GI JOE : RETALIATION
Director : Jon M. Chu
Year : 2013
Genre : Action
Rating : ***
Based on the popular Hasbro toy from the 1980's, 'GI Joe : Retaliation' is the sequel to the 2009 moderate hit 'GI Joe : Rise Of The Cobra'. Starring Dwayne Johnson, Bruce Willis and Channing Tatum, the movie is essentially a reboot of the franchise after it's successful but critically derided predecessor and to say that 'GI Joe : Retaliation' is a better film than 'GI Joe : Rise Of The Cobra' is something of an understatement. Better acted, better directed and more exciting in every way, 'GI Joe : Retaliation' is a fun and entertaining piece of popcorn fluff that completely overshadows it's original and should be enjoyed by most teenagers and fans of the original toys and TV series. Before watching 'GI Joe : Rise Of The Cobra', I had not been familiar with the franchise in any way at all and to be honest after 2 films, I am not that much clearer in understanding anything about it; but on it's own merits, the film is an action packed and surprisingly well choreographed adventure that makes the most of it's limited material. It's not a good film by any stretch of the imagination but after the hugely dull and disappointing 'GI Joe : Rise Of The Cobra', 'GI Joe : Retaliation' is a giant step up; but then again, it didn't have much to compete with in the first place.
Taking place after the events of 'GI Joe : Rise Of The Cobra', 'GI Joe : Retaliation' begins with the death of one of the mercenaries who took part in the destruction of the evil Cobra organisation's headquarters and to avenge him, a small group endeavour to kill those responsible and save the Earth from complete annihilation. Led by the formidable Roadblock (played by Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson), the GI Joes plan to infiltrate the inner workings of the system and destroy the tyrannical Cobra Commander and the chameleonic Zartan, who has taken the form of the President Of The United States and threatens to dismantle the entire GI Joe programme to make it easier to blackmail the planet for total domination.
For a movie which so fast paced, exciting and explosive, 'GI Joe : Retaliation' is directed by the unlikeliest of filmmakers. American director Jon M. Chu is best known for his mostly teenage targeted movies such as 'Step Up 2 : The Streets', 'Step Up 3D' and of course, 'Justin Bieber : Never Say Never'; films which may not be particlarly critically popular, but are hugely successful at the box office. His previous film, the aforementioned 'Justin Bieber : Never Say Never' made a whopping $92 million, making it the third most profitable documentary ever made, behind Michael Moore's acerbic 'Fahrenheit 9/11' and Kenny Ortega's affectionate 'Michael Jackson : This Is It'. While commercially valid, Chu may not be the most obvious choice for directing an explosion filled, martial arts centred action film, but to his credit, he does a pretty damn good job. Leaving behind the rubbish CGI and over-excited camerawork from it's predecessor, Chu relies mostly on practical effects and very well choreographed fight scenes to give his action a real sense of energy and excitement. Don't get me wrong, there is a fair use of computer graphics in 'GI Joe : Retaliation', but it is used intelligently and there are a number of set pieces in the movie which are genuinely thrilling; especially an amazing sequence in which a number of mercenaries fight on zip wires down the face of a colossal snow covered mountain.
Compared to the acting in the first movie, 'GI Joe : Retaliation' is miles ahead in both character development and emotion shown on screen; but again, that's really not saying a lot. Replacing a large majority of the original with newer, more vibrant actors, Chu allows his cast to have fun with their roles. At the heart of the film is Roadblock, played by the always entertaining Dwayne Johnson who gives a surprisingly upbeat and dedicated performance as a mercenary who is mourning the death of his friend but is also committed to his dangerous job. Adrianne Palicki is spunky and headstrong as the rebellious and energetic Lady Jaye and Jonathan Pryce is suitably threatening as the imposter president whose lust for blood and death is sadly infectious. However, the stand out performance is by Bying - hun Lee who plays the formidable and deadly Storm Shadow whose urge for vengeance but acceptance is surprisingly relatable. Unfortunately, the rest of the cast are really nothing special; D.J Controna fails to stand out in any way as one of the others GI Joes and Bruce Willis might as well not be in this movie at all; he adds nothing to the plotline in any way and his character is as generic as they come. However where 'GI Joe : Retaliation' excels is in the script department, which snaps, crackles and pops with lively jokes, light hearted banter and realistic conversations about values, morals and forgiveness. Sure, it's not going to win any Academy Awards for Best Screenplay any time soon, but for it's content, subject and genre, 'GI Joe : Retaliation' succeeds where so many others fail; giving us characters we care about and dialogue which intrigues and involves.
Maybe I am looking at this movie through rose tinted glasses, due to my disappointment of 'GI Joe : Rise Of The Cobra' and the improvements made in the acting, directing and screenplay departments and yes, this may be true. But for what it is and what it could have been, 'GI Joe : Retaliation' is a lot of fun; it will certainly entertain the younger members of the audience and should keep adults and the older viewing public intrigued. It's forgettable, silly and completely unrealistic but for an action film, it really could be so much worse. Dwayne Johnson is a likable main protagonist and the Cobra organisation do seem to be much more threatening and psychotic than they were portrayed in the original. In it's own universe, 'GI Joe : Retaliation' is a romping good time that will inevitably begin a whole trend of sequels and reboots, but if Chu continues to direct and the cast stay put, I'm absolutely fine with that.
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