YES! The 80’s cartoons movie revival is in full swing and like “Transformers,” “G. I. Joe” gets a sequel. No doubt it won’t stop there.
G.I. JOE RETALIATION
Paramount Pictures Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and Skydance Productions Present In Association with Hasbro
A di Bonaventura Pictures Production
Directed by: Jon Chu
Written by: Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick
Executive Producers: Stephen Sommers, Herb Gains, Erik Howsam, Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum, David Ellison, Paul Schwake, Dana Goldberg
Produced by: Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Brian Goldner
Based on Hasbro’s G. I. Joe ® Characters
Cast: Bruce Willis, Dwayne Johnson, Channing Tatum, Adrianne Palicki, D.J. Cotrona, Byung-hun Lee
Studio Synopsis:
In this sequel, the G.I. Joes are not only fighting their mortal enemy Cobra; they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that jeopardize their very existence. A follow-up to the 2009 worldwide blockbuster G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA, which grossed over $300 million worldwide.
J.P.’s Take
So what can you expect from a movie based on Hasbro’s toy/cartoon/comic book series? Not too much. I mean sure you are rocked by the typical action scenes (one action sequence in particular I’ll highlight later in this review). Once again, you’re amazed at the state of the art visual effects. However, there is more of a story this time around, than in its predecessor “G. I. Joe: Rise of Cobra.”
“G. I. Joe: Retaliation” is the archetypal action flick with a convenient plot. It’s one that I’m sure you’ve heard before in the Saturday morning cartoons, where as the evil organization Cobra is bent on world domination. What else is new? It basically feels like a continuation of the comics or animated serials. However, I can’t deny that I enjoyed this movie in some way, mainly because it brings back memories of my youth. The characters I use to know are there and the vehicles I use to play with come to life on screen. That’s what it’s all about really, or at least that’s what it’s supposed to be about. But, we all know why the studios bothered to bring this type of film to the big screen. One thing you’ll have to keep in mind, however, is that you’re not going to be blown away by the story, as so much by the visuals. So, I didn’t go into this movie with great expectations on that point.
As for fans, they’re going to be jumping out of their seats, like the guests who sat behind me and my guest at the press viewing. Obviously, this is a genre they follow religiously. On that note, there is a particular moment in this film that I feel gives it a redeeming quality. It involves two well known adversaries, Storm Shadow (Byung-hun Lee) and Snake Eyes (Ray Park). The characters have a long history and it shows in scenes that pit them against one another in deadly hand to hang combat. They finally meet in the temple in where they once trained, and there in the hall they square off. What follows are the storm of enemy ninjas whom chase Snake Eyes with his sidekick Jinx (Elodie Yung) out of the temple onto the mountain cliff. Additionally a well choreographed aerial ballet of sword swinging and acrobatics take place on the mountain side, where ninjas hanging from ropes traverse rocky cliffs (this leaves me to wonder how they keep from entangling themselves with each other jumping from mountain face to mountain face). Any case, I won’t go into to further detail, but I will say it’s impressive to watch especially in 3D.
[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqW6ynaPXHU’]
As for casting, I’d like to point out that I chuckled at the comradery between Duke (Channing Tatum) and Roadblock (Dwayne Johnson). Their moments together were comical if a bit cheesy. Lady Jaye (played by the eye pleasing Adrianne Palicki), who’s not just a pretty face, boasts some female power moments in the heat of battle. Other characters fans will recognize immediately as I did are General Joseph Colton (Bruce Willis), U.S. President (Jonathan Pryce), Firefly (Ray Stevenson), Cobra Commander (Luke Bracey), Zartan (Arnold Vosloo), Blind Master (RZA), Flint (D.J. Cotrona), Mouse (Joseph Mazzello) and Warden Nigel James (Walton Goggins). The actors portraying the roles were all effective in conveying their characters.
For what it’s worth, “G. I. Joe: Retaliation” and its sibling “G. I. Joe: Rise or Cobra” are nothing more than a time machine for fan boys and girls who remember the cartoons, comics and toy like me. And taken at face value you can’t read too much into a movie like this, just set back and enjoy the ride. I did on a low brow level.