Review of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) by Chris W — 29 Mar 2013

Completely ridiculous and over-the-top, but never boring, this movie is flawed but not quite totally terrible popcorn entertainment. I was happy to see a live action version of a fun show I grew up on, but I wasn't totally happy with the treatment of the characters, specifically their connections to one another, their origins, that sort of thing.

I didn't mind the sci-fi elements of the plot...too much, but it did make things a bit too over the top and kinda silly at times. I was able to handle the homogenizing of their uniforms though, a la X-Men, because it might have seemed silly to those who didn't grow up with the franchise originally had the traditional outfits been used. By giving everyone generic outfits though, it also took away some of the uniqueness and distinction of the Joes as an organization.

The film's casting was passable, but the performances are pretty weak and unremarkable for the msot part. Some of the effects were okay, and the Paris sequence was cool, but Sommers isn't really all that great at coming up with a strong story and characters to match the action, which, while okay, wasn't really mindblowing either.

All in all, it kept me from being bored, but it didn't keep me from wishing I was watching something better. C- (and that's being nice).