadow to join the Arashikage, a centuries old Japanese clan of ninjas. The clan has been protecting the world from threats and Cobra (a terrorist organization) is the latest. Snake Eyes has to pass the requisite tests to become an accepted member of the clan and join the fight.

I am not familiar with G.I. Joe lore and am not sure how much this story line is faithful to the character's mythology. As a general fan of movies, this one piqued my interest. The casting choices looks solid for the main characters. Henry Golding and Andrew Koji seem to be having fun in their roles. Úrsula Corberó is well cast as Baroness.

 

I am looking forward to watching Samara Weaving and Iko Uwais as Scarlett and Hard Master respectively. I liked Samara's performance in Ready or Not and The Raid: Redemption is one of my favorite action movies. The action sequences in the latter were amazing and the finale fight between Iko's character and his brother vs Mad Dog is a classic.

Speaking of action sequences, this movie too promises lot of fun. Hopefully, the movie will live up to the high expectations set up by this trailer and not go the route of Mortal Kombat.

 

Image Sources: Paramount Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Skydance Media, Hasbro, Di Bonaventura Pictures, Entertainment One

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Movie Review: The Raid: Redemption (2011)

Written and directed by Gareth Evans, the movie focusses on an ill-fated attempt by a team of elite cops to storm a building that happens to be the stronghold of an infamous gangster, Tama (Ray Sahetapy). The opening shots of the movie introduce us to Rama (Iko Uwais), a rookie cop and a soon-to-be father. Rama has a long day ahead, thanks to the aforementioned raid.

Rama and his teammates are led by Sergeant Jaka (Joe Taslim). Tama is assisted by Mad Dog and Andy, the brawn and brains respectively. The team enters the building as planned but find themselves the target of an array of opponents, including machete wielding thugs and sharpshooters. Does Rama manage to come out with life and limb intact?

Gareth shows a deft hand in direction and has incorporated some twists and turns along the way that may not surprise astute viewers, but does help raise the movie a notch above than being just another run-of-the-mill actioner. 

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Iko has the dashing looks and martial arts skills and looks all set to have a successful career ahead. He also handled the stunts (along with Yayan Ruhian) and the action choreography is just plain amazing. Special mention must be made of Rama’s encounter with the machete gang. This is easily the best fight scene in the movie, possibly rivaled by the climactic fight with Mad Dog.

Some of the Mad Dog’s scenes reminded me of The Dark Knight’s Joker. I believe the director wanted to create a sense of dread of an implacable enemy akin to the Joker. While Joker was a madman bent on anarchy using his smarts, Mad Dog is the polar opposite. He lives up to his name and uses his physical skills to beat his opponent(s) to death.

Ray Sahetapy is a veteran actor and gives us a great villain in Tama, who is quite ruthless when it comes to protecting his turf.

Ray Sahetapy as Tama

The theme music by Mike Shinoda enhances the movie, especially in the climactic scenes.

This is one heck of an action movie with enough character moments for the actors to become more than just cardboard cutouts as is usually the case in movies of this genre.

Iko Uwais in 'The Raid: Redemption'

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Image Sources: Wikipedia, ActionFest, AceShowBiz

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