"Lean, mean, and plenty of fun, G.I.Joe: The Rise of Cobra will bring out the child in you."
It’s official, G.I Joe brings “cool” to a whole new level. Seeing how well Transformers transitioned to the big screen, Hasbro did the most logical thing, which is bringing their “other” big franchise to full live-action glory! I admit I wasn’t a diehard fan of the original TV series, despite catching most episodes on Saturday mornings in the late 80s, along with Transformers (which kid back then didn’t?). That didn’t stop me from enjoying the movie. In fact, I believe those who are unfamiliar with the franchise will love it, while fans will have a ball of a time seeing their favourite characters on the big screen.
Taking place in the not so distant future, the movie focuses on US soldiers Duke (Channing Tatum) and Ripcord (Marlon Wayans - yup, the dude from White Chicks), who were tasked on transporting a highly dangerous new nanotechnology-based military weapon. When a mysterious bunch of terrorists armed with (cool) high-tech weaponry start killing everyone and steal the weapon, it takes (you guessed it) another bunch of guys with equally cool high-tech weaponry to beat them. The good guys later introduce themselves as elite anti-terrorist organisation called G.I Joe (the new acronym stands for Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity), and Duke and Ripcord somehow find themselves roped in. Most of your favourite Joes are here, like General Hawk (Dennis Quaid), Scarlett (sizzling Rachel Nichols), Snake Eyes (Ray Park aka Darth Maul), Breaker (Saïd Taghmaoui) and Heavy Duty (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje).
The bad guys go by the name of Cobra, and are led by Scottish arms-dealer James McCullen aka Destro (Christopher Eccleston), who wears a smart-looking suit and doesn’t wear his iconic metal mask (don’t ask why, you’ll find out later on). He is assisted by the creepy, rather mysterious “Doctor” (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), slick ninja Storm Shadow (Byung-Hun Lee), master of disguise Zartan (Arnold Vosloo aka The Mummy) and the sassy Baroness (Sienna Miller). These are not your stereotypical terrorists; they have the money, technology, and seriously, evil has never looked so good. And oh, another iconic villain reveals himself later on, much to the delight of the audience.
The movie is good, cheesy fun. It doesn’t attempt to take itself seriously, and succeeds as a popcorn escapist flick. It doesn’t need a genius to figure out the plot. It’s the traditional tale of good vs. bad, but there were a number of pleasant surprises along the way, like betrayal, love lost and rivalry. A welcome touch is the addition of flashbacks on a timely basis to provide some back-story for certain characters (Michael Bay, please take note!). The acting is mostly uneven, with some doing better than others. Tatum’s performance was pretty dull, but I still felt it was a notch up from his role from that awful Fighting movie. Wayans showed that he could churn a solid performance and not just the slapstick comedy he is better known for (there are still witty laughs though!), while Miller seems to be the one enjoying her role the best, portraying the Baroness with joyful glee and stealing every scene she’s in (she's so super-freaking HOT!!!). There are some twists to the characters and story that might annoy diehard fans, but I believe the average viewer wouldn’t care less. Do watch out for the various cameos that include Brendan Fraser, Jonathan Pryce and Gerald Okamura.
And what is G.I Joe without the awesome gadgets, weaponry and vehicles? Director Stephen Sommers certainly got this part right, and you’ll marvel at all the technological eye-candy, however illogical they may be. The CGi isn’t the best, but has its moments. Most of the big scenes will leave you in awe, while some are just too cheesy for words. I hate to admit it, but I could actually comprehend the action better than in Revenge of the Fallen. It isn’t a perfect movie, but you’ll be enjoying yourself so much you wouldn’t care about the silliness of it. If there’s one gripe I could remember, it was that anyone and everyone could fly or drive anything, regardless of whether it belonged to friend or foe. Perhaps a nod to the action figure toy-line the movie was based on?
Notable moments to watch out for include Ripcord checking out Scarlett photos using his accelerator suit, a superb car (well, technically Hummer) chase scene through Paris and Cobra Commandahhh~~!.
Besides the guilty pleasure of watching good-looking men and women battle it out in high fashion, the best trait of the movie is the pacing and action, which is fast, creative, and oh-so-cool without doing it in excess. In fact I lost count of the number of times I said “awesome” during the movie. If in 2007 Transformers brought out the child in you, G.I Joe: The Rise of Cobra will certainly do the same this year.
5 out of 5 Stars
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