G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra Film Review
The Popular Toy Franchise Comes to Life on the Big Screen
Who would have thought that there would be two movies based on a popular line of Hasbro action figures to hit the theaters this summer? G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is a perfect example of a summer movie that asks its audience to leave its brain at the doors and just enjoy the entertainment. Director Stephen Sommers (The Mummy) delivers an action-packed story featuring the popular G.I. Joe characters that many children loved growing up.
The Story of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
The movie centers around a weapons manufacturer named McCullen. McCullen, with the funding of NATO, has developed nano-bot rockets that eat away at metal. G.I. Joe’s story is the classic story of a weapons manufacturer looking to take over the world by deceiving the good guys and helping the bad guys. G.I. Joe will not win any awards for best screen play or original story telling, but the story fits well with the purpose of the film, and that purpose is to deliver high-octane action.
The Good and Bad Guys of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
The movie introduces many of the popular characters from the popular franchise. Duke (Channing Tatum) and Ripcord (Marlon Wayans) are introduced in the film as typical military soldiers who get caught in the middle of the fight for the newly developed weapons. Baroness (Sienna Miller) is introduced as early in the film as the femme fatale of movie. General Hawk (Dennis Quaid), Scarlett (Rachel Nichols), Snake Eyes (Ray Park), and Heavy Duty (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) are the rest of the members of G.I. Joe. The Joes then take on Baroness, Storm Shadow and the rest of the Cobra Unit to prevent McCullen from taking over the world.
As the movie progresses, there are many subplots between the central characters of the movie. The movie does a good job of providing the audience an adequate and interesting back-story to many of the movie’s characters. The audience then understands the motivations and emotions of all its characters.
The acting performances are adequate, but at times a little comical. The best performance is turned in by Marlon Wayans as Ripcord. He is the typical comic relief character in an already light-hearted action movie, but his character is funny and engaging. Ray Parker, who plays Snake Eyes, once again plays a ninja-like character that has no dialogue. His scenes against his fellow ninja brethren just scream out cool. Channing Tatum delivers a solid performance mainly due to his chemistry with Wayans’ character. Of the two female leads in the film, Sienna Miller definitely dominates the screen with her sex appeal and strong performance. The movie does deliver its corny lines from time to time, but in no way do they detract from the film’s appeal.
Plenty of Action and Special Effects
One major gripe with the film is the special effects. The CGI in the film pales in comparison to Transformers 2. The movie shifts from the forest, to underground facilities, to France and an underwater complex. The green screen is used heavily and is completely evident throughout the movie. Many of the scenes CGI work and special effects will have the audience chuckle from time to time. The movie definitely has this videogame look and feel to it. At the same time though, one can argue that the cartoonish special effects fit well with the source material. After all, this is a movie based on line of toys. The amateurish special effects give the movie its youthful and colorful spirit. The action comes aplenty inJoes. The action scenes are well scripted and entertaining to watch despite the poor special effects.
Conclusion
Sommers should be given credit for not taking this movie too seriously. If Sommers had taken this movie seriously, it may have taken away the charm that the movie exhibits. Make no mistake about it; this is a highly-budgeted B-level action movie. There are many unbelievable aspects to G.I. Joe, but ultimately, Sommers delivers an action-filled and entertaining movie that is perfect for the summer.
Movie Score: 6.5/10
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