Review - G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)

Starring Dwayne Johnson, Channing Tatum and Bruce Willis.
Directed by Jon M. Chu.

After being delayed a 2012 release, G.I. Joe: Retaliation finally hit theaters in March 2013. After their entire team is wiped out in a military strike, the movie follows the three surviving Joes; Roadblock (Dwayne Johnson), Flint (D.J Cotrona) and Lady Jaye (Adrianne Palicki). The Joes are framed for stealing nuclear warheads by the President of the United States (under the guise of Zartan and his terrorist group). Now the group must stop Zartan (Arnold Vosloo), Cobra Commander (Luke Bracey) and his posse as they seek world domination.

The film opens up with action sequences and some really stale and annoying dialogue between Duke (Channing Tatum) and Roadblock (Johnson). Thankfully Channing Tatum's character is rid of and for the rest of the film, there is much better dialogue between the characters. I thought Dwayne Johnson was solid and seemed pretty comfortable in this movie - compared to most of his other films, where at times, he's so awkward. He carried this movie, along with the other Joes of course. Bruce Willis, who played General Joseph Colton, had a minor role but I thought he was effective as he was a bad-ass.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation features action from start to finish. There is no significant break and the action sequences are kick-ass and enjoyable enough, especially for action fans. The movie is pretty predictable but it shouldn't come as a surprise for these type of adapted action films. The action makes up for its formulaic storyline and surprisingly the acting was okay throughout. There were a few laughs and at no point did I feel bored or annoyed (except for the Channing Tatum scenes). No character was under-used and this sequel does have a few aspects which are a bit better than the original film (re: script and acting). However the visuals effects and action pales in comparison to the first movie.

All in all, G.I. Joe Retaliation probably isn't worth the theater price but I enjoyed it for what it was. Though predictable, it is action packed, features decent set pieces and The Rock seems to be good addition to the franchise.

Rating: 7/10



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