Movie Review : G.I Joe Retaliation

The sequel to the 2009 film has finally been released. It had a long road to the big screen as the cast of characters has totally been turned over and the movie had been delayed a few times.

The film opens up with Roadblock ( The Rock Ne Dwayne Johnson ) and Duke ( Channing Tatum ) heading a group to rescue a captive in the DMZ of the Koreas. Once the mission is accomplished they had a day or so of R and R before the extraction team were to get them and bring them home but the team that comes for them is hardly friendly. We see that COBRA has taken over the USA government and plans to rule the world or destroy it. Cobra Commander and Destro defeated from the first film are held captive deep underground and are rescued by a disguised Storm Shadow.

Roadblock and his group left abandoned and thought dead by most make there way back to the USA to exact revenge on those that attacked them and they enlist the help of one Bruce Willis who is playing a retired general. All the time Cobra Commander is working behind the scenes as his plant in the oval office holds the other world's nuclear leaders hostage by their new weapon that is situated up in space. To prove his point he drops one of the weapons onto London, England which is an impressive special effect. The leaders reluctantly bow and give control over to COBRA while we see Roadblock and his crew take on COBRA and their henchmen. In the end G.I. Joe reigns supreme though COBRA has been defeated Cobra Commander made his escape to fight another day.

Verdict : Review is short as the movie is short and thin on a plot. While some of the effects are impressive the story stretches itself to fill in the almost two hour movie. The best parts of the film are whenever Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes are on the screen or better yet at the same time. They have the best fight scenes by far. Snake Eyes doesn't speak and that actually adds to the film. Since this is a live action film there was no way I was springing for 3D format and from what I heard that was a wise decision. I love The Rock in most films and he was the main draw for me in this one but he like most of the talent were wasted on the film's thin plot. To me this movie was an upgrade from the first film but that is not saying much. It hurts me as I love the actors in other movies but in this one they just didn't click for me and with that this movie gets a slight THUMBS DOWN for me.