Movie Review - Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins

I loved the G.I. Joe cartoon and toys growing up. I enjoyed the live action movies from a decade ago. So I was excited to see a new movie and a new take on the franchise.

Snake Eyes is a 2021 live-action action movie based on the G.I. Joe toyline. It is rated PG-13 for violence and language, and is appropriate for teens and up.

The Good

Second Half. This movie was pretty boring and pointless with no direction until the second half when a story is finally introduced and something other than random fighting begins. It action becomes interesting and I started to care about the characters and what would happen to them.

 

The Bad

Casting & Acting. The movie was poorly cast and just as poorly acted. The actors didn't really fit the characters they were playing. And everyone was so stone faced and unemotional about everything. I had a hard time caring about what was going on when the characters seemed to care just as little.

Snake Eyes is the Bad Buy. For some reason the filmmakers decided to make Snake Eyes the bad guy and then quickly redeem him in the end in a very unbelievable twist that everyone magically accepts. I understand the idea of wanting a character arc where the character learns and grows, but this was just sloppy writing.

More About Storm Shadow. While Snake Eyes appears in almost every scene, the movie is really Storm Shadow's story. It follows his rise and fall. The film should have been titled Storm Shadow.

Changed the Mythology. I don't have a problem with filmmakers taking liberties with the source material and making changes if those changes are interesting and make a better story or lead to more compelling characters. I do have a problem with making changes that don't improve on the source material. This movie did not improve upon the source material.

Fights & Action Scenes. The fights were pretty mediocre and badly filmed. And then halfway thru the characters suddenly developed the power of flight after a fairly realistic and grounded take. And the flying didn't even look good.

 

What I Would Like To Have Seen

I wish they would have stayed truer to the mythology and done a better job casting, acting, and story writing.

Overall

Snake Eyes is a 2021 live-action action movie based on the G.I. Joe toy line. It is rated PG-13 for violence and language, and is appropriate for teens and up. This movie was pretty boring and pointless with no direction until the second half when a story is finally introduced and something other than random fighting begins. It action becomes interesting and I started to care about the characters and what would happen to them. The movie was poorly cast and just as poorly acted. The actors didn't really fit the characters they were playing. And everyone was so stone faced and unemotional about everything. I had a hard time caring about what was going on when the characters seemed to care just as little. For some reason the filmmakers decided to make Snake Eyes the bad guy and then quickly redeem him in the end in a very unbelievable twist that everyone magically accepts. I understand the idea of wanting a character arc where the character learns and grows, but this was just sloppy writing. While Snake Eyes appears in almost every scene, the movie is really Storm Shadow's story. It follows his rise and fall. The film should have been titled Storm Shadow. I don't have a problem with filmmakers taking liberties with the source material and making changes if those changes are interesting and make a better story or lead to more compelling characters. I do have a problem with making changes that don't improve on the source material. This movie did not improve upon the source material. The fights were pretty mediocre and badly filmed. And then halfway thru the characters suddenly developed the power of flight after a fairly realistic and grounded take. And the flying didn't even look good. I do not recommend this film and give it 2.5 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.

   

Book Review - Life After the State: Why We Don't Need Government by Dominic Frisby

I've been a Libertarian since studying Economics in college and seeing how incentives are much more effective to drive people and nations than regulation and force.

Life After the State: Why We Don't Need Government by Dominic Frisby is a nonfiction book about unintended consequences that always follow regulation and government programs. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Explanations. So often well meaning people do things to help others only to have their efforts backfire and actually make the problems they're trying to solve worse. This book explains how that happens, why that happens, and how to avoid that.

Examples. The author uses many examples from around the world and quotes actual numbers to support and illustrate his points. I appreciate the variety and the specific numbers he gives.

The Bad

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What I Would Like to Have Seen

...

Overall

Life After the State: Why We Don't Need Government by Dominic Frisby is a nonfiction book about unintended consequences that always follow regulation and government programs. He clearly explains why well-meaning people do things to help others see their efforts backfire and actually make the problems they're trying to solve worse. This book explains not only how that happens and why that happens, but also how to avoid it. The author uses many examples from around the world and quotes actual numbers to support and illustrate his points. I appreciate the variety and the specific numbers he gives. I highly recommend this book and give it 5 out of 5 eReaders.

    

Movie Review - War With Grandpa

It's rare to come across a PG movie these days, especially one that is entertaining.

War With Grandpa is a 2020 live-action comedy. It is rated PG for mild content and is appropriate for all ages.

The Good

Casting. This movie was perfectly cast. Everyone does a great job and fits their role perfectly.

Concept. The concept is pretty clever. Grandpa is too old to live on his own, so his daughter forces him to move in with her family and displaces her son to the attic sparking a war. The point of the movie is to show the damage that comes from any war, no matter how small. It gets a little heavy handed at the end, but otherwise it good.

 

The Bad

Prosaic. The movie is very enjoyable, but if you've seen the trailer and/or thought about what could go into such a movie, you won't be surprised. Nothing was especially clever or surprising.

 

What I Would Like To Have Seen

I wish they would have been a little more clever and imaginative in the different situations and pranks.

Overall

War With Grandpa is a 2020 live-action comedy. The concept is pretty clever. Grandpa is too old to live on his own, so his daughter forces him to move in with her family and displaces her son to the attic sparking a war. The point of the movie is to show the damage that comes from any war, no matter how small. It gets a little heavy handed at the end, but otherwise it good. This movie was perfectly cast. Everyone does a great job and fits their role perfectly. While the film is very enjoyable, but if you've seen the trailer and/or thought about what could go into such a movie, you won't be surprised. Nothing was especially clever or surprising. It is rated PG for mild content and is appropriate for all ages. I recommend this film and give it 3.5 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.