I never played with the G.I. Joe action figures, nor did I watch the animated series as a kid. I was surprised that there was even a first movie in this series and I am still surprised by the release of this new second instalment.
G.I. Joe: Retaliation doesn’t really have a storyline. It continues from the previous film, but isn’t much of a sequel as the original film didn’t have much of a gripping storyline to begin with. The only real continuous prominent character from the last movie is Channing Tatum‘s character, “Duke” who doesn’t get much screen time. The new additions to the G.I. Joe team; Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson and Bruce Willis do really well on screen together and successfully keep the G.I. Joe spirit alive – but not by much. Like Tatum, Bruce Willisdoesn’t get as much screen time either which is disappointing as the trailers insinuate otherwise.
I understand that nobody will really go to see this movie for the storyline, but the storyline should still be consistent. The action sequences are good, but not great. Probably the most exciting one you should look out for is the scene with sword fighting whilst abseiling. If not for it’s high billing cast, I believe that this movie could be considered as a “B grade movie”.
Whilst I did enjoy my viewing of this film, I don’t believe it’s necessary to see this movie in 3D. Seeing it in 2D should be fine. The G.I. Joe movie series still needs a lot of work, and the only positive things I can say about this film are that some of the action scenes are quite good and the cinematography is impressive. Byung-hun Lee martial arts skills are also extremely impressive as “Storm Shadow”.
Whilst better than the original, G.I. Joe: Retaliation is good, but not great. With it’s weak storyline, most action film movie-goers would agree that this movie is very forgettable. But if you want to see an action movie that doesn’t take itself seriously and doesn’t require a lot of thinking – then this is for you.