Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins Rotten Tomatoes Score Is Out

Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins‘ Rotten Tomatoes score is out – and it’s not the strongest start for this attempt to reboot the G.I. Joe movie franchise. Snake Eyes currently holds a 48% on Rotten Tomatoes with twenty-five reviews having been submitted (at the time of writing this). It’s not just an ominous sign that Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins holds a “rotten” score that doesn’t crack 50% – it’s the fact that this first wave of reviews is coming from the critics that got to see Snake Eyes early, and they still came away feeling like it’s a mixed bag, at best.

For comparison, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra currently sits at 34% on Rotten Tomatoes with 170 reviews, while G.I. Joe: Retaliation is 29% with 180 reviews. Granted, Snake Eyes still has many other reviews coming in, but so far, it seems to be a slight improvement on the G.I. Joe movie franchise?

Here’s what Comicbook.com’s Brandon Davis has to say in his Snake Eyes official review:

Snake Eyes: G.I. Jones Origins is a fine movie with lots of action and interesting characters who could benefit from a more balanced story where they more evenly spread their involvement with the main story rather than being forced to prop others up throughout. [Henry] Golding’s turn as an action star doesn’t stand out, but with [Andrew] Koji, [Samara] Weaving, and [Ursula] Corbero, it’s enough to warrant a continuation by the time the credits roll.

Meanwhile, Associated Press commits the arguable sin of claiming that Snake Eyes star Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians) isn’t charming enough: “The true sin is that Snake Eyes as a character is so deathly dull. He barely has a personality.”

Screen Rant‘s Molly Freeman strikes a balance by saying that while Snake Eyes may go a little too Iron Man 2 in trying to set up the larger G.I. Joe Universe, it’s still a welcome return to the summer blockbuster movie tradition: “With energetic and thrilling action, Snake Eyes is a fun summer blockbuster, even if the movie’s haphazard franchise setup leaves much to be desired.”

However, the most damning commentary may come from /Film, which argues that Snake Eyes fails in the one department where it should have absolutely succeeded: thrilling action: “The worst sin a martial arts movie can commit is not properly showing its action. The second sin is casting martial arts superstars and not letting them fight. On both counts, the extraordinarily limp G.I. Joe reboot Snake Eyes is guilty.”

So will G.I. Joe fans and mainstream audiences give Snake Eyes a much warmer welcome in theaters? We’ll find out this weekend.