Rating of
1.5/4
I Really Hope this Flops
Looneymanthegreat - wrote on 03/29/13
This movie was not meant for me. This movie was designed to appeal mostly to 13 year old boys (and men who are still in touch with their inner 13 year old boy.) Apparently the me that existed when I was that age has been completely eradicated because I found very little to enjoy in G.I. Joe: Retaliation.
I was not a huge fan of Olympus has Fallen (which was released in theaters last weekend,) but at least it understood what makes action as a genre appealing to an adult audience. This film just throws explosions, ninjas and pointless pg-13 sensual sequences in hopes of entertaining its pubescent target audience. The result is that G.I. Joe: Retaliation feels more like a children’s film then a blockbuster release made for all age groups.
The action sequences are well put together (sometimes,) but the movie forgets to make the audience give a flying flip about what’s going on, and sometimes even cuts to an action sequence and explains why the action is happening while it is happening. The plot also often fails to generate any tension due to a lack of structure and pacing. The movie fails to draw you in to what’s going, so the over the top action sequences are painful instead of entertaining.
The only redeeming feature of this flick is Jonathan Pryce as the president’s evil doppelganger. He just has so much fun in the role it’s honestly hard not to have fun with him. I actually kind of found myself rooting for Cobra in this one. You may know Jonathan Pryce for his starring role in Terry Gilliam’s Brazil, but you will more likely recognize him as Elizabeth’s father from the Pirates of the Caribbean series. He’s a pretty good actor, and I hope to start seeing him in more movie from here on out.
All in all G.I. Joe 2 is a boring, borderline unwatchable movie. Even if your taking your teenage son to a movie this weekend, I recommend you look for another option
