The first modern "G.I. Joe" film that was released back in 2009 had a few things going for it. It had some great action sequences, an awesome ninja, and a "rising star moment" for the now very popular Channing Tatum. Overall though, the cheesy popcorn flick was critically panned and only moderately successful. Therefore I was relatively surprised when they announced a sequel. However I was very excited by the news that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Bruce Willis would help reinvent this sequel into a possible improvement on the original. But did they succeed?
Plot wise, "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" seems to pick up right where the first film left off. Zartan, one of the leaders of the evil organization known as Cobra, has used nano-technology to disguise himself as the President of the United States (both of these characters are portrayed by Jonathan Pryce). In his plan to break Cobra Commander out of prison, Zartan must first use his Presidential influence to wipe out the G.I. Joe division by framing them with treason. And after a deadly missile strike, all of the G.I. Joes are left dead....except for three, one of them being Roadblock (Dwayne Johnson). Along with his two companions that do nothing to move the plot along, the three remaining Joe's must stop this new plan of Cobra before they unleash devastating nuclear weapons.
Now "Retaliation" is almost like watching two films because while all of this is happening, the amazingly awesome ninja known as Snake Eyes (Ray Park) is on a mission of his own to hunt down his enemy, Storm Shadow(Byung-hun Lee). Storm Shadow, who is also a member of Cobra, is responsible for breaking Cobra Commander out of prison and he might know things that could help the Joes get the upper hand. These two plot lines of Roadblock and Snake Eyes eventually come together in the end of the film.
Now first off, props to Dwayne Johnson for being the go to guy for starring in sequels to films and making them better. Johnson's appearance in the fifth "Fast and Furious" film helped give the franchise its most successful entry in years, and later he appeared in the sequel to "Journey to the Center of the Earth" and that movie also outperformed its predecessor. It seems that Johnson has done it again with "G.I. Joe." He is a great action star and brings the same likability and intensity that he usually brings with him to the role of Roadblock as well (even though he does not speak in rhyme like his character did).
The Rock is one reason to see the film, the other reason is Snake Eyes. This silent ninja is one of the coolest action characters out there which is why it is a shame he wasn't in more of the film. Every action scene with his character is a thrill to watch and it's always great when a character makes an impression without speaking a word of dialogue.
Unfortunately for the most part, my thoughts on this sequel are very similar to my thoughts on the original. The action might be a lot of fun by it is help captive to several elements, the first being over-the-top plot elements. Now I can handle a lot of things in a popcorn flick, but when Cobra Commander blows up the entire city of London, and probably towns around it, that is when I start shaking my head in disapproval.
Another thing that got on my nerves were pointless characters...way too many of them. I already mentioned how Roadblock's two companions are pretty much useless and do nothing to move the story along, I wish it had just been Roadblock and Bruce Willis' General Joe who really was not in that much of the film (much like "Expendable 2," he was used more for ticket sales). And on the Cobra side of things, I know they needed a "big guy" to fight the Rock, I just wish it could have been a more interesting character than Firefly...I wish it could have been Destro.
Which brings me to my next point, perhaps the thing that for some reason annoyed me the most. For some crazy reason, the director decided to give poor old Destro the cold shoulder and not even include him in the film. He gets a second of screen time, being held inside a tube beside Cobra Commander, only to be told by the Commander, "You're out of the band," a line that made my cringe and wonder if that was really Cobra Commander under the mask. Well, hopefully "G.I. Joe 3" which has already been announced, will see the return of the number two cobra baddie.
And yes the dialogue is cheesy, but you know what, it's the same way with"Transformers" saga, "Van Helsing," and a bunch of other action films that I still enjoy anyways. I can put aside the cheesiness, and most of the other problems with the film (except for Destro not being in it). In the end, I did not walk out of "Retaliation" feeling disappointed, nor did I walk out particularly impressed. It is an action film that stations itself in the realm of Hollywood mediocrity. But kids will love it, and if you love some great action you will have a good time as well. I give it two stars out of four.
"G.I. Joe: Retaliation" has a running time of 90 minutes and is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of combat violence and martial arts action throughout, and for brief sensuality and language.
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