Sinopsis New Movies | G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)
The G.I. Joes are not only fighting their mortal enemy Cobra; they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that jeopardize their very existence.
Director:
Jon M. Chu
Writers:
Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick
Stars:
Dwayne Johnson, D.J. Cotrona, Channing Tatum | See full cast and crew
Cast Actor and actress
Cast
Cast overview, first billed only:
Dwayne Johnson Dwayne Johnson ...
Roadblock
Jonathan Pryce Jonathan Pryce ...
President
Byung-hun Lee Byung-hun Lee ...
Storm Shadow
Elodie Yung Elodie Yung ...
Jinx
Ray Stevenson Ray Stevenson ...
Firefly
D.J. Cotrona D.J. Cotrona ...
Flint
Adrianne Palicki Adrianne Palicki ...
Jaye
Channing Tatum Channing Tatum ...
Duke
Ray Park Ray Park ...
Snake Eyes
Luke Bracey Luke Bracey ...
Cobra Commander
Walton Goggins Walton Goggins ...
Warden Nigel James
Arnold Vosloo Arnold Vosloo ...
Zartan
Joseph Mazzello Joseph Mazzello ...
Mouse
Nick Erickson Nick Erickson ...
President Picture Double
RZA RZA ...
Blind Master
With G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra making some money, but clearly not inspiring much enthusiasm, Paramount has gone for a pretty notable overhaul of the series with G.I. Joe: Retaliation. An unusual mixture of sequel and reboot, the new film does continue storylines and (a few) characters from the first movie, but also has some huge differences, both in terms of cast and crew and in the overall approach.
The early scenes establish the close bond between Duke (the returning Channing Tatum) and Roadblock (Dwayne Johnson), two members of the Joe team who head up a squad whose members include Snake-Eyes (Ray Park), Flint (D.J. Cotrona) and Lady Jaye (Adrianne Palicki). But when the Joes are framed and ambushed, only Roadblock and a few others are left to try to find those behind it and clear their name. (Hint: it’s Cobra!)
The biggest thing G.I. Joe: Retaliation has going for it is that, unlike G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, this film feels like a true G.I. Joe story – one that more firmly embraces its roots. Gone are the power suits the Joes wore last time around that felt completely out of place. There is some cool, futuristic tech used here, but the characters themselves are not bouncing around through the streets in the midst of battles. Oh, and there are no more plotlines introduced that involve Duke or any other Joe being best friends with Cobra Commander and Baroness being Cobra Commander’s sister and Duke’s former fiancé (ugh).
Cobra especially is, well, Cobra. As a long time G.I. Joe fan, it’s hard not to smile seeing Cobra Commander – complete with silver mask – walk along flanked by Storm Shadow (Byung-hun Lee) and Firefly (Ray Stevenson), followed by a group of Cobra soldiers and Red Ninjas. The movie is unapologetic about its use of code names and G.I. Joe and Cobra terminology and is basically saying, “We know what you came for. Here it is.”
It’s also a bit goofy of course, which is part of the charm. As much as we loved G.I. Joe growing up, you have to accept that translating it into live action means pointing out some of the ludicrousness of it all. That being the case, I can’t help but wish they’d gone even further and also let the Joes, like Cobra, wear uniforms more like their comic book counterparts. Nope, Lady Jaye doesn’t have a green outfit and baseball hat, and the only time Flint wears a beret, it’s at a ceremony where everyone is wearing one. But we’re oh so close to that… So maybe Part 3?
The characters are not exactly nuanced and we get just enough backstory and motivation to eek by in most cases. Though a couple of characters feel particularly underserved even on this score, including Flint and Jinx (Elodie Young), the latter of whom gets a line or two mentioning who she is and then basically serves as Snake-Eyes’ sidekick for the rest of the film. She speaks only a little more than her mute mentor.
But to see them in action is a thing of beauty. Overall, the action scenes in G.I. Joe: Retaliation are fun and exciting. Director Jon Chu brings his own huge Joe fandom to the film, along with his background directing dance-oriented movies, including two Step Up installments. That experience with choreography and fluidity serves him well here, particularly in the Ninja scenes.
The standout sequence, which has been understandably well-featured in the trailers, is a mountainside dialogue-free fight between Snake Eyes, Jinx and a horde of Red Ninjas, inspired by Larry Hama’s famous silent issue of the 1980s G.I. Joe Marvel comic. With all the participants swinging over a vast chasm, slicing, dicing and flipping along, it’s a completely over the top (no pun intended) and thrilling sequence that feels appropriately bigger than life.
The performances are mostly solid, with everyone, Johnson included, seeming to be having a good time playing a big budget version of a kids’ action figure showdown. That also goes for Bruce Willis, who has a supporting role as the man who inspired the team name – General Joe Colton. No, he’s not giving the kind of great performance we’ve seen from him recently in films such as Looper and Moonrise Kingdom, but he also certainly isn't bringing the obviously detached attitude Willis can exude when he’s not enjoying himself on a project, like Cop Out.
The big negative on the acting side here is RZA. I’m sure there was a kind of Tarantino-influenced, “this is so crazy it might work!” attitude when casting the rap star turned actor as the Joe comic book Ninja warrior called the Blind Master… but it just doesn’t work. The scenes with RZA take the movie from charmingly goofy to just embarrassingly campy. I’m guessing we’re seeing a truncated version of his material as well, as it’s notable that much of his dialogue is used as voiceover, with only a few shots of RZA actually speaking his lines. Mileage might vary on this, as some in the audience I saw G.I. Joe: Retaliation with seemed to enjoy RZA on a campy level, but for me, it was just a big misfire, and I was just glad he only had a couple of scenes.
On the other end of the spectrum, acclaimed stage and film actor Jonathan Pryce is a hell of a lot of fun as Zartan. Yes, Arnold Vosloo technically plays Zartan too, but in a plot thread held over from the first film, the master of disguise spends most of Retaliation looking like the U.S. president, and Pryce is very funny as a president who can say and do what he wants without a care in the world. Also very enjoyable in a smaller role is The Shield and Justified’s Walton Goggins as a warden with some very notable prisoners in his care. One thing G.I. Joe: Retaliation has going for it throughout is a healthy sense of humor, thanks to writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (Zombieland).
G.I. Joe: The Complete Animated Series DVD Review
I’m sure many will be curious about the depiction of Cobra Commander, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt replaced by Luke Bracey’s body and Robert Baker’s voice. In short, he’s Cobra Commander, just as he should be. He looks like him, he acts like him and the voice is suitably Evil Villain – with a nod to Chris Latta’s voice work on the 1980s animated series but not as high-pitched.
G.I. Joe: Retaliation is firmly a movie aimed at little kids and grown ups who want to journey back into their childhoods. It’s like an elaborate, expensive cosplay with big explosions and set pieces and enough of a winking sense of humor to let you know everyone is there to have a good time. All of which is to say, that if you are in the mood for seeing stuff blow up real good, this one is for you.
Lastly, I feel like I have to mention the 3D - especially given G.I. Joe: Retaliation was given a last minute delay in order to convert the film; likely with an eye towards international distribution, where 3D is a much bigger deal than in the U.S. I hate that the film was delayed for that reason, especially given I am quite over 3D and always choose the 2D option when actually buying a ticket. But the press screening I attended was in 3D and I will say, the conversion is quite well done. There are some entertaining uses of the process, as various shots are fired, things blow up and Ninjas go flying towards you. So while I don't think you need to see it in 3D, it looks good if you do.
