G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Movie: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009)

Studio : Paramount Pictures

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 118min

Website : gijoemovie.com

Trailer :

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review:

And so comes one of the most anticipated movies of the year, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Having been a fan of the cartoons and the action figures as a kid, I was excited to see this movie. As I watched, that excitement dwindled.

This movie seems to want to do for the cartoons what Phantom Menace did for the Star Wars movies. At the beginning of the film, we see two Special Op soldiers, Duke and Ripcord, being recruited for the G.I. Joe unit led by General Hawk. Their current mission seems to involve the retrieval of four nuclear warheads from the evil Cobras, before they destroy world landmarks, although this plot element unfolded in such a slapdash manner that I had a hard time grasping the logic of why the Joes would even be involved in this mission.

No matter: you don’t watch a movie like this for the story, which seems to be mostly background material so that the makers can create explosions and dogfights for the blockbuster action crowd. That being said, the movie is well-made on a technical level, but the special effects don’t make up for a lack of story. I love an action movie best when well-drawn characters who are fighting for something at stake. For most of the movie, I didn’t care whether the Joes retrieved these warheads because the makers didn’t take the time to make characters we could root for (the cartoons, campy as they were, actually had stories and distinguishing differences between characters).

The movie began to grow on me in the last hour, as some of the backstories involving Storm Shadow, a troubled ninja, and Barroness, Duke’s ex-fiance gone Cobra, engaged my interest. Marlon Wayans also provides some good comic relief as Ripcord as he jive-talks and takes pratfalls in a robotic suit of armor, but these things don’t bring the movie up to the level.

The ending all but tells us that there will be a sequel in the future. If and when it comes out, I’ll probably end up watching it on someone else’s Netflix subscription with a group of friends and a case of beer. If you must see this movie, I recommend that you learn from my mistake and save it for that particular forum.

-Craig Wynne

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