As movies based on toy lines go, 2009's G.I. Joe: Rise Of Cobra was pretty much a mess. An attempt to weave a rich, multi layered narrative into what was essentially a CGI heavy toy advert, it fell flat, alienating fans of the franchise, which also includes multiple popular comic and cartoon series', and fans of action films in general. A sequel was set up, but no one thought it would be acted on. But acted on it, it was, and now we have G.I. Joe: Retaliation, with director Jon M. Chu (who before this, brought us Step Up 3D and Justin Bieber: Never Say Never), replacing Stephen Sommers, stripping everything back to deliver a straight up action movie.
With a massive cull of the originals cast members on screen and off, this could have easily being a reboot, but it wisely keeps one of the first movies few interesting ideas, that terrorist group Cobra has replaced the U.S. President (Jonathan Price) with a doppelganger, and has an immense amount of fun running with it. After an impressive set up, which sees the peace keeping organisation decimated with only a handful of Joe's, led by Roadblock (Dwayne Johnson), left, the plot is laid out for us simply and clearly: Cobra wants to take over the world, and the remaining Joe's have to stop them. It is complicated slightly by a holdover sub-plot from the original, involving rival ninjas Snake Eyes (Ray Park) and Storm Shadow (Lee Byung-hun), but the script, from Zombieland writers Rhett Reece and Paul Wernick, doesn't get bogged down with details, knowing the movies audience is here for over the top action, and bad ass men and women being bad ass. On those two counts, it delivers.
The action is handled well enough, with a second act raid on a ninja stronghold being the highlight, but is marred by hyper active editing and camera work. It is a problem with most modern action movies, trying to create a sense of excitement and get our pulses racing (and forgetting we have to know what the hell is going on), but it is extremely noticeable here with some set pieces, especially the Joe's final push against the Cobra forces, flying by way too quickly. The story in between the explosions and gunfire is handled extremely well, even though a fantastic chemistry between Channing Tatum, returning as Duke, and Johnson is thrown away far too early. The pacing is perfect, but when the story veers away from the gritty realism (yes, really) set up in the first act to the more silly elements, such as the team figuring out the president is an impostor by the fact he folds his hands differently, or introducing RZA (The Man With The Iron Fists) as a ninja master (in fact, the whole ninja sub plot could have being dropped, if it wasn't a major part of the franchise), it falls down. It doesn't successfully marry the two styles, but it's not for a lack of trying.
The main players work really well with what they have, Johnson coming out as extremely likable as always, staying on the right side of cheesy. Bruce Willis, as the original Joe, is under used, and on auto pilot, but thankfully, even then he is still pretty good. Despite being set up as important members of Roadblock's team early on, Adrianne Palicki and B.J. Novak don't have anything to do, a romantic sub plot between them fizzling out as soon as it is introduced. The bad guys are the most fun here, especially Price, stealing every scene he's in. Whether it's playing Angry Birds as nuclear missiles launch around him, or verbally slamming world leaders, he is the movies best asset, and I wish there was more of him.
No one thought this was going to be a masterpiece, but it isn't the mess the original was either. It is an extremely fun slice of mindless action, and as escapism goes, is perfect to lose an hour and forty minutes to.
With a massive cull of the originals cast members on screen and off, this could have easily being a reboot, but it wisely keeps one of the first movies few interesting ideas, that terrorist group Cobra has replaced the U.S. President (Jonathan Price) with a doppelganger, and has an immense amount of fun running with it. After an impressive set up, which sees the peace keeping organisation decimated with only a handful of Joe's, led by Roadblock (Dwayne Johnson), left, the plot is laid out for us simply and clearly: Cobra wants to take over the world, and the remaining Joe's have to stop them. It is complicated slightly by a holdover sub-plot from the original, involving rival ninjas Snake Eyes (Ray Park) and Storm Shadow (Lee Byung-hun), but the script, from Zombieland writers Rhett Reece and Paul Wernick, doesn't get bogged down with details, knowing the movies audience is here for over the top action, and bad ass men and women being bad ass. On those two counts, it delivers.
The action is handled well enough, with a second act raid on a ninja stronghold being the highlight, but is marred by hyper active editing and camera work. It is a problem with most modern action movies, trying to create a sense of excitement and get our pulses racing (and forgetting we have to know what the hell is going on), but it is extremely noticeable here with some set pieces, especially the Joe's final push against the Cobra forces, flying by way too quickly. The story in between the explosions and gunfire is handled extremely well, even though a fantastic chemistry between Channing Tatum, returning as Duke, and Johnson is thrown away far too early. The pacing is perfect, but when the story veers away from the gritty realism (yes, really) set up in the first act to the more silly elements, such as the team figuring out the president is an impostor by the fact he folds his hands differently, or introducing RZA (The Man With The Iron Fists) as a ninja master (in fact, the whole ninja sub plot could have being dropped, if it wasn't a major part of the franchise), it falls down. It doesn't successfully marry the two styles, but it's not for a lack of trying.
The main players work really well with what they have, Johnson coming out as extremely likable as always, staying on the right side of cheesy. Bruce Willis, as the original Joe, is under used, and on auto pilot, but thankfully, even then he is still pretty good. Despite being set up as important members of Roadblock's team early on, Adrianne Palicki and B.J. Novak don't have anything to do, a romantic sub plot between them fizzling out as soon as it is introduced. The bad guys are the most fun here, especially Price, stealing every scene he's in. Whether it's playing Angry Birds as nuclear missiles launch around him, or verbally slamming world leaders, he is the movies best asset, and I wish there was more of him.
No one thought this was going to be a masterpiece, but it isn't the mess the original was either. It is an extremely fun slice of mindless action, and as escapism goes, is perfect to lose an hour and forty minutes to.
