Snake Eyes is the 2021 film that tells the story of the two ninjas in the G.I. Joe universe, Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow. It is a total reboot of the G.I. Joe movie franchise and not a sequel to Rise of Cobra or Retaliation. It was directed by Robert Schwentke and stars Henry Golding, Andrew Koji, Haruka Abe, Samara Weaving, Ursula Corbero, and Takehiro Hira. The supporting cast includes Iko Uwais, Peter Mensah, James Hiroyuki Liao, and Eri Ishida. The movie begins with a young (unnamed) boy witnessing the murder of his father. Then the story jumps 20 years, and the boy, now known as Snake Eyes, participates in underground fighting. He begins working for the Yakuza when a boss promises to find the man who killed his father. We learn this was in exchange for infiltrating the Arashikage ninja clan by helping a clan member named Tommy, the Yakuza boss's cousin, escape after he was discovered spying on the Yakuza. Tommy takes Snake Eyes to the Arashikage clan's dojo to initiate him into the group. Throughout the movie, we learn that Cobra and G.I. Joe are tangentially involved, and their involvement grows as the story progresses. The only characters from each group that appear in the film are The Baroness (played by Corbero) and Scarlett (played by Weaving). In the end, we learn how Storm Shadow got his name and why He and Snake Eyes became enemies.
The 4k release is a single-disc release. The A/V quality is very good, especially if you have a large screen and a good sound system. The bonus features are not extensive, but what is included is good. Those include an animated short telling the story of Snake Eyes' sword, a couple of minutes of deleted scenes, a couple of making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes, and a featurette on the history of the Arashikage clan.
This is a good action movie with a decent story. I wouldn't say it is as good as Rise of Cobra overall, but it's better than Retaliation. However, it has no ties to either of those films. It is mostly an action film, but it does mix in some comedy and even dramatic moments. There is also a bit of a love story in there, but it is not the focus of the story. Golding and Koji do a good job in their roles, and the movie provides a good background for their characters; however, they are not the versions they would be presented as in the animated series at this point. Overall, it is a decent reboot of the live-action franchise and leaves room for future movies that continue the story or shift focus to other characters. Ultimately, it is not a movie that will appeal to everyone, but if you grew up with G.I. Joe and especially if you liked the ninja characters, this is worth checking out.
