愛污传媒

Entertainment

    • Review: 'Snake Eyes' doesn't play its cards right

    This image released by Paramount Pictures shows Henry Golding, left, and Samara Weaving in a scene from "Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins." (Niko Tavernise/Paramount Pictures via AP) This image released by Paramount Pictures shows Henry Golding, left, and Samara Weaving in a scene from "Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins." (Niko Tavernise/Paramount Pictures via AP)
    Share

    Two stars out of four.

    This image released by Paramount Pictures shows Henry Golding in a scene from "Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins." (Niko Tavernise/Paramount Pictures via AP)

    Henry Golding has undeniable screen presence. He's handsome, sure. Lots of actors are. But Golding also has that effortless charisma that the biggest movie stars possess. It's no wonder that he was catapulted from relative, travel show host obscurity to film fame with just one role in "Crazy Rich Asians" and that his name often pops up as a fan choice for the next James Bond. If the powers in Hollywood don't mess it up, he's going to be around for quite some time.

    It's also not surprising that the industry would capitalize on his breakthrough moment and come knocking with some piece of Intellectual Property for him to star in. Unfortunately that IP piece is " Snake Eyes," an origin story about a G.I. Joe character that completely misunderstands its star's appeal. Golding is simply not the right actor for the part. He's not exactly bad, just miscast and misused. And despite the novel trimmings and flash around him, his character is woefully generic.

    "Snake Eyes" has some things going for it. For one, the names Cobra and G.I. Joe aren't even uttered for almost an hour. Credited screenwriters Evan Spiliotopoulos, Anna Waterhouse and Joe Shrapnel seem to have some understanding that a mere G.I. Joe association isn't enough to get regular moviegoers into theatres. And after seeing Atlanta and Vancouver destroyed over and over again in superhero films it is a breath of fresh air to be transported to Tokyo, where director Robert Schwentke (RED, R.I.P.D.) makes sure to lovingly shoot both the neon and the ancient. He even takes our burgeoning hero to the Golden Gai and creatively utilizes the tiny alleyways for a fun fight.

    In fact, if you can make it to the Tokyo section, which takes almost a half hour to get to, you'll be in for a fairly fun ride as Snake Eyes starts to train with an ancient Japanese clan called the Arashikage. In the unnecessarily dull first part, we learn that Snake Eyes' father was murdered in front of him when he was a boy, he's spent his life since as a loner living on the streets and stuffing fish with weapons for the Yakuza and he also saves the life of the Arashikage heir, Tommy (Andrew Koji).

    Is he just naturally a good fighter? Did he have training? You won't learn that answer in "Snake Eyes," but pretty soon both the Arashikage and another well-established crime syndicate are using him as their go-to muscle and brains. In other words, his ascent through these established ranks is alarmingly swift.

    This backstory also requires Golding to affect an unrefined American accent, which is a stretch and a mistake. His "ain't" doesn't sound like any "ain't" you've ever heard before. That can be forgiven though, he's not the first Brit to be in over his head in that regard. The true sin is that Snake Eyes as a character is so deathly dull. He barely has a personality. He is purely driven by revenge and also doesn't seem to have to work all that hard at anything.

    It's frustrating because he's actually surrounded by some fairly interesting characters, like the naive but arrogant Tommy, who is desperate for his grandmother's approval (Eri Ishida plays Sen, who leads the clan). And there's Akiko too, played by Haruka Abe, who is not a blood relation in the clan but has risen through skill and grit to become one of the trusted inner circle. Either of these women's stories would have been more interesting to focus on and hopefully we'll be seeing Abe on screen again soon.

    The IP comes around to take over the story eventually and we meet a Cobra agent 脺rsula Corbero's Baroness, and a "Joe," Scarlett, played by Samara Weaving who as usual does wonders with a no expectations role. Although, like many toy-based movies, "Snake Eyes" might be betting too much on audiences caring about the connections to a broader universe of Joes more than the story in front of them.

    "Snake Eyes," a Paramount Pictures release in theatres Friday, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for, "sequences of strong violence, brief strong language."

    Running time: 122 minutes. 

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    A West Vancouver company has been ordered to repay a homebuyer's $1-million deposit after it failed to complete construction on the property in time.

    During the campaign, BC Conservative Leader John Rustad has repeatedly said people are "dying on the streets" in the province 鈥 and on Tuesday he claimed to have witnessed that very thing in downtown Vancouver while he was on his way to the leaders' debate.

    video

    video

    Dozens of cars were pulled out of the Detroit River in west Windsor on Tuesday, causing many questions for Windsorites.

    Canada

    • Jennifer Johnson, Lacombe-Ponoka legislature member, has been welcomed back into the United Conservative Party (UCP).

    • During the campaign, BC Conservative Leader John Rustad has repeatedly said people are "dying on the streets" in the province 鈥 and on Tuesday he claimed to have witnessed that very thing in downtown Vancouver while he was on his way to the leaders' debate.

    • A bill restricting the sale of long-bladed weapons was introduced in Manitoba Wednesday by Justice Minister Matt Wiebe.

    • American actor and environmental activist Mark Ruffalo is weighing in on British Columbia politics, lauding the B.C. Green Party's stance on fossil fuels ahead of the Oct. 19 election.

    • Saskatchewan's highest court has granted Dillon Whitehawk an appeal and a new trial has been ordered for the 2019 deaths of Jordan Denton and Keenan Toto.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    • Jeff Warner from Aidie Creek Gardens in the northern Ontario community of Englehart has a passion for growing big pumpkins and his effort is paying off in more ways than one.

    • Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.

    • What the 5 stages of grief are, and how to get through them

      While there's debate among experts about the stages of grief, 'people who are in the pain of grief are just saying, 鈥楬elp me,'' death and grieving expert David Kessler said. Here's what the five stages of grief are, and how you can consider and process them in whichever order you experience them.

    Sports

    • There was a time J.T. Miller struggled to work his way into an NHL lineup. Now the 31-year-old is a stalwart centre for the Vancouver Canucks 鈥 and he's set to play his 800th regular-season game Wednesday.

    • Sam Montembeault made 47 saves, Cole Caufield scored the game-winning goal and the Montreal Canadiens opened the NHL season with a 1-0 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday at the Bell Centre.

    Autos

    • video

      video

      Dozens of cars were pulled out of the Detroit River in west Windsor on Tuesday, causing many questions for Windsorites.

    • Mercedes-Benz has partnered up with the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) and the provincial government to launch a new 鈥渋ncubator program鈥. One of the first three locations is Windsor, with the other two going to Toronto and Kitchener-Waterloo.

    Local Spotlight

    Jeff Warner from Aidie Creek Gardens in the northern Ontario community of Englehart has a passion for growing big pumpkins and his effort is paying off in more ways than one.

    Saskatchewan鈥檚 Jessica Campbell has made hockey history, becoming the first ever female assistant coach in the National Hockey League (NHL).

    Have you ever seen videos of hovercrafts online or on TV and thought, 'Wow, I wish I could ride one of those.' One Alberta man did, and then built his own.

    A B.C. couple is getting desperate 鈥 and creative 鈥 in their search for their missing dog.

    Videos of a meteor streaking across the skies of southern Ontario have surfaced and small bits of the outer space rock may have made it to land, one astronomy professor says.

    A unique form of clouds made an appearance over the skies of Ottawa on Sunday evening.

    Bernie Hicks, known as the 鈥楤atman of Amherst,鈥 always wanted to sit in a Batmobile until a kind stranger made it happen.

    Bubi鈥檚 Awesome Eats, located on University Ave West took to social media to announce the closure on Friday.

    Weeneebayko Area Health Authority and the Government of Ontario have awarded a $1.8 billion fixed-price contract to design, build and finance a new Far North hospital.

    • It all happened within a matter of seconds. Christopher Taylor was biking near an East Vancouver park on a leisurely Sunday morning when he looked left to see a police cruiser barrelling toward him.

    • The parents of a teen who died of a suspected drug overdose are calling on the government to improve addiction and mental health care.

    • On the heels of a commanding performance at the only televised leaders鈥 debate of the 2024 provincial election, the leader of the BC Green Party was scheduled to speak at a lively rally after making a public safety announcement in downtown Vancouver, but lost her voice and missed it at the last minute.

    • William Osler Health System is apologizing for an incident in which an elderly Sikh patient鈥檚 facial hair was shaved 'without consent and without medical necessity' by staff at Brampton Civic Hospital.

    • Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow is expressing regret for not attending a massive vigil held earlier this week where the city鈥檚 Jewish community commemorated one year since the October 7 terrorist attack. But her explanation isn鈥檛 adding up, event organizers say.

    • As hurricane Milton slams into Florida, many Canadians living in the storm's path are preparing to evacuate or hunker down.

    • Calgary police say more charges are expected against a man accused of intentionally starting a fire that caused an explosion in northeast Calgary over the weekend.

    • One person is dead following a motor-vehicle collision in Calgary's southwest on Wednesday evening.

    • Halloween is right around the corner, but residents of a South Kanata community say they've been living in what feels like a horror movie for over a month.

    • As the LRT's new north-south line prepares to open, many Barrhaven transit users will still have to use buses and transfer to commute downtown.

    • The City of Cornwall says it has 鈥減arted ways鈥 with Mathieu Fleury as the city's chief administrative officer, though the details of his departure are unclear.

    • Three young people aged 17, 19 and 20 were arrested after shots were fired late on Tuesday near Old Montreal.

    • Sam Montembeault made 47 saves, Cole Caufield scored the game-winning goal and the Montreal Canadiens opened the NHL season with a 1-0 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday at the Bell Centre.

    • Residents are once again calling for the removal of the bike path along Terrebonne Street in NDG to be taken down because of disruptions to traffic and parking.

    • Residents of communities like Allard say there are traffic snarls on local roads every morning, leading to dangerous driving.

    • On Wednesday, Edmonton police posted video of a large encampment found excavated under the High Level Bridge in August.

    • Edmontonians are being asked to cast their ballot for the local bird they think best represents our city.

    • A 14-year-old girl has pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old boy near a Halifax mall earlier this year.

    • Premier Tim Houston said he was notified on Monday morning that funds had been allegedly stolen from the Pictou East Riding Association.

    • A 42-year-old Winnipeg man has been charged with human smuggling following an investigation near a Canada-U.S. border crossing in Manitoba.

    • A bill restricting the sale of long-bladed weapons was introduced in Manitoba Wednesday by Justice Minister Matt Wiebe.

    • A Winnipeg landlord is facing $9,000 in penalties following a mass eviction at a Winnipeg apartment block this summer.

    • A Saskatchewan Party candidate publicly apologized on Wednesday after it was revealed that he used a racial slur in caucus offices a year and a half ago.

    • RCMP in the Esterhazy area are searching for suspects after the driver of a stolen vehicle fled from police on Monday.

    • For Scarlett Hicks, everyday life is challenging, as the two-year-old lives with a long list of medical conditions.

    • One person was struck by a GO train, near the Kitchener station, on Wednesday morning.

    • A former employee of CTV Kitchener has found a few memories buried in the walls of our old home at 864 King Street West.

    • Lithium batteries, found in everything from cellphones to electric vehicles, have become a part of our daily lives 鈥 but recent fires have prompted concerns about their use.

    • A Saskatchewan Party candidate publicly apologized on Wednesday after it was revealed that he used a racial slur in caucus offices a year and a half ago.

    • Healthcare workers rallied outside St. Paul鈥檚 Hospital in Saskatoon Wednesday, advocating for better conditions in emergency rooms.

    • Milton is shaping up to be a monster of a storm, expected to strike Florida as a Category 3 hurricane, just weeks after Hurricane Helene hit the region.

    • Western University and workers represented by CUPE 2361 have reached a tentative agreement. Members could be back to work as early as Oct. 17.

    • The London Knights were in Owen Sound Wednesday tonight with some reinforcements back in the lineup.

    • This latest crash was the second fatal and third serious accident at this intersection in the past couple of months - when asked, locals said that the intersection is 'kind of blind.'

    • A Barrie man accused of assaulting a police officer in late September, which then became the topic of conversation in parliament last week, has been denied bail.

    • Provincial police are investigating reports of an armed robbery in Amaranth Township that sent one person to the hospital in critical condition.

    • The jury reached a verdict on Wednesday in the 1994 Katherine Janeiro murder case, finding her former boyfriend, Bruce Ellis, not guilty.

    • Brett Iler pleaded not guilty to six charges Wednesday as a result of a double fatal collision in the 2022 RetroFest Classic Car Cruise.

    • video

      video

      Dozens of cars were pulled out of the Detroit River in west Windsor on Tuesday, causing many questions for Windsorites.

    • The team responsible for rescuing a man found on the metal deck beneath the main roadway of the Ambassador Bridge is one of only four such teams in the province.

    • Abbas Motalebizadeh is a PhD candidate at the University of Victoria鈥檚 Mechanical Engineering Department and on Wednesday he was at the Victoria International Marina to test the Inner Harbour for microplastics.

    • During the campaign, BC Conservative Leader John Rustad has repeatedly said people are "dying on the streets" in the province 鈥 and on Tuesday he claimed to have witnessed that very thing in downtown Vancouver while he was on his way to the leaders' debate.

    • American actor and environmental activist Mark Ruffalo is weighing in on British Columbia politics, lauding the B.C. Green Party's stance on fossil fuels ahead of the Oct. 19 election.

    • Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.

    • A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.

    • Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.

    • Thousands more Lethbridge residents will soon be without a family doctor.

    • Alberta's police watchdog says the Medicine Hat police officers who were involved in an in-custody death in August 2023 acted reasonably and with appropriate force in dealing with a suspect armed with a machete.

    • Charges have been laid against a 44-year-old man following a traffic stop in Brocket, Piikani Nation RCMP said Tuesday.

    • An annual international mining conference is underway in Greater Sudbury, Ont., marking the first time the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Conference of Mining Regions and Cities has been held in North America.

    • Jeff Warner from Aidie Creek Gardens in the northern Ontario community of Englehart has a passion for growing big pumpkins and his effort is paying off in more ways than one.

    • A woman in Greater Sudbury, Ont., said "It doesn't get more Canadian than this" when she spotted a black bear dumpster diving at a Tim Hortons last month.

    N.L.

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at 愛污传媒. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop.聽Read about us.

    Stay Connected
    Follow 愛污传媒