I saw “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” last Friday. I’ll post a proper review soon after I collect some thoughts, but for now, I enjoyed it, and as many have said, it’s a big step up from the 2009 film.
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G.I. Joe: Retaliation Trailer
The first trailer to G. I. Joe: Retaliation went live the other day, and a few people have asked what I think of it. First, here it is:
It’s difficult to discuss this without making comparisons to G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, a flawed and disappointing, yet enjoyable, movie. A proper review of that earlier flick is a topic for another day (um, I have 15 pages of notes, so it will be a long day), but suffice it to say Retaliation looks to ignore much of what didn’t work, accentuate what does, and still move the story ahead (it is a sequel, after all) without alienating those who missed Rise of Cobra.
Things I like:
-The White House subplot is capitalized on. (Ha!)
-Lots of action
-Dwayne Johnson’s charisma, and the fact that he’s taking taking the film seriously, but not too seriously
-Bruce Willis
-The lesser actors from the first film are not present
-Machine guns rather than pulse guns
Things I like but as an over-protective fan, need to be won over on:
-Ninja cycle with guns
-Willis should have hair
-Cobra doesn’t seem to have leadership?
-But seriously, something seems familiar here…
Seriously, I can’t be the only person who immediately thought, “Wait, I’ve seen Snake-Eyes ride a dark motorcycle with guns on it right-to-left before,” can I?
1990 Ninja Force TV ad and "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" comparison
Much is yet to be revealed (and they’re still making the film, so much could change), but this early out, a tip of my hat to director Jon M. Chu, writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, production designer Andrew Menzies, and the folks at Hasbro for what looks like a fun and more faithful G.I. Joe movie.
