Snake Eyes had a lot to accomplish when it hit theaters. Many fans had high expectations for the movie as it promised to delve into the origin story of one of G.I. Joe's most popular heroes, Snake Eyes - which was something they had dreamed about for a while.
Fans weren't disappointed with the end result as it did prove to be a martial arts epic that tried to add in Easter eggs and random connections to G.I. Joe's world. However, that does not mean there weren't any flaws. As audiences continued to watch the events on-screen unfold, there were just a few things that didn't make any sense to them.
Updated on April 13th, 2022, by Shawn S. Lealos: When G.I. Joe returned with the Snake Eyes movie, the studio had to hope that the response would be big enough to help usher in a new generation of Joe movies, either focusing on other characters or continuing the story of Snake Eyes. However, that isn't likely to happen with the poor box office performance.
One of the big problems with Snake Eyes wasn't the action, which was mostly solid and fun. Instead, the problem was the numerous things that made no sense about the movie. The problems ranged from questions about whether Snake Eyes is a good guy at all, if he even is good or bad in the end, to plot holes that confused viewers. If G.I. Joe is ever to get a new franchise, the confusing elements of this Snake Eyes movie mean it will likely be another reboot.
Scarlett and Baroness teaming up
The entire purpose of adding Baroness and Scarlett to Snake Eyes was to connect the movie to the war between G.I. Joe and Cobra. When talking about the movie, Snake Eyes creator Larry Hama said they were used to tease the bigger universe that the character lived in.
There was a big problem here. Baroness was trying to steal the jewel by working with villain Kenta. Scarlett was there to stop Cobra. The two worked together to fight Kenta when he grew too powerful. For Baroness, it was self-preservation. There was no reason for Scarlett to trust the Cobra operative. She wasn't there to stop Kenta, but to stop Cobra, so teaming with her enemy was fan service that made no sense.
Snake Eyes letting the villain escape
Is Snake Eyes good or bad? That is a question that the movie tried to answer, but while he left at the end as a hero, his actions in the movie made it questionable. He did so many bad things before he finally helped save his adoptive clan that no one can really call Snake Eyes a good guy.
One of his most questionable decisions was letting the man who killed his father escape. When he learned that the killer was part of Cobra, he just let him go and moved on. He spent his entire life searching for his father's killer, and even if he chose not to kill him, just letting him leave was a confusing decision.
Why was the clan so forgiving of Snake Eyes but not Storm Shadow?
At the end of Snake Eyes, Tommy did everything he could to save his clan, including using the mystical jewel to try to stop Kenta. Meanwhile, Snake Eyes infiltrated the clan to steal the jewel for Kenta in exchange for information about who killed his father.
After Snake Eyes led Kenta into a pit and the giant anaconda ate the villain, both men were brought before the clan. The clan banished Tommy for using the jewel, even though he was trying to save his clan. They did not banish Snake Eyes, despite him stealing the jewel, to begin with. If one man was banished, both men should have been removed.
Snake Eyes Is The Villain
The biggest shock of the Snake Eyes movie was the fact that Snake Eyes was the villain for most of the movie. Heading in, most people expected to see the Snake Eyes they knew and loved, the silent yet deadly loyal G.I. Joe warrior. That isn't what people received.
Instead, Snake Eyes talked as much as anyone in the movie and spent most of it lying to the people who were trying to help him. He did turn things around in the end and do the right thing, but he betrayed the man who trusted him the most and ruined his life. It made no sense why anyone would look at him as a hero after doing only one honorable thing. Snake Eyes was not a good guy.
Snake Eyes Fighting Skills
When Snake Eyes was a child, he had no idea who his father was. He was orphaned at a young age, without knowing why, and spent his youth growing up alone. However, when the movie flipped to the present-day, it showed Snake Eyes was a deadly fighter with great skills.
The idea is that he grew up to be self-sufficient and made his money fighting in underground cage fights. His skills didn't make much sense because he hadn't received proper training, yet was able to go toe-to-toe with some of the main characters who had some of the best fighting abilities in Snake Eyes.
Scarlett's Role In The Movie
Scarlett showing up in Snake Eyes didn't make any sense outside of tying the world to that of G.I. Joe. The same can be said of The Baronness. What Scarlett was doing there was simply to remind viewers that Snake Eyes was there to set up future G.I. Joe movies, and to allow the filmmakers to show him getting invited into the world of the Joes.
However, Scarlett was there and the reason given was because Cobra was slightly involved. In the end, Scarlett could have stayed at home and nothing in the movie would have changed at all.
The Purpose Of Clan Arashikage
When Tommy took Snake Eyes to his family home, the Clan Arashikage, he introduced him to his grandmother, the ninja masters of the clan, and the head of security, Akiko. He then explained that the Clan Arashikage had protected Japan for years.
However, what role the Clan Arashikage plays in the protection of Japan and what they actually do was never gone into. It makes little sense that one ninja clan in the country was so important to the security of the entire country, yet no one would help when they were under attack.
What Was Kenta's Plan?
Kenta had a grand plan that made James Bond villains look cool and calculated by comparison. He was a former member of the Clan Arashikage who tried to take over the clan and ended up banished by future leader Tommy. He was angry at his banishment and planned to destroy the clan.
He also wanted to steal a mystical jewel to destroy the clan, and then hand it over to Cobra. This entire plan made no sense, relying on Snake Eyes convincing Tommy to take him in and then betraying the clan. It also relied on him supplying Snake Eyes with his father's murderer, which he should have not known even with Cobra's help.
Snake Eyes' Father
The entire situation with Snake Eyes' father made no sense and was just there to force the future Joe into helping the bad guys in the movie. First, his father was in hiding while trying to save the world, according to Scarlett. He needed help but the Joe team could not get there in time.
Then, he died and his son escaped before taking on the name Snake Eyes. He had no record of his existence, yet Kenta found him and knew who he was. Cobra knew who killed his dad, even though he was a ghost with no records of his identity. None of it made any sense.
The Supernatural Aspects
G.I. Joe is about an elite military unit battling to covertly save America from terrorists, mostly with Cobra as the main villains. Cobra has big plans, and they use weapons, espionage, and grand schemes to fulfill their goals. At the end of the day, this is about military soldiers battling terrorists.
That made the movie's strong left turn shock audiences when it moved away from real-world fighting and took it to the supernatural. From the test that looked like a scene straight out of The Empire Strikes Back to a mystical jewel that caused things to explode, it stopped making sense and became a very different movie.
Why Did Cobra Trust Kenta?
Much like Scarlett, the existence of Cobra in the movie made no sense and was just there to connect Snake Eyes to the world of G.I. Joe. Normally, Cobra is the most powerful G.I. Joe villain, but here they looked inept and overtrusting. Why did Cobra trust a criminal overlord to keep his word in this scheme?
The Baroness, normally a very smart and calculating villain, just followed Kenta and seemed to trust that he would keep his end of the bargain. The entire thing made no sense and made Cobra look really bad.
Why Did Cobra Want Storm Shadow?
Snake Eyes was the villain for most of the movie. On the other hand, Tommy Arashikage was the good guy, fighting to save his clan, and doing everything he could to stop Cobra and Kenta. Tommy is who introduced Snake Eyes to the idea of Cobra, and he made it sound like his clan had helped G.I. Joe battle Cobra for years.
While Cobra likely looks like a group that would attract people when they are down, bringing in Tommy made no sense. He has been battling them for years. Why would they trust him now, even if he does feel betrayed?
Storm Shadow Shouldn't Turn Evil
The one thing that really makes no sense is how viewers can believe that Tommy would so easily become Storm Shadow and join Cobra. Why the group would want him makes little sense, but why he would choose to join them makes even less sense.
Tommy felt betrayed, and he had every right to feel that way. Snake Eyes was not a food guy and did bad things to people who cared about him. Tommy was truly the hero of this movie all the way to the end, one of Snake Eyes' best characters. His banishment was for doing something to try to save his clan. Having him instantly choose to become a villain made no sense and betrayed his character.