Robin PottratzReview: Silly "GI Joe" is a fun action ride *** stars out of 4
August 12th 2009 21:46
The GI Joe unit is ready for action in "GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra"
It is meant to be the capstone on a somewhat disappointing summer. GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra, is trying to capitalize on the Transformers niche of movies based on toys...the chief problem being that there isn't much plot to work with when your inspiration for a film are children's playthings.
Unlike my review of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, I am not going to delve into the plot intricacies of GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra. I will however give a frame of reference for the uninitiated. GI Joe is not one man, but a unit of supersoldiers led by General Hawk (Dennis Quaid) who are trying to save the world from the MARS corporation and its arms dealing leader James McCullen (played with sniveling glee by Christopher Eccleston). The MARS corporation now has created warheads that have tiny roaches in them called "nanomites" that eat metal, and the Joes have to make sure that they don't end up in enemy hands.
Thats about it.
The cast is sort of interesting. Channing Tatum seems to have modeled his performance as Duke on the doll of which it is based. Unreal muscle and no emotion. Sienna Miller as the Baroness takes the opposite approach...she overacts and it just comes off as silly. Marlon Wayans scores points as Ripcord for being loose and having a little fun...and Joseph Gordon Levitt as Cobra Commander is hidden behind a mask and cannot escape his eerie resemblance to Heath Ledger.
Everyone else (Rachel Nichols, Ray Park, Quaid, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Arnold Vosloo) just quietly fades into the background.
The acting in GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra is atrocious at best. Hell even Sienna Miller admits it...below is an actual quote.
"Its not going to be the best acting work we've ever done."
The acting is horrible...the plot is ridiculous...this film should be a complete and expensive (reportedly $170 million) disaster.
So, why am I giving GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra a positive review?
Because you will not see better action scenes or a more adrenaline packed ride this summer...or potentially this year. During the summer a movie can survive and thrive based on action sequences alone (see Transformers).
From the initial battle between the Joes and MARS in a forest, GI Joe never pumps the brakes on the action...which is good because any meditation would redirect the audience's attention to the film's other shortcomings.
One sequence, a chase scene in Paris which culminates in the Eiffel Tower disintegrating is actually a truly amazing piece of action cinema and is time capsule worthy. The climax where Cobra Commander reveals himself and Ripcord has to destroy the two nanomite missles and Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow (Ray Park and Lee Byung-hun) have a killer swordfight is what summer movies are all about...experiencing badass action inside a cool theater on a hot summer day...who cares about plot when the action is so cool.
Not just that, Director Stephen Sommers (The Mummy) knows when to bring the action and film to a stop before it gets too repetitive (Michael Bay...take notes).
If you get focused on the poor action and narrative...then you truly will be lost. For the rest of us who aren't looking for subtle nuance and just want a fun blow 'em up ride...GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra fits the bill.
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