FILM FREAK: 2.5 buckets
MOVIE GEEK'S REVIEW:
I never grew up with "G.I. Joe" toys or cartoons in my house. My parents much preferred to keep me occupied with "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." In their eyes, giant turtles with swords were much more kid friendly than humans with machine guns and swords. Go figure.
So my knowledge of "G.I. Joe" is beyond basic: I knew of the main characters and the basic plot. Other than that, I went into 'Rise of the Cobra' with no expectations for a true adaptation of the Saturday morning cartoon series.
I did, however, go into this film expecting a lackluster experience. There has been a lot of bad press surrounding the film, from the August release date, to rumors of director Stephen Sommers getting fired, to the lack of critic screenings before the release date, there has been an abundance of negativity surrounding this film.
I'm glad it's all pretty much unfounded, at least in this geek's eyes. While this is largely a cartoonish, over-the-top action fest, I found myself loving it.
I'm not saying the guy is a great director, but Stephen Sommers is starting to become the director I think he can be.
I've followed Sommers' career since the first "Mummy" movie came out in the late 90's. That film was one of the first DVDs I ever bought, and it introduced me to commentaries and behind-the-scenes extras. I remember watching Sommers, and being inspired by his enthusiasm for his work. It was obvious Sommers was really just a big kid with a flair for putting cool stuff up on the big screen.
Then the "Mummy" sequel came out in 2001, and there he was. The worst computer-generated creation ever: "The Rock" as a giant scorpion king.
It seemed as though Sommers decided to go overboard on the use of CG. As a result, the movie just fell apart with its lack of story.
Sommers followed that movie with "Van Helsing," making me reach the conclusion that while his heart seems to be in the right place, Sommers had somehow lost his way and was too busy with CG to look at perfecting a strong narrative.
With "G.I. Joe," it seems the material was made for a director with Sommers' tastes. It's big, it's loud, it's unbelievable and it's silly. But it all seems to fit nicely and flow together. The action is sharply edited, the story moves at a quick pace -- never stopping to let the viewer realize that everything unfolding in the story is completely insane.
I don't know how well the film performs on the adaptation level, but as a pure piece of popcorn fluff, I loved every bite of it.
3 buckets.
FILM FREAK'S REVIEW:
From the Egyptian desert to deep below the polar ice caps, the elite G.I. JOE team uses the latest in next-generation spy and military equipment to fight the corrupt arms dealer Destro and the growing threat of the mysterious Cobra organization to prevent them from plunging the world into chaos.
Just as with "Transformers," I looked forward to this adaptation of the 80's cartoon. I don't remember "G.I. Joe" being as interesting as "Transformers," I do remember enjoying the action, the characters and even the life lessons at the end of every show.
Here's my take on all the characters:
Dennis Quaid as General Hawk was an okay choice, but, then again, the part didn't really ask for a lot.
Duke (Channing Tatum) wasn't quite the unstoppable fighting machine I remember. On the same note, I don't remember Ripcord (Marlon Wayans) being such a vital part of the team, but Marlon almost carries the story with his comedy.
Where the movie lacks in acting it makes up for in action, in large part due to ninja expert Snake Eyes, played by Ray Park. Park is remembered as Darth Maul in "Star Wars: Episode I".
While I didn't enjoy the movie nearly as much as my counterpart, I do concede that it IS an adaptation of a fantasy cartoon. That said, "G.I. Joe" is a solid, entertaining movie that is worth the money to see, but it's not a MUST see.
My only real complaint involves the taking of power by Cobra Commander (Joseph Gordon-Levitt from "Third Rock From The Sun"). It was too much like "Star Wars: Episode III."
Cobra commander is no Darth Vader, so I really didn't like that portion. Nor did I like the downplayed abilities of Zartan (Arnold Vosloo from "The Mummy"). Fortunately, that was at the end of the movie, so it wasn't too bad.
2 and a half buckets.
