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Thursday, March 28, 2013

MOVIE REVIEW
G.I. Joe: Retaliation
Avoiding The End Of The World, With Various Artillery

Elodie Yung as Jinx in John M. Chu's action drama "G.I. Joe: Retaliation".  Paramount Pictures
       
by Omar P.L. Moore/PopcornReel.com        Follow popcornreel on Twitter FOLLOW                                           
Thursday, March 28, 2013
"You didn't miss anything," a fellow film critic informed me, about the previous "G.I. Joe", just prior to the start of John M. Chu's "G.I. Joe: Retaliation", an action film that wields enough energy and kinetics for two movies.  Based upon the Hasbro toy action figures, "Retaliation" sees America's elite mercenary force go up against Cobra, led by a Darth Vader-like figure while fighting megalomaniacs within the U.S. government who threaten the world's existence. 

The storyline may sound like a barrel of bores but Mr. Chu's dynamic film has life, invigoration, and -- thanks to some serviceable 3D in this instance -- an immediacy and depth of vision that pulls us into the action during the first hour.  Jonathan Pryce plays the U.S. president and after a tragedy he shuts down the G.I. Joe elite unit.  Dangers erupt.  Old and familiar foes will forgo certain interests to keep the world afloat.  New G.I. Joes will defy odds, including the literally-named Roadblock (Dwayne Johnson), who combines trademark musculature, humor and heavy artillery to drive "Retaliation", a rock-'em, sock-'em wildly entertaining action powerhouse.

"G.I. Joe: Retaliation" has a little bit of everything: comedy, drama, action and satire bordering on Dr. Strangelove proportions.  Mr. Pryce is a treat to watch, as are Channing Tatum (in his second "G.I. Joe" stint), Mr. Johnson and Bruce Willis (far better here in a small role than he was in "A Good Day To Die Hard"), all of whom participate in the fetish of fascistic overload.  One sequence will put big grins on the faces of NRA types like its CEO Wayne LaPierre, in which Mr. Willis unveils an unholy treasure trove of deadly weapons.  Eagle-eyed viewers will note the password he types in to unlock them: 1776 -- the year of American independence -- indicating the synonymous forever tradition of guns and apple pie from the birth of the U.S.

The film's dynamism is exhilarating, not exhausting or overbearing, mainly because there are more than a few characters who share in the action including Storm Breaker (Byung-hun Lee) and Jinx (Elodie Yung).  Sometimes though, we are unsure of who certain characters are and where their allegiances lie.  (Could writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick have defined some of the "G.I. Joe" players a little more?  Sure.)  That "Retaliation" is a confusing tale is an understatement but what endures is its often breathtaking action. 

Despite some of its serious endeavors (one or two scenes are disturbing), Mr. Chu's film occasionally operates as a gimmick-filled skit you'd expect to see in "Scary Movie": the cameo of RZA as Blind Master.  Sometimes the results are laughably good and bad.  There's a "Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol" feel too, though "Retaliation" feels less defined than Brad Bird's 2011 film.

The distinguishing feature of "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" is its all-out fervor and special effects --  winning attributes that make this action film worth a look.  For a film based on toys there's an absence of the cartoon aspect or toy-like display you might expect.  "Retaliation" doesn't paint itself into a corner or fall victim to the kind of confinement that films like "The Last Stand", "Bullet To The Head" or "Olympus Has Fallen" do; its canvas spreads to global destinations and breathes. 

Of the action films I've seen so far (and that isn't very many) in 2013, "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" is the best.  In late March that's not saying a lot with the action films that have played during this first quarter, but "Retaliation" is a film I'd see again.

Also with: D.J. Cotrona, Ray Stevenson, Luke Bracey, Ray Park, Walton Goggins, Arnold Vosloo.

"G.I. Joe: Retaliation", which opened today across the U.S. and Canada, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association Of America for intense sequences of combat violence and martial arts action throughout, and for brief sensuality and language.  The film's running time is one hour and 54 minutes.
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