Genre: Action, Science Fiction
Starring: Channing Tatum, Marlon Wayans, Sienna Miller, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dennis Quaid, Ray Park, Byung-hun Lee
Release Date: August 7th 2009
G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra is set in the near future, where weapons technology has evolved at an incredible rate, and a brand new science is changing the face of combat; nanotechnology. Microscopic robots that have nearly unlimited destructive capabilities. When these weapons fall into the wrong hands, it's up to top secret special-ops group G.I. Joe to get them back. Highly trained and well equipped, the "Joe's" are our last line of defense. As their commander summarizes, "When others fail...we don't."
If you watched the cartoon as a kid (or a grownup, depending on how old you are) you will notice one change early on. Whereas G.I. Joe used to be the "Real American Hero", now they are a virtual United Nations of soldiers and specialists.
The film opens in the past, with a Scottish weapons dealer, McCulloch, being brought into a torture room by his French captors. McCulloch has been selling to both sides, supplying their king, as well as the king of England, with arms. McCulloch rails against them, saying his descendants will never stop, and he is proud to die. Rather than kill him, though, they sear a white hot iron mask to his face, which he must "wear to the end of (his) days." The mask, which will serve as his prison, will be easily recognizable to fans of the cartoon.
This is the first and last scene not dominated by technology. From here, the film leaps to the future, where McCulloch's descendant has developed a nanite warhead. The weapon has the capability to destroy entire cities, and four such warheads are being sold to NATO. The weapons are entrusted to a group of special operatives for delivery. Leading them is Duke (Tatum).
On their way to the delivery, things go predictably wrong. It is only through the timely intervention of a group of Joe's that the weapons aren't lost. After very little thought, Duke and his friend Ripcord (Wayans) want in. They get their wish. The rest of the movies is keeps a fast pace, full of action and littered with so-so dialogue. Through the course of the film, the warheads change hands several times, and it is a constant struggle to keep them from being used.
I didn't find myself cringing through any of the movie, but with a film like this, you can certainly expect to chuckle through at least some of the dialogue. Likewise, no one actor really stood out over the rest, because none of them were particularly impressive.
Channing Tatum was average in his portrayal of Duke. He didn't show much emotion, except anger, but I expected that. It is not only a fair description of the bulk of his career, but really is all that is required of the character. He's tough, a good soldier, and nothing else about him really matters.
Marlon Wayans, also, didn't seem to bring much actual "acting" to the film. He played Ripcord the way he plays all his parts; as a smartass. That's not to say it bothered me. His humor kept a lightness to the film's tone that I really think it could have suffered without. I just mean there were no surprises here.
Sienna Miller plays Duchess, duke's ex-fiancee turned villainous killing machine. Her performance was relatively dry, and yet still I found myself at several points thinking "Wow. She's trying WAY too hard." Her action scenes, on the other hand, were actually pretty well done.
Dennis Quaid is General Hawk, leader of the Joe's. Without a huge amount of screen time, we didn't really get much of a sense for his character. We know he is a tough, no-nonsense military man (Yours, Mine And Ours anybody?) who cares deeply about every soldier under his command. Quaid was good, of course. He always is. I just feel they underused him.
The real highlights of the cast were Byung-hun Lee as Storm Shadow and Ray Park as Snake Eyes. These two character, particularly Snake Eyes, have been fan favorites for decades. Fans, I promise, regardless of anything else about the movie, these two will not disappoint. Both are brilliant martial artists, and they really got to showcase their talent. Whatever else you say about the production team, you have to give them this; they nailed the fight scenes. But, how could you not with the man behind Darth Maul. He was the highlight of the whole film for me, and he never said so much as a word. when it comes to non-asian martial artists working in the industry today, he is top of the list for me.
I ahve heard some complaints from people about the amount of attention these two were given. One friend said, "They should have just called it 'Snake Eyes: The Movie'". After watching it, though, I have to disagree. Yes there are a number of scenes featuring him, but he is a crucial part of the G.I. Joe universe. Yes, there was a lot of backstory scenes for him and Storm Shadow, but how else are you going to get this information when the character doesn't speak? Overall, I thought these wound up being some of the better parts of the movie.
Finally, despite the weak points in the script, the action and effects were amazing. The technology didn't seem thrown together or out of place, but were (for the characters) a natural part of the world they inhabit. Also, I must say it has been a long time since I saw action and fight sequences of this caliber, with Park and Lee standing out even above the rest of the excellently executed action.
Would I recommend this? Sure! It was a fun movie, one I'm glad I watched. If you like action, no movie has come out in some time that can compete. Don't expect too much from the story or the actors, and just let yourself enjoy it. This is not a movie to be overthought, so just sit back, relax, and watch the pretty explosions.
Story: 2.5 out of 5 (formulaic)
Performances: 3.5 out of 5 (raised from 2.5 thanks to Park and Lee)
Action: 5 out of 5
Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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