Review of G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013) by James W — 05 May 2014

G.I. Joe: Retaliation unleashes giant set-pieces one after the other, and they all explode to life with ferocity. Once the desert base attack unfolds Retaliation totally kicks in and doesn't stop delivering knockout action.

When Cobra unleash their deadly attack upon the Joes and Duke is killed, the remaining Joes go for all out revenge and aim to make those responsible pay. Not only is Retaliation a brilliant action movie it also serves as a great vengeance flick as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Adrianne Palicki and D.J. Cotrona reign hell on Cobra and dig deep into the government. I love the new cast, and there are a few surprises along the way too that involve returning character Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes! Adrianne Palicki and Elodie Yung are the sexiest female leads I've seen since Skyfall, unbelievably hot and very talented, and seriously good at fighting.

The special effects are magnificent and they are lot more consistent and stronger that it's predecessor, plus the action sequences are absolutely mind blowing. The mountain temple fight is one of the best action scenes of 2013, the effect it had on me left me jaw dropped at the craft and intensity here. Then there's the scene where London gets obliterated, that has to be seen just so you can admire the sheer scale of it all. The final battle is so much fun, this is where Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson really kicks into battle mode and brings out the big guns and races around in a modified tank, and the face/off between him and Ray Stevenson's Firefly is pretty good! Bruce Willis has been in a lot of forgettable movies lately, and his performances aren't that great, but in G.I. Joe he's very funny, and the banter between him and Palicki is entertaining.

The story itself may not be solid gold, and at times it does seem to go all over the place, but the action and visuals are enough to compensate for that, plus the killer cast make this film even more enjoyable.