As a kid of the 1980’s, G.I. Joe was a staple of my cartoon and comic book enjoyment. So when G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra came out in 2009 I was very excited to see a live action film based on these famous characters of my youth. Unfortunately it fell short of my expectations. These type of films I usually refer to them as popcorn films, an hour and a half to two hours of mindless action to take you away from the real world. With that said, there is still that need for some degree of satisfaction for your money.
Four years later the “anticipated” sequel G.I. Joe: Retaliation hit theaters this week. So does the sequel out gun the original? Yes and no. Gone are most of the original cast replaced with big name action stars like Bruce Willis and Dwayne Johnson. That’s a major plus for any action film. The negative still remains, missed opportunities and too much going on for a 90min film. Especially if this is suppose to be the second part of a trilogy as the ending would have us believe. Pacing is everything. Also, in the Joe universe, the big bad is Cobra Commander not Zartan. Unless your a fan, you may not realize that fact. But fans like myself, who should be a reason why these movies are made to begin with, will notice and will be slightly frustrated with.
Speaking of Cobra Commander, it would have been nice if the first film established him and his quest for world domination better and give him his iconic look instead of some reinvention of it. If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. Remember who your target audience is. At least they got it right on the money with Retaliation.
I did like for the most part that director Jon M. Chu continued the storyline that was established in the first and a good use of exposition to put most of the players in place. Too bad they didn’t do the same regarding the fates of the noticeably absent Baroness, Scarlett, Ripcord and Hawk and the 1000’s of other Joes shown in the first. Maybe they were downsized.
In the end, Retaliation is a setup for a possible finale in the near or far future. I do not dislike either film because they are what they are, mindless entertainment which is not a bad thing. We need that every now and then. The only problem I continue to have and this goes for many comic book films, when you have a wealth of material at your disposal you shouldn’t have any excuses for missteps. No need to reinvent the wheel. I’m sure this isn’t the last time we’ll see the Joes and Cobra in action.
G.I. JOE **1/2 (out of 4)
G.I. JOE: RETALIATION *** (out of 4)
G.I. JOE **1/2 (out of 4)
G.I. JOE: RETALIATION *** (out of 4)
May the Dork be with you,
JPB
The Dork Knight
