Once again, a stellar cast can’t save the G.I. Joe franchise from a terrible script, critics say.
Paramount’s “Snake Eyes” arrives in theaters on Friday with a 41% “Rotten” score from Rotten Tomatoes, the aggregate of 70 reviews.
The film stars Henry Golding (“Crazy Rich Asians”) as Snake Eyes, a rough and tumble loner who is out for revenge after witnessing the death of his father at a young age. Fans of Hasbro’s toy franchise know the character is destined to join up with the G.I. Joe team, a covert organization associated with the U.S. military forces.
“Snakes Eyes” takes some liberties with the source material, as it swaps out the blonde, blue-eyed Caucasian ninja from the comics for Golding, who is of Malaysian heritage. In previous iterations, Snake Eyes is also mute, the result of a helicopter explosion.
Part of the allure of the character was his ambiguous backstory. Much of Snake Eyes’ past is redacted in his files, although it is implied that he had extensive military training before joining up with the Joes.
