This summer Paramount brought us three big-budget action films. The first one – “Star Trek – was a big hit with critics and at the box office. The second – “Transformers 2” – didn’t get great reviews but is the highest-grossing film of the year.
The third was “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra”, which, for me, was a pleasant surprise.
The movie is based on the very popular Hasbro toys. My dad had one of the original G.I. Joe action figures when he was a kid. Now he has three…but none of them look like these guys.
The main characters in “G.I. Joe” are a pair of Army soldiers (played by Channing Tatum and Marlon Wayons) who join the elite Special-Forces Team called “G.I. Joe.” These soldiers are only called-upon for the most dangerous missions.
And they have one, as an evil weapons dealer has gotten his hands on a group of metal-eating micro-robots and he plans on using them to take over the world.
“G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” could’ve easily been called “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Special Effects”. About 90% of the movie is car chases, explosions, fighting scenes, flying scenes, and stunts (including one involving the Eiffel Tower). And none of it looks real, but you know what? That didn’t bother me.
“G.I. Joe” is all about “Fantasy Action”. The kind of stuff that kids would dream-up while playing with their G.I. Joes. Wild and crazy stuff…that’s also exciting and fun.
A lot of the scenes in the movie are loud, but not as painful as “Tranformers 2”. And even though it’s 2-hours long, “G.I. Joe” moves along pretty quickly. The plot is basic and easy to follow, though there are a few twists.
None of the actors who play the soldiers have much acting to do. Dennis Quaid plays the Commander of the Joes and Sienna Miller plays the girlfriend turned bad.
“G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” is rated PG-13 for all the action-violence and a couple of bad words. It’s appropriate for kids 8 and up.
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” gets a B!
The end of the movie sets things up for a sequel. No word from the studio, as yet, if there will be one. Maybe the DVD sales will decide it.