Review of G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013) by Hoops2448 — 25 Apr 2013

A sequel to Steven Sommers GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra is not going to be the best film of 2013 but its gotta be better that the original right? Right, but not by much. Following the events of the first film, Zartan, a master of disguise has taken the place of the president.

With this power he attempts to wipe out the Joe's including Duke (Channing Tatum), Roadblock (Dwayne Johnson), Lady Jaye (Adrianne Palicki), Snake Eyes (Ray Park) and Flint (DJ Cotrona). Right off the bat GI Joe Retaliation is a vast improvement over the previous entry if only because the action looks good and isn't shrouded in darkness, the action is clear and easy to watch and at times visually stunning (you'll know the moment) and inventive.

The new Joe team is a much more relate able bunch making for a much more interesting film. The reduced numbers of heroes and villains helps simplify matters making for a rather simple film, at least in terms of story.

Dwayne Johnson's addition seems to be the 'franchise Viagra' empire magazine states he is as he adds a sense of character to a franchise seemingly devoid of any. He is a charming lead and the role of Roadblock suits him.

All this being said the film gets tiresome towards the end and becomes quite dull which is never a good thing for an action film in particular. The action is over the tip but not in a bad way, its the story and characters that become ridiculous with the finale being a monument to over the top nature of the original series.

Johnathon Pryce seems to be enjoying himself as the villainous Zartan but his performance is about as camp as it can be. The film tries to inject some comedy into the proceedings to lighten the franchise, especially considering the dark nature of the first film but most of it fails to land which is unfortunate because it ruins the buddy movie feel.