As a youngster, especially if you are a lad, you would probably have had at least one G.I. Joe action figure. Something given as a gift to you, or maybe something you screamed for at the toy shop. I had been gifted a female action figure that came along with a toy boat, and now when I racked my brains to remember more about her, I am pretty sure I had been given one from the Cobra Command line. The Baroness. I cannot blame my parents for picking up a villain, probably that would have been the last figure available at the toy store. But coming back to the point I was making, G.I. Joe action figures have been around since the 1960's and any mention about them are likely to evoke some childhood memories, which in my case are my memories of Baroness (in a completely child-like unadulterated way!).
G.I. Joe: Retaliation does not bother with reigniting any of your childhood memories nor does it offer you the space for any sentiments. It is an out and out action packed, bullets whizzing, swords clanging, fists smashing, film. And if you get tired of that then you have some nuclear threats, possibility of Cobra domination and then more of the action repeated all over again. G.I. Joe: Retaliation, which is the sequel to the 2009 movie G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra, takes off from where the previous movie ended. The White House has been infiltrated by Cobra, with Zartan impersonating the President. The Cobra Commander is however locked up in a secret place which Zartan is seeking. The Joes on the other hand have been framed for stealing nuclear warheads and are on the run while also looking for revenge. Quite straightforward, right? Well, the movie never sold itself as something that would make you wonder about the path that humanity is moving on or trigger a debate on the importance of nuclear disarmament. In fact the manner that the world is about to be blown to bits and prices through nukes triggered by single button clicks is so rudimentary that it borders on being comical. And that is why, the action saves the day!
Oh boy, from start to finish, the film is loaded with action sequences. First the Joes are in North Korea (an obsession for America's writers), then in Pakistan, then their base is infiltrated, then a fight scene at the Cobra Commander's prison, and many more, right up till the very end. You get a few dialogues to breathe and sip your Pepsi before they are back at it again. The action sequences have been well directed, with the camera angles changing rapidly which adds to the intensity of the scenes. But the pick of the fights as was the case with the first film, is the clash between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow. In the times of guns and bombs, it is still the clash of swords that truly entertains. And the director Jon Chu seems to have agreed with me, for this particular fight sequence has been shot in quite a grandiose manner. It begins with the friends turned nemeses battling it out indoors, using all the tools at their disposal to get the better off each other. Once things are taken outside, snow laden mountains cover the backdrop as Snake Eyes with a new apprentice swings hither and tither as ninjas swing after him. Swords clash in the silence of the high altitudes, with only the skies above and the deep valley below. It is a fight scene worthy of being termed poetic and probably the highlight of the movie.
If you were to keep the fighting aside, G.I. Joe: Retaliation is a Dwayne Johnson movie. Johnson aka The Rock has climbed up in Hollywood with sheer hardwork and despite his bulk, he has an affable charm to him which is again on display in this film. His chemistry with Channing Tatum in the early parts especially give a solid build-up to the film. And he definitely has the persona about him to fit the role of a G.I. Joe, in this case Roadblock. The movie has some of the old cast back, but Joseph Gordon-Levitt does not reprise his role, probably becoming a bit bigger for such a flick post G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra. There is no Dennis Quaid as General Hawk, no Sienna Miller as Baroness, no Marlan Wayans as Ripcord. Bruce Willis enters the fray though, adding a bit more glamour on screen, but his screen time as well as the importance of his role is very subdued, making you really wonder if he is even bothered to read the scripts he picks. G.I. Joe: Retaliation holds better than its previous film though when it comes to the dialogues, with some light humour mixed up in right proportions.
The disappointment with the movie is rather self-inflicted. You probably are going to enter the theatre expecting an entertaining action film, and in that sense G.I. Joe: Retaliation delivers to quite an extent. But when the movie kicks off, building with a nice pace, mixing the action along with lighter scenes such as the one at Dwayne Johnson's home where he is playing video games with Channing Tatum, you might notch up your expectation. You might seek some character building, some more emotionally intense scenes, some soul-searching within the characters, things like that. And so when none of this happens, a sense of disappointment will hit you. For if the action had been cut in places to spend some more time with the characters and to understand them better, G.I. Joe: Retaliation could have been more than just a popcorn film. It fails on that aspects. Oh, and it does have probably one of the worst villains I have seen who is trying to take over the world, the Cobra Commander who tries a Vader-like attempt, speaking behind the mask and wearing black, but all he seems capable of taking over is the grocery shop next to my house and that too if he offers a fair price. So there it is, the last movie of March. A fun movie, watch it and enjoy, then come back and wait to see Channing Tatum in White House Down, Dwayne Johnson in Fast & Furious 6 and Bruce Willis in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.
PS: Snake Eyes is played by Ray Park who has also portrayed Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. Found it interesting that the same guy has played two pretty cool characters.
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