G.I. JOE RETALIATION (YO JOE!)

Marlon Wayans defecated all over part one.....was Hollywood able to redeem the franchise they almost destroyed?

The sequel to G.I. Joe was aptly named "Retaliation"....it retaliated against almost everything that made the first one horrible.  How?  Well, I'll leave that for you to find out when you watch the movie.

So we have remnants of the original Joe squad along with some new faces (but familiar names if you're a fan of the original cartoon series) like Roadblock (played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) and Flint (who really shined when he was on screen).  We're also treated to a very good portrayal of the Cobra operative Firefly (played by the always epic Ray Stevenson).  The Joes are laid to waste by an impostor posing as the president and it's up to the remaining squad to retaliate.

Bullets fly, fists are thrown and swords clash as we're taken on this roller coaster for our eyes!

PROS & CONS

Pros:

The cinematography was beautiful and colorful with characters like Cobra Commander really popping on screen.

The action was fitting of G.I. Joe.  Lots of shooting and action...and this time people die!  Now this is a PG-13 movie so there's no blood and the kill-shots are barely shown; you'll mostly see a person shooting at another person, and then the scene cuts to the victim laying on the floor.  No bullet penetration.

We're treated to another bout of Snake Eyes vs Storm Shadow (undoubtedly the only shining light in the first movie).

Cons:

We're not treated to nearly as much Snake Eyes vs Storm Shadow as I would've hoped.

The RZA is in this film (albeit for only a few minutes, but it was such a dumb and useless role I almost walked out of the theater).

Bottom line:

This movie is not meant to be taken seriously.  It's meant to be fun and unrealistic, and it succeeds in doing this without going TOO over the top with the cartoonish look (the Eiffel Tower being eaten by nano-bytes looked atrocious in the G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra).

The acting was good, the action was good, and the plot was G.I. Joe-worthy.  Bruce Willis (who, in my opinion, is beginning to jump into the same black hole as Jason Statham of being the exact same character in all of his movies) was pretty much thrown in there for his star power and appeal, don't expect too much from him.

Again, don't expect an overly realistic plot-line, you must go in expecting a G.I. Joe Saturday morning cartoon type of plot.  Let's not forget that the Joes we've come to love as children always found themselves in the precarious position of saving the entire planet from Cobra....and the awesome original animated movie pitted the Joes against an alien threat!

I felt like I was watching the Saturday morning cartoon and I liked having that feeling as opposed to feeling cheated like I did in the first part.

My Rating:

3.99999213741891478 out of 5 stars


I recommend seeing this film if you're still a G.I. Joe fan even after being slapped by the first!

Well, now you know....and knowing is half the battle!


Jay