Due for release a year ago, GI Joe Retaliation got stuck in the studio system. It was reworked and post converted into 3D. Was it worth the wait? Let's start at the beginning with GI Joe The Rise Of Cobra. It's no secret that I really disliked that movie when it came out and, still do today. I thought it took the beloved characters from my youth and twisted them into a shell of what they were. It was like a bad joke for GI Joe fans. GI Joe Retaliation, thankfully is as much a reboot as it is a sequel to the original. Gone are the ridiculous power suits and bubble headed Cobra Commander. In are the Cobra H.I.S.S and silver masked Commander. Definitely felt more like the "old days". The story starts off after the original with Zartan impersonating the President of The United States. Storm Shadow infiltrates the prison holding Destro and Cobra Commander and helps him escape. Destro is left in his cell which, just like the cartoon, the Commander and Destro were always at odds so, it made sense for the Commander to leave him on ice. The Joes are are them framed for war crimes and destroyed by Cobra forces. Jonathan Pryce does double duty here as the impostor President and the captive hostage. His role was little more than a cameo in the original but, here he is a major player. It was nice to have him because he was quite good as the "evil" president. Dwayne Johnson is a new character "Roadblock". In the cartoon, he was more of a background character. Here, he's the leader of the small band of Joes. Even leading Flint who, in the cartoon was the leader. That was a bit confusing but, seeing as how Johnson is the big star, it made sense in the movie. Snake Eyes also returns and is very true to the original material. Gone are the goofy lips on his mask. replaced by the smooth face seen in the comics and cartoons. The lips in the original were like the glaring "Bat nipples" in Batman and Robin. The plot was very formalistic but, worked well here. The story was ripped right out of the cartoon and, unfolded as such. You won't hear "Knowing is half the battle" or, "YO JOE!" Disappointing as it was, it still felt like GI Joe. Jon Chu who, directed Justin Bieber's concert movie does an admirable job here. While, the 3D was bad and the wait sucked, the movie was't half bad. I just wish we could have seen it a year ago.
3 out of 5 stars.
Most of the stuff that happens in the movie isn't even interesting. You would think that it's somewhat entertaining, but the dialogue and the characters are just too dull to make any of these subplots work. Good review Chris.
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