As a film buff, I love seeing films alone on Saturday afternoons or Friday nights. As as result of my frequent attendance, I have come to know not to expect much from action blockbuster films. Yes, you get your usual incomprehensible hand-to-hand fights, buildings exploding and enemy gunfire as inaccurate as ever, with the inevitably minimal plot and screenplay. As the ending credits rolled, I stood up thinking "ehhh". The film definitely had some amazingly entertaining action sequences and awesome special effects, but you know, you can't really be THAT amazed with an action film. Not gonna lie, the screenplay in this film was pretty well written, and it included quite a few pleasantly surprising laughs. Dwayne Johnson has a big few months ahead of him with the release of Snitch (which I give a 7/10), the next Fast and Furious movie, and Pain & Gain. With this film, he did reinforce his true acting credentials, even though not much notable acting is observed in such a genre. All in all, if you're expecting something like Olympus Has Fallen, you might be dissatisfied. If you go in like me, with no true expectations other than hoping for some entertainment, you might like what you see.
222 Reviews
Plenty of great visuals and action but not much story.
jhpstrydom9 September 2013
This second G.I JOE film doesn't have much in terms of a well thought out plot but it does have some great visuals and is packed with loads of well staged action sequences so action movie buffs should have a blast. For those also seeking more of a character story it's still best to look somewhere else.
The acting is however surprisingly good given the film's plot. Dwayne Johnson and Channing Tatum both bring a certain likability to their characters and I enjoyed watching them the most and of course Adrianne Palicki who was very friendly on the eyes.
Overall, The film might not have much of a plot but the great visuals and the well made action sequences keep it from becoming a total bore. Those who want more of a character driven plot might not think very much of it.
The acting is however surprisingly good given the film's plot. Dwayne Johnson and Channing Tatum both bring a certain likability to their characters and I enjoyed watching them the most and of course Adrianne Palicki who was very friendly on the eyes.
Overall, The film might not have much of a plot but the great visuals and the well made action sequences keep it from becoming a total bore. Those who want more of a character driven plot might not think very much of it.
I enjoyed this movie
0U23 February 2020
Could be a better movie.
minngyang27 July 2013
First of all, I am so happy to see The Rock and Bruce Willis joining the cast, the movie suddenly looks so huge with them. But I still hate how they trimmed almost all of the original cast, I like Ana and Scarlett, and it definitely will be more amusing if Ripcord is in this sequel. Luckily they kept Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow, they are just as awesome as they were in the previous film, really enjoy the rival show of these two character.
The story line is average, the plot is weird, doesn't have ups and downs, only a parallel line from beginning to the end. There is no climax in G.I Joe: Retaliation, but if you say the movie is excited at all time, it would be hard to argue.
There are not much advanced and cool weapon stuffs in this sequel, probably to fit the story, I'd say it is actually kinda boring compare to the previous G.I. Joe movie. However, some of the scene is pretty entertained tho.
Overall, with good actors and good special effect, G.I. Joe: Retaliation only needs a better screenplay to be a better movie.
The story line is average, the plot is weird, doesn't have ups and downs, only a parallel line from beginning to the end. There is no climax in G.I Joe: Retaliation, but if you say the movie is excited at all time, it would be hard to argue.
There are not much advanced and cool weapon stuffs in this sequel, probably to fit the story, I'd say it is actually kinda boring compare to the previous G.I. Joe movie. However, some of the scene is pretty entertained tho.
Overall, with good actors and good special effect, G.I. Joe: Retaliation only needs a better screenplay to be a better movie.
Better than the original, but not really great
estebangonzalez1030 March 2013
¨Call me JOE¨
As a kid I was a huge fan of the GI Joe cartoons and had a vast collection of the action figures, but I never thought it was a very good idea to bring the franchise to the big screen. I didn't like the first film despite all the great special effects because the entire concept was just way too silly, and I didn't like this film all that much either despite the fact it had a better story and some more interesting characters. What really saved this film for me was a ten minute action scene in the mountains which was pretty amazing and made the entire movie worthwhile. It was one of the best action scenes I've seen all year. This second film was directed by Jon M. Chu (Justin Bieber Never Say Never and Step Up 2) and the screenplay co-written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (Zombieland), but very few actors are back from the original movie (only five) so this felt like a totally different movie. Retaliation is much better than Rise of Cobra but it still felt a little light due to the nonstop action. It's one of those movies you can enjoy for two hours but forget about once it's over. What it does have going for it is that is includes better action stars like The Rock and Bruce Willis. The Rock is probably one of the best contemporary action stars and he already brought the Fast and Furious franchise back alive again. He doesn't quite do the same with GI Joe, but he still makes this movie a little more enjoyable than the original one. Despite all the cheesiness of the plot I still had some fun, and the producers knew that the premise couldn't be taken seriously so they just played around with it.
The Joes continue to serve and protect the world under the leadership of Captain Duke (Channing Tatum) and his team which consists of Roadblock (Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock), Flint (D.J. Cotrona), and Jaye (Adrianne Palicki). They have a couple of successful missions until the team is betrayed by the US president (Jonathan Pryce) who is actually Zartan (Arnold Vosloo) infiltrated as him. Thus the Joes are forced to fight enemy forces inside their own government and are forced to receive help from the only person they can trust: retired General Joe Colton (Bruce Willis). Meanwhile Storm Shadow (Byung-hun Lee) has conceived a plan with Firefly (Ray Stevenson) to free their imprisoned Cobra Commander (Luke Bracey). Snake Eyes (Ray Park) is determined to stop him with the help of Jinx (Elodie Yung), but the Joes are running out of time with the President threatening the world with a nuclear war. Will the Joes be able to stop the Cobra team before they destroy the entire world?
Channing Tatum and The Rock shared some funny scenes together and had great chemistry, but I would have enjoyed more screen time with them. Adrianne Palicki looked great in that red dress and was a good addition to the film. Cotrona and Willis didn't do much, but the highlight of the film was the mountain action sequence between Park and Lee. The film had its extremely cheesy moments, and I couldn't believe they even didn't care about the explosion of London. They continued as if nothing ever happened and celebrated the success of the mission without considering the devastating loss. I think that was probably the worst part of the film and the entire scene was probably used to attract people through the trailers. Retaliation is big and loud, anticipation for what is to come in the blockbuster summer movies. By the time summer gets here we will probably have forgotten all about this movie, but it was still a fun and entertaining two hours. Even those people that will end up hating this film will have to agree that the ten minute action scene between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow was pretty entertaining. As long as you don't think too much about what's going on you might enjoy this senseless film.
As a kid I was a huge fan of the GI Joe cartoons and had a vast collection of the action figures, but I never thought it was a very good idea to bring the franchise to the big screen. I didn't like the first film despite all the great special effects because the entire concept was just way too silly, and I didn't like this film all that much either despite the fact it had a better story and some more interesting characters. What really saved this film for me was a ten minute action scene in the mountains which was pretty amazing and made the entire movie worthwhile. It was one of the best action scenes I've seen all year. This second film was directed by Jon M. Chu (Justin Bieber Never Say Never and Step Up 2) and the screenplay co-written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (Zombieland), but very few actors are back from the original movie (only five) so this felt like a totally different movie. Retaliation is much better than Rise of Cobra but it still felt a little light due to the nonstop action. It's one of those movies you can enjoy for two hours but forget about once it's over. What it does have going for it is that is includes better action stars like The Rock and Bruce Willis. The Rock is probably one of the best contemporary action stars and he already brought the Fast and Furious franchise back alive again. He doesn't quite do the same with GI Joe, but he still makes this movie a little more enjoyable than the original one. Despite all the cheesiness of the plot I still had some fun, and the producers knew that the premise couldn't be taken seriously so they just played around with it.
The Joes continue to serve and protect the world under the leadership of Captain Duke (Channing Tatum) and his team which consists of Roadblock (Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock), Flint (D.J. Cotrona), and Jaye (Adrianne Palicki). They have a couple of successful missions until the team is betrayed by the US president (Jonathan Pryce) who is actually Zartan (Arnold Vosloo) infiltrated as him. Thus the Joes are forced to fight enemy forces inside their own government and are forced to receive help from the only person they can trust: retired General Joe Colton (Bruce Willis). Meanwhile Storm Shadow (Byung-hun Lee) has conceived a plan with Firefly (Ray Stevenson) to free their imprisoned Cobra Commander (Luke Bracey). Snake Eyes (Ray Park) is determined to stop him with the help of Jinx (Elodie Yung), but the Joes are running out of time with the President threatening the world with a nuclear war. Will the Joes be able to stop the Cobra team before they destroy the entire world?
Channing Tatum and The Rock shared some funny scenes together and had great chemistry, but I would have enjoyed more screen time with them. Adrianne Palicki looked great in that red dress and was a good addition to the film. Cotrona and Willis didn't do much, but the highlight of the film was the mountain action sequence between Park and Lee. The film had its extremely cheesy moments, and I couldn't believe they even didn't care about the explosion of London. They continued as if nothing ever happened and celebrated the success of the mission without considering the devastating loss. I think that was probably the worst part of the film and the entire scene was probably used to attract people through the trailers. Retaliation is big and loud, anticipation for what is to come in the blockbuster summer movies. By the time summer gets here we will probably have forgotten all about this movie, but it was still a fun and entertaining two hours. Even those people that will end up hating this film will have to agree that the ten minute action scene between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow was pretty entertaining. As long as you don't think too much about what's going on you might enjoy this senseless film.
Should Never Have Been Made
jace_the_film_guy29 July 2021
GI Joe: Retaliation is a film that should never have been made. When most of the original cast declined to return for this second installment, the studio panicked and did the only logical thing: bring in The Rock. The problem with this response to an already broken franchise is that it disconnected the audience from the characters. If Jaye was Scarlett, Roadblock was Ripcord and General Joe was General Hawk, we would be looking at a completely different film, one that probably would have been more successful.
Unfortunately, I had no vested interest in the story or the climactic "Project Zeus" because of these flaws. The action sequences (especially the Himalayan cliffside battle) were fantastic, but that was not enough to make me actually care about what happened in the end.
Unfortunately, I had no vested interest in the story or the climactic "Project Zeus" because of these flaws. The action sequences (especially the Himalayan cliffside battle) were fantastic, but that was not enough to make me actually care about what happened in the end.
I so wanted to like it, but I couldn't
siderite6 July 2013
The first G.I. Joe film was a surprise. I had expected to hate it or at least just enjoy it as a no brainer, but it wasn't so at all. I really liked the special effects, the villains, the story. The reason why I had made the effort of watching it was the appearance of Retaliation, which had really nice trailers.
So, after much waiting, I was able to watch G.I. Joe Retaliation... and I found it lacking in every respect. The jokes lamer, the effects cheaper, the story linear and impossible and the script bad, the acting worse, the fighting stupid. My conclusion: a failure that not even the presence of Ray Stevenson could not save. Arnold Vosloo practically did not act in this film, while some of the characters were killed outright for no other reason that I can see except that their actors didn't want to play this film.
Don't watch this. It's a waste of time.
So, after much waiting, I was able to watch G.I. Joe Retaliation... and I found it lacking in every respect. The jokes lamer, the effects cheaper, the story linear and impossible and the script bad, the acting worse, the fighting stupid. My conclusion: a failure that not even the presence of Ray Stevenson could not save. Arnold Vosloo practically did not act in this film, while some of the characters were killed outright for no other reason that I can see except that their actors didn't want to play this film.
Don't watch this. It's a waste of time.
Bad.
DrTuvok9 July 2020
I was maybe around 15 when I watched this and didn't even like it then. A non-stop mess of jumbled headache inducing overkill action scenes that numb the brain and rot the imagination. Not even Dwayne Johnson could save it. Even worse, not even Bruce Willis could save it. That tells you all you need to know.
Side Note: The ninja cliff fight scene was actually fairly well done, but just watch a clip for it on Youtube; slogging through the entire movie isn't worth it.
Side Note: The ninja cliff fight scene was actually fairly well done, but just watch a clip for it on Youtube; slogging through the entire movie isn't worth it.
Thrilling ride if you don't take it seriously
CMTiago3 April 2014
The sequel to the first G.I.Joe movie gathered some negative reviews like its predecessor. This kind of thing doesn't deter me from watching any movie and one of the reasons is because you have to understand what kind of movie you're going to watch. I know that this is a mindless action flick with a simple plot. It's entertaining and it doesn't have to prove a point by being a perfectly constructed movie. It's meant to look cool and lack any real depth. After getting that out of my system, I can say that I enjoyed watching Retaliation and will try to watch it many times in the future, as this is the kind of film I watch when I wanna have fun. Ranging from The Rock to Willis this movie has very stylistic characters that ultimately kick ass with the Snake Eyes/Storm Shadow battles coming to mind. The special effects also look impressive, particularly in one massive destruction scene. If you like to just lay back and see great fights and a little eye candy then this is the movie for you. Anyone trying to be logic about this I'll just tell you that you are wasting your time.
Rating 8/10
Rating 8/10
Why the hate?
sydneywizard1 October 2018
Don't believe the negative reviews here. Sure, it's no Die Hard or Terminator but it is a lot of fun. Jonathan Pryce does an excellent baddie and Dwayne Johnson and Bruce Willis in their usual action hero roles, although Willis turns up later in the movie.
Get some popcorn, jump on the couch and enjoy the ride.
Get some popcorn, jump on the couch and enjoy the ride.
What happened to movie? G.I. Joe: Retaliation is ALL BRAWN, and NO BRAIN.
HeartMonger28 March 2013
It's amazing how many good movies produced this year have been relegated to sub-par status, while others that shouldn't be given a glance are given zenith status as great pieces of work, art, and other such pop-cultural sub- standard excrescences achieve more than their worth in fool's gold. One such picture - I'm sorry - movie, that audiences will endure a release of, either glorifyingly, or harshly, is G.I. Joe: Retaliation, the new brawn packed action farce from Paramount Pictures.
Starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and with appearances by Bruce Willis and Channing Tatum, the film offers no social commentary, consists of nothing remotely engaging (I tended to doze off on even the action scenes), and pities itself with egregious CGI 3-D effects that disappear mid-air depending on where one sits in the audience. There is no basis for being an audience member, because the effects are so jarring, that the viewer will not be able to involve itself to anything worth sitting for an hour and forty minutes for (which trust me, there wouldn't be anyway.) But that's not the half of the film's problems.
The real problem stems from lack of plot. More like no plot. The film is supposed to be a sequel, or rather, a continuation of the original G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra, but even by todays standards, the filmmakers weren't trying to mark any new ground. All we get is one action sequence after another. Even James Cameron knows you need a through-line of plot device to make these kinds of movies work, but director Jon M. Chu doesn't have enough respect for the audience to even give them that. Instead, we are mindlessly treated to fast shots of punches being thrown, with no idea who is throwing them, why, or if we should care.
Seriously. We only know one thing. The good guys will always win. Never a good sign when you go to the movies to know how they end, with no conscious minding of what it will take to get there. Don't waste your money, my friends. Still, more muscular contractions ache this bastard of a performer.
Those involved knew this was just a paycheck - examine the evidence; Dennis Quaid did not return, and subsequently they need Bruce Willis to carry the big name legacy. Channing Tatum has his screen time terminally reduced, not a great sign because most audiences will probably be wanting to see the film solely for his performance. The writer was clearly hired to write a how-to on perfecting scripts for CGI based stories. This wouldn't be such an insult to film purists and enthusiasts alike if it wasn't such a dreary waste of time and money. There is nothing there in terms of story or structure. The movie starts, and it's action scenes strung together with no link. Then you leave. I would disclose such a plot to entice what viewers may challenge the notion of wasting their money if such a plot existed! It's a disgusting practice of show-off acrobatics by computer geniuses that would be better suited decrypting or ciphering codes left behind from the Zodiac Killer or the Unabomber! This is not why we go to the movies. We go to be entertained, and I predict that many an audience member be robbed of their hard earned cash in this recession, and by such standards and caused an equal recession in film quality! Honestly, there has to be a better place for films in today being tomorrow's history, than this!
An early release for such a seemingly summer blockbuster - it's obvious Paramount wants to get this one out of the way, so they don't have to worry about a summer release tanking to the bottom of the swimming pool (a place where the pre-teens normally disposed to this mendicant tar would be better off spending the day.) It's futile to promote a product without any real integrity, or so I thought. Amazing what a little muscle can do. It's already seen some couple million smackers (across the face!) for it's previews and advance releases, but when it all comes down, G.I. Joe: Retaliation is one hunk of movie that holds a strong PR campaign in it's biceps, but can't think for itself, and never latches on to the timeless fact that the real strength of a movie lies in it's story and it's characters, both factors of the machine that are simultaneously weak.
Starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and with appearances by Bruce Willis and Channing Tatum, the film offers no social commentary, consists of nothing remotely engaging (I tended to doze off on even the action scenes), and pities itself with egregious CGI 3-D effects that disappear mid-air depending on where one sits in the audience. There is no basis for being an audience member, because the effects are so jarring, that the viewer will not be able to involve itself to anything worth sitting for an hour and forty minutes for (which trust me, there wouldn't be anyway.) But that's not the half of the film's problems.
The real problem stems from lack of plot. More like no plot. The film is supposed to be a sequel, or rather, a continuation of the original G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra, but even by todays standards, the filmmakers weren't trying to mark any new ground. All we get is one action sequence after another. Even James Cameron knows you need a through-line of plot device to make these kinds of movies work, but director Jon M. Chu doesn't have enough respect for the audience to even give them that. Instead, we are mindlessly treated to fast shots of punches being thrown, with no idea who is throwing them, why, or if we should care.
Seriously. We only know one thing. The good guys will always win. Never a good sign when you go to the movies to know how they end, with no conscious minding of what it will take to get there. Don't waste your money, my friends. Still, more muscular contractions ache this bastard of a performer.
Those involved knew this was just a paycheck - examine the evidence; Dennis Quaid did not return, and subsequently they need Bruce Willis to carry the big name legacy. Channing Tatum has his screen time terminally reduced, not a great sign because most audiences will probably be wanting to see the film solely for his performance. The writer was clearly hired to write a how-to on perfecting scripts for CGI based stories. This wouldn't be such an insult to film purists and enthusiasts alike if it wasn't such a dreary waste of time and money. There is nothing there in terms of story or structure. The movie starts, and it's action scenes strung together with no link. Then you leave. I would disclose such a plot to entice what viewers may challenge the notion of wasting their money if such a plot existed! It's a disgusting practice of show-off acrobatics by computer geniuses that would be better suited decrypting or ciphering codes left behind from the Zodiac Killer or the Unabomber! This is not why we go to the movies. We go to be entertained, and I predict that many an audience member be robbed of their hard earned cash in this recession, and by such standards and caused an equal recession in film quality! Honestly, there has to be a better place for films in today being tomorrow's history, than this!
An early release for such a seemingly summer blockbuster - it's obvious Paramount wants to get this one out of the way, so they don't have to worry about a summer release tanking to the bottom of the swimming pool (a place where the pre-teens normally disposed to this mendicant tar would be better off spending the day.) It's futile to promote a product without any real integrity, or so I thought. Amazing what a little muscle can do. It's already seen some couple million smackers (across the face!) for it's previews and advance releases, but when it all comes down, G.I. Joe: Retaliation is one hunk of movie that holds a strong PR campaign in it's biceps, but can't think for itself, and never latches on to the timeless fact that the real strength of a movie lies in it's story and it's characters, both factors of the machine that are simultaneously weak.
G.I.Joe Retaliation:Strictly Average!
GaneshKSalian4 April 2013
G.I. Joe Retaliation is an strictly average action movie.
The movie has the same repeated story,which we have often seen in many action movies before.
For me,what made G.I Joe Retaliation more disappointing is Bruce Willis.He had hardly any screen-space to showcase his action skills.
G.I Joe Retaliation is a movie made for the teens.The teens are surely going to love this one! There are many action sequences in this movie,but only a few stand out.The action sequence in the Himalayas is the highlight of the movie.This action sequence has been shot very nicely.
The direction is mediocre.
Performance: Dwayne Johnson is fine.Channing Tatum is strictly okay.Elodie Yung,Ray Park and Adrianne Palicki are just okay.Bruce Willis disappoints.
All in all,G.I.Joe Retaliation is a strictly average action movie.I would recommend this flick for the teens but not for adults.I am giving it a four on ten.
The movie has the same repeated story,which we have often seen in many action movies before.
For me,what made G.I Joe Retaliation more disappointing is Bruce Willis.He had hardly any screen-space to showcase his action skills.
G.I Joe Retaliation is a movie made for the teens.The teens are surely going to love this one! There are many action sequences in this movie,but only a few stand out.The action sequence in the Himalayas is the highlight of the movie.This action sequence has been shot very nicely.
The direction is mediocre.
Performance: Dwayne Johnson is fine.Channing Tatum is strictly okay.Elodie Yung,Ray Park and Adrianne Palicki are just okay.Bruce Willis disappoints.
All in all,G.I.Joe Retaliation is a strictly average action movie.I would recommend this flick for the teens but not for adults.I am giving it a four on ten.
Better than previous one ! But??????
arijit-pritamzoro4 April 2013
i watched the previous one at first day first show and i really disappointed ....only one thing that kept me tight on the seat was SNAKE EYE..my hero...same thing happened for this movie also for first hour.....where any one can catch at-least 20 mistakes on the screen director made...for example...burning the fence and no one watched it from the top...again take cover right under light and no one watched it....and the first mission was so simple that you'll think i can do better than them....and where?? DE militarized zone of north Korea...GREAT!!! then mission in Pakistan ...that was really interesting..because of action and future weapons they used...you'll really enjoy it...and then the sudden attack on G.I.JOE'S...and death of duke...and that time i realized...Oh god!this gonna be disaster...i actually threw my ticket away...but then black eye entered on the screen and story changed for life time...last 1 and half hour are just awesome... the action on the mountain is the best action scene ever in this year.and storm shadow just rocked it.when you'll see snake eye and storm shadow fighting together against cobra..you'll gonna watch best scene from the movie...even lady jay did good job beside of her gorgeousness she really gave hell of action . But beside all of them the main leader ROCK is the best...when he come on screen his attitude was so terrified for opposite man..that he can destroy them with one slap on top of head.... All over movie was really entertaining in second half...and you'll be satisfied with the effort.. But the main problem the mistakes won't be missed by you..it's so eye catchy...and future weapons they used in this movie are looking older than previous movie weapons..those were better than this..and even in climax the most of the weapon they used are available right now in the industry....so director had to pay attention on that.... what ever..don't miss it for action ROCK AND SNAKE EYE...
Stale Explosions
billygoat107130 March 2013
G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra feels like it belongs to a different age of blockbusters. It had a hard time fitting in to the modern generation thus most moviegoers never find it as appealing as the other films that was released on that year. Those rants can be true only in some reasons. The film is undeniably silly and dumb but it was never boring and has its own quality. Since people are now asking for darker and much serious blockbusters, this sequel reduces all the silliness that was displayed on the original. G.I. Joe: Retaliation is cooler and less cartoony. Unfortunately, it is also less exciting and terribly uninspired. The action may be better looking but the lack of fortitude and creativity made it fall short into another visual showcase stress.
"Awesome" is the main goal of this sequel. While the original was too corny to impress, this film darkens the tone and made it a bit down to earth. It abandons the silly gadgets and the ridiculous laws of physics that was shown in the original. But the film fails to be both dark and realistic. Not only because of those robotic fireflies and the mass annihilating missiles but the secret prisons and the government are unbelievably dumb to manage their job. Well, it's a blockbuster based on toys so it will never be too realistic. Deal with it while we are here for the fun. The dark aspects aren't dark at all. What they only do is to be serious. This seriousness blocks the potential joy and turns it into standard blockbuster bland.
The storytelling is quite messy. It's like an uninteresting version of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol with uninteresting characters. The storytelling from the first movie wasn't great either since it is cluttered with cheesy flashbacks. But it's worse here because it takes some twists that are absurdly incoherent. And so, it's all pretentious. The characters are boring and even the performances can't bring them to life. Dwayne Johnson is the only good thing among them though, Bruce Willis is trying to make fun of himself again as a crazy grandaddy, and the villains ham it up which isn't suppose to be a bad thing but they can't give enough personality to them.
The action scenes are acceptable enough to call awesome at least. With all the explosions and the none CGI-ed machines, it seems to be really exciting, but it's not. It does a fine job to be pretty but there's a difference between good looking and exciting. There's only a little suspense. If there is actually suspense and joy then it would be found at the mountain ninja fight but it's just mild and still glosses some slow motions in it. For the rest of the action, the heroes are always superior. Plus more explosions and slow-mos. The action is stylishly directed anyway. The fight between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow remains to be the only action that excites and one part of the climax has a nutty scene with The Rock riding huge vehicles and shooting like a badass. The production designs, special effects, and costumes gets better. What else to talk about it?
The absence of the Joes' ridiculous transportation and weapons, holograms, and other snazzy gadgets may please our modern viewers but it also forgets why this material is interesting anyway. Now we only get typical military stuff. It still has some crazy devices but it's limited compare to the first film. Rise of Cobra wasn't a classic. It's nothing more than a simple guilty pleasure. Same with Retaliation except this one can't even be completely pleasurable unless you want some endless visual coolness. Cool is not a bad thing but it could have been creative and much more exciting instead of showing off slow-mos on screen. To be fair, it's mildly entertaining and good to look at. If the film wasn't this visually awesome, it would have been an empty cinema. The series still fails to justify its source material.
"Awesome" is the main goal of this sequel. While the original was too corny to impress, this film darkens the tone and made it a bit down to earth. It abandons the silly gadgets and the ridiculous laws of physics that was shown in the original. But the film fails to be both dark and realistic. Not only because of those robotic fireflies and the mass annihilating missiles but the secret prisons and the government are unbelievably dumb to manage their job. Well, it's a blockbuster based on toys so it will never be too realistic. Deal with it while we are here for the fun. The dark aspects aren't dark at all. What they only do is to be serious. This seriousness blocks the potential joy and turns it into standard blockbuster bland.
The storytelling is quite messy. It's like an uninteresting version of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol with uninteresting characters. The storytelling from the first movie wasn't great either since it is cluttered with cheesy flashbacks. But it's worse here because it takes some twists that are absurdly incoherent. And so, it's all pretentious. The characters are boring and even the performances can't bring them to life. Dwayne Johnson is the only good thing among them though, Bruce Willis is trying to make fun of himself again as a crazy grandaddy, and the villains ham it up which isn't suppose to be a bad thing but they can't give enough personality to them.
The action scenes are acceptable enough to call awesome at least. With all the explosions and the none CGI-ed machines, it seems to be really exciting, but it's not. It does a fine job to be pretty but there's a difference between good looking and exciting. There's only a little suspense. If there is actually suspense and joy then it would be found at the mountain ninja fight but it's just mild and still glosses some slow motions in it. For the rest of the action, the heroes are always superior. Plus more explosions and slow-mos. The action is stylishly directed anyway. The fight between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow remains to be the only action that excites and one part of the climax has a nutty scene with The Rock riding huge vehicles and shooting like a badass. The production designs, special effects, and costumes gets better. What else to talk about it?
The absence of the Joes' ridiculous transportation and weapons, holograms, and other snazzy gadgets may please our modern viewers but it also forgets why this material is interesting anyway. Now we only get typical military stuff. It still has some crazy devices but it's limited compare to the first film. Rise of Cobra wasn't a classic. It's nothing more than a simple guilty pleasure. Same with Retaliation except this one can't even be completely pleasurable unless you want some endless visual coolness. Cool is not a bad thing but it could have been creative and much more exciting instead of showing off slow-mos on screen. To be fair, it's mildly entertaining and good to look at. If the film wasn't this visually awesome, it would have been an empty cinema. The series still fails to justify its source material.
Not as flamboyant as the first film...
0w016 June 2020
The first GI Joe movie was so hilariously unrealistic and just completely bat crazy, that it was really a good 'just stare at all the explosions and enjoy' movie... but unfortunately this 2nd film is much, much less flamboyant and much less of an extravagant affair... they also removed Sienna Miller and Joseph Gordon Levitt which is an obvious down-point.
So overall, this film is much less of a spectacle than the first film, but the plot also isn't 'all over the place' and thus it has a better plot and story. So if you want your eyeballs bombarded by explosions and huge amounts of CGI, then rather watch the first film... but if you want a more structured 'action film experience' then this 2nd installment is better for you... both films are only barely 6/10 films though, and neither comes close to the action films greats like MI:Fallout.
So overall, this film is much less of a spectacle than the first film, but the plot also isn't 'all over the place' and thus it has a better plot and story. So if you want your eyeballs bombarded by explosions and huge amounts of CGI, then rather watch the first film... but if you want a more structured 'action film experience' then this 2nd installment is better for you... both films are only barely 6/10 films though, and neither comes close to the action films greats like MI:Fallout.
Why the bad reviews?
niallorourke32128 April 2013
I'll start off by saying that I really enjoyed this movie. At times it made me laugh, at times it gave me frights, there were many times when it set my pulse racing. It's an action movie, its supposed to. Not once did it make me think of how flawed western civilization really is, or put tears in my eyes, or make me appreciate living in a 21st century, western country, with plenty to eat, drink etc. Its an action movie, it's NOT supposed to.
And thats where I find some of these reviews annoying. If you go to the cinema to see a movie called GI Joe: Retaliation, which is an action movie, you should only rate it accordingly. This movie easily fulfills all the criteria for a good action film, so if you want to go see an action movie, then yes, go see this. The acting isn't bad, the plot is fairly good and the visuals are incredible. But if you want to see a realistic film, one that will make you smile, sob, or think about life, do not go see this film. What this film is, is 2 hours entertainment. It will have you glued to the screen for that 2 hours (especially if you see it in 3D). I would recommend GI Joe: Retaliation to anyone from about the age of ten up, as long as you walk into the cinema or press play expecting to see a good action movie. If you do this, you will be thoroughly entertained for 2 hours. Enjoy!
And thats where I find some of these reviews annoying. If you go to the cinema to see a movie called GI Joe: Retaliation, which is an action movie, you should only rate it accordingly. This movie easily fulfills all the criteria for a good action film, so if you want to go see an action movie, then yes, go see this. The acting isn't bad, the plot is fairly good and the visuals are incredible. But if you want to see a realistic film, one that will make you smile, sob, or think about life, do not go see this film. What this film is, is 2 hours entertainment. It will have you glued to the screen for that 2 hours (especially if you see it in 3D). I would recommend GI Joe: Retaliation to anyone from about the age of ten up, as long as you walk into the cinema or press play expecting to see a good action movie. If you do this, you will be thoroughly entertained for 2 hours. Enjoy!
I regret spending money on this and losing 2 hrs of sleep for this
pavis2228 March 2013
all the other reviews said it all. so ill keep it short and sweet. Don't WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS.
the execs held this film back because the original competition would have blown the Joe's outta the water and they want to profit as much as possible.
i felt ripped off. i will put as many bad reviews as possible everywhere i can since this was such a low budget low quality film that will possibly kill the franchise. the execs only cared about making money off of a name. because clearly the writers never saw the first film and damn sure never saw the cartoon or had any experience writing films
the execs held this film back because the original competition would have blown the Joe's outta the water and they want to profit as much as possible.
i felt ripped off. i will put as many bad reviews as possible everywhere i can since this was such a low budget low quality film that will possibly kill the franchise. the execs only cared about making money off of a name. because clearly the writers never saw the first film and damn sure never saw the cartoon or had any experience writing films
Effective and simple entertainment
manusanchez902 April 2013
G.I. Joe: retaliation is quite better than the preview movie of the saga G.I. Joe. It is a simple scifi action movie with lots of shootings, fights and other topics from the action genre. It is not a very good movie, but it surely make the fans of the genre and of the original characters have a good time. The pace of the second part is faster and fluider than the one of "G. I. Joe: the rise of Cobra". The action scenes are well executed and in spite of its predictability, I did not find it boring. Some spectators will be disappointed because Bruce Willis and Channing Tattum are not the real protagonists and are on screen less time than expected, specially the second one. The real protagonist actor is The Rock. Jonathan Pryce does a good job playing the role of the President as well as the President's impostor. The rest of the cast does a decent job, but this script does not demand too good interpretations due to its lack of depth. The special effects are very good. In conclusion, this movie's weak points are its predictability, lack of charismatic character, the short apparitions of both Willis and Tattum and the lack of depth whereas the strong points of the movie are its fast pace and the last thirty minutes.
The actors don't care, the writers don't care, I certainly don't care.
amichaels5709 May 2013
I was absolutely disgusted with this film. It wasn't particularly offensive to any particular group (although the film's depiction of Muslims in one scene and the fact that every Asian character in the movie is a Ninja will likely raise a few eyebrows) so much as it was to its audience. The film expects the audience to believe outlandish scenes so long as there are explosions. The film is "short"(although it feels long) but even with the film's length about 1/2 of the scenes are utterly pointless. The opening scene involves some event in a North Korean factory...that event is never mentioned again.
The acting in this film was dreadful. Every actor appears to be sleeping their way through the film waiting for their next paycheck. I've seen better acting in Super Bowl advertisements than I have in this film. Granted, none of these actors are particularly talented in the first place, but this movie makes them look even worse than before. It is also painful to watch Bruce Willis lose another shred of his dignity, which is now lesser than his hair.
Even the special effects were sub-par. There are a few decent explosions, but one scene in particular involving ninjas on a mountain top looks more like a video game than a feature film. The problem with the action scenes in this movie is that we don't care about the characters; they're all identical in terms of personality. If I don't care about your character, I don't care if your character lives or dies or how your character lives or dies. And if the actors don't even care, I certainly don't care.
Overall, if you want a "popcorn flick," you can find something far better than this.
The acting in this film was dreadful. Every actor appears to be sleeping their way through the film waiting for their next paycheck. I've seen better acting in Super Bowl advertisements than I have in this film. Granted, none of these actors are particularly talented in the first place, but this movie makes them look even worse than before. It is also painful to watch Bruce Willis lose another shred of his dignity, which is now lesser than his hair.
Even the special effects were sub-par. There are a few decent explosions, but one scene in particular involving ninjas on a mountain top looks more like a video game than a feature film. The problem with the action scenes in this movie is that we don't care about the characters; they're all identical in terms of personality. If I don't care about your character, I don't care if your character lives or dies or how your character lives or dies. And if the actors don't even care, I certainly don't care.
Overall, if you want a "popcorn flick," you can find something far better than this.
Far better than the original.
paulclaassen6 September 2019
Wow, a sequel that surpasses its predecessor by miles!! Those who enjoyed the lightheartedness of the first film might be disappointed to see this film takes a far more serious approach.
The action and excitement never ceases, resulting in a thrilling, full-throttle adventure ride. The action scenes are incredible! The film features so many jaw-dropping sequences, like the mountain scene. That scene indeed was certainly something I've never seen before. Director Jon M. Chu successfully pushed the action and stunt boundaries for this film to the limit!
I cared far more about the characters than those in the first film. Storm Shadow (Byung-Hun Lee) is back and once again steals the show (for me, at least). He is such a great actor. I loved everything about this film. It had a great script, great soundtrack, fantastic action, and great visuals. This is a must for action fans!
The action and excitement never ceases, resulting in a thrilling, full-throttle adventure ride. The action scenes are incredible! The film features so many jaw-dropping sequences, like the mountain scene. That scene indeed was certainly something I've never seen before. Director Jon M. Chu successfully pushed the action and stunt boundaries for this film to the limit!
I cared far more about the characters than those in the first film. Storm Shadow (Byung-Hun Lee) is back and once again steals the show (for me, at least). He is such a great actor. I loved everything about this film. It had a great script, great soundtrack, fantastic action, and great visuals. This is a must for action fans!
Above my expectations and very thrilling experience in 4D
kapoatw27 March 2013
I just came from seeing the movie, I had low expectations because of the first one, but I must say this one is a lot better than it's first installment. The strength of the film is not in its plot, if you want to enjoy the movie you will to have to overlook many things that seem a bit silly and exaggerated, if you can do that you'll have a silly but very entertaining film, his real strength is in his ridiculous action scenes which are visually beautiful and exciting. The characters are well played and the movie itself is good if you consider it's is based on a cartoon made by a toy company, don't expect high drama scenes with strong plot lines and solid characters, it's just a fast paced action movie with very good performance actions scenes.
The movie has a lot of action and that's why it's very funny to see it in a 4D theater, you can feel the movement, the bullet effect, the air and even the water that it's splashed on your face in some wet scenes, it's a 2 hours roller-coaster experience.
The movie has a lot of action and that's why it's very funny to see it in a 4D theater, you can feel the movement, the bullet effect, the air and even the water that it's splashed on your face in some wet scenes, it's a 2 hours roller-coaster experience.
Fun Action Flick
leighrousson3 April 2013
This is a typical waste of time, big noise, big explosions, lots of racing action flick. You don't have to think about anything too hard. Straight forward good versus evil. I thought I would hate this "guy movie" but it was actually pretty fun. You're not going to get a great movie or anything but you shouldn't be expecting that walking into something called "G.I. Joe", just a fun popcorn movie to waste a couple hours at with friends. Lots of big name actors but it's not like they're turning in career performances or anything, just having fun, kicking butt, delivering their one liners and then collecting their pay cheques. I'm sure more sequels will follow this one.
Watch it without brain cells.
evenhim31 March 2013
No this is not worth it if you are 15 or older. So you have to, pound some beer down before walking in. Go to the bathroom when the the action stops. After 4 to 5 brb's I still didn't even find the story line confusing and didn't miss much or any action. What ever they were flapping their yaps about was illogical feminist propaganda or dull knife whiskey still politics. Either or... It's GI Joe. Joan. What ever. Typical bad 3D. Blurry as most live action 3D gets. And cookie cutter when they try to fix the 3D shot. Shut your brain off or else you will eventually run to the bathroom to vomit or poo. I definitely could see myself asking for my money back if I wasn't having so much fun buzzed up and watching this just for the action. Yes, it was unrealistic but, it's GI Joe. It's not suppose to be political or politically incorrect. But, they threw it in there anyways. Oh well.
Absolute crap
hamd_rasheed_sheikh10 July 2013
It is definitely not worth watching as it would annoy rather than relax, several times you would find yourself sitting up and screaming at the invisible director how stupid the action is. Had they come out straight and said this was a fictional supernatural tale then maybe I would have given it 3 stars, but as it stands even 1 star is too much. Oh and this is one of the most racist movies I have ever seen. I do not understand how one can physically live in such modern times and yet mentally be in the 18th century. When they showed bullets being cut into two halves using a sword by Deadpool in X-men origins: Wolverine, it made sense as he was a mutant, but can you imagine a human being do such a thing even if he trains all his life? Well in this movie he can. It shows how just a few men can easily steal a countries Nuclear assets(even though in reality no one knows where they are) but those men cannot handle a single apache, The movie showed the arrogance and ignorance of the director time and time again with such absurdities i.e nothing is going to happen if I don't want it to happen and everything is going to happen so easily if I want it to happen.
Gooooooooo! Joe!
simplisticreviewsblogspo1 April 2013
Review by DJ:
I hate Michael Bay's Transformers franchise. I made many points as to why they are lowest common denominator fodder and a tried and true example of bad film-making alone. But to be honest, I hated it mainly because it was a tactical strike to my nostalgia. I am an 80s baby. Transformers, G.I. Joe, Thundercats, TMNT, He-Man, Voltron, M.A.S.K., DuckTales, TaleSpin, Rescue Rangers, Silverhawks, Gobots, Heathcliff, Centurions, Dino-Riders, Danger Mouse, Count Duckula, and many more shows practically raised me. Yes, looking back at them now, I can see they were cheesy. However, I still love them because they spoke to me. They spoke to "A" me that I wasn't fully aware of at the time. They filled in the gaps of love and companionship my family left me to fill when they were not around. They developed my entertainment pallet. They developed my right and wrong meter. They are virtually time portals to my childhood. And if they stayed that way I would be happy with that. So, if you are going to remake them...if you're going to bring them back to modern day...changing things...changing their DNA to shoehorn them into modern sensibilities...it literally hurts me.
I bring up Bay here because of the financial success of his Bayformers, other studios followed suit seeing as the almighty dollar is their guiding light. Stephen Sommers (A director I can't believe I used to like) fired another Trident missile into my memories when he brought G.I. Joe to the the big screen. It was almost as if he was copying off of Bay's test in school. It was predictable, trite, comically bad entertainment. Then, it was announced that a sequel was on the horizon and it would be directed by the guy who did the Step Up films and Justin Bieber's Never Say Never. I felt like Dustin Hoffman in Outbreak. However, after seeing G.I. Joe: Retaliation I'm relieved to say that it is much BETTER than I expected. So to say it is BETTER isn't saying that it is a great film. It still has logic problems and cheesy moments and lackluster effects. But it more effectively fits the tone a G.I. Joe film should have and offer up enough fan service an old school Joe fan would want in order to be able to walk out of the theater under their own power.
Let's compare apples to apples; The Expendables works because it acknowledges the performers' nostalgic roots. It gives the fans of these performers what they want. You want Arnold to say 'I'll be back'? Fine. You want someone to say yippee ki yah? There you go. You want a Van Damme spin kick? You want a bloody, bullet riddled, fire fight for ten straight minutes? We'll give you twenty. It isn't complicated to make films that are based purely on nostalgia like Transformers and G.I. Joe. This isn't The Master or Tree of Life. Keep its simple and give the people what they want. Popcorn films like these have longer legs that way. Ask Joss Whedon. Yes, Transformers made money. A crazy amount of money. But does anyone...ANYONE hold it in high regard?
G.I. Joe: Retaliation is burdened by cleaning out the closet of the previous film's story-line. A terrorist group called Cobra have an operative impersonating The President and reeking havoc on the Joes and the world. A team of surviving Joes must clear their names and take down Cobra before its too late. Simple. Director Jon M. Chu seemed to have done his research on what failed in the first film and done research on the material in general. It shows in the little nuances Joe fans would notice. A faceplate for Cobra Commander, an Uzi for Snake Eyes, an Australian accent for Firefly, a blindfold for Jinx. Its those little things that show me he actually cares about the material and doesn't just want to use the property as a bridge to show off his directorial talent. It comes across that the Joes in this film seem to actually be capable soldiers with varying skills, the way the show was intended. That as apposed to the bumbling, excelerator suit wearing, dummies in the previous film. Men and women who seemed to be working for Maxwell Smart instead of the United States Armed Services.
Dwayne Johnson takes the lead in this and does an solid job. Much BETTER than the laughable Marlon Wayans and the cameoing Channing Tatum. The one thing that I thought the first G.I. Joe film got right was Ray Park's Snake Eyes. Though, Sommers even tried to screw him up too by putting a mouth on a masked man who DOESN'T TALK. But I digress. He is the only thankful carry over from the first film. His action scenes with rival Storm Shadow are worth the price of admission alone. Bruce Willis is trying much more in this than he did in his own tent pole franchise and I really liked Adrianne Palicki's Lady Jaye. However, the performances aren't all roses. Jonathan Pryce is still a bit over the top as the faux President/Zartan. The ball was dropped by casting the wooden D.J. Cotrona as Flint. A character who is supposed to be the more charismatic version of Duke merely slinks by unnoticed and unremarkably through this film. And I'm not even going to get into how bad RZA is as Blind Master. I think it is the overall camaraderie of both teams that allow you to be able to dismiss the bad apples.
I hate Michael Bay's Transformers franchise. I made many points as to why they are lowest common denominator fodder and a tried and true example of bad film-making alone. But to be honest, I hated it mainly because it was a tactical strike to my nostalgia. I am an 80s baby. Transformers, G.I. Joe, Thundercats, TMNT, He-Man, Voltron, M.A.S.K., DuckTales, TaleSpin, Rescue Rangers, Silverhawks, Gobots, Heathcliff, Centurions, Dino-Riders, Danger Mouse, Count Duckula, and many more shows practically raised me. Yes, looking back at them now, I can see they were cheesy. However, I still love them because they spoke to me. They spoke to "A" me that I wasn't fully aware of at the time. They filled in the gaps of love and companionship my family left me to fill when they were not around. They developed my entertainment pallet. They developed my right and wrong meter. They are virtually time portals to my childhood. And if they stayed that way I would be happy with that. So, if you are going to remake them...if you're going to bring them back to modern day...changing things...changing their DNA to shoehorn them into modern sensibilities...it literally hurts me.
I bring up Bay here because of the financial success of his Bayformers, other studios followed suit seeing as the almighty dollar is their guiding light. Stephen Sommers (A director I can't believe I used to like) fired another Trident missile into my memories when he brought G.I. Joe to the the big screen. It was almost as if he was copying off of Bay's test in school. It was predictable, trite, comically bad entertainment. Then, it was announced that a sequel was on the horizon and it would be directed by the guy who did the Step Up films and Justin Bieber's Never Say Never. I felt like Dustin Hoffman in Outbreak. However, after seeing G.I. Joe: Retaliation I'm relieved to say that it is much BETTER than I expected. So to say it is BETTER isn't saying that it is a great film. It still has logic problems and cheesy moments and lackluster effects. But it more effectively fits the tone a G.I. Joe film should have and offer up enough fan service an old school Joe fan would want in order to be able to walk out of the theater under their own power.
Let's compare apples to apples; The Expendables works because it acknowledges the performers' nostalgic roots. It gives the fans of these performers what they want. You want Arnold to say 'I'll be back'? Fine. You want someone to say yippee ki yah? There you go. You want a Van Damme spin kick? You want a bloody, bullet riddled, fire fight for ten straight minutes? We'll give you twenty. It isn't complicated to make films that are based purely on nostalgia like Transformers and G.I. Joe. This isn't The Master or Tree of Life. Keep its simple and give the people what they want. Popcorn films like these have longer legs that way. Ask Joss Whedon. Yes, Transformers made money. A crazy amount of money. But does anyone...ANYONE hold it in high regard?
G.I. Joe: Retaliation is burdened by cleaning out the closet of the previous film's story-line. A terrorist group called Cobra have an operative impersonating The President and reeking havoc on the Joes and the world. A team of surviving Joes must clear their names and take down Cobra before its too late. Simple. Director Jon M. Chu seemed to have done his research on what failed in the first film and done research on the material in general. It shows in the little nuances Joe fans would notice. A faceplate for Cobra Commander, an Uzi for Snake Eyes, an Australian accent for Firefly, a blindfold for Jinx. Its those little things that show me he actually cares about the material and doesn't just want to use the property as a bridge to show off his directorial talent. It comes across that the Joes in this film seem to actually be capable soldiers with varying skills, the way the show was intended. That as apposed to the bumbling, excelerator suit wearing, dummies in the previous film. Men and women who seemed to be working for Maxwell Smart instead of the United States Armed Services.
Dwayne Johnson takes the lead in this and does an solid job. Much BETTER than the laughable Marlon Wayans and the cameoing Channing Tatum. The one thing that I thought the first G.I. Joe film got right was Ray Park's Snake Eyes. Though, Sommers even tried to screw him up too by putting a mouth on a masked man who DOESN'T TALK. But I digress. He is the only thankful carry over from the first film. His action scenes with rival Storm Shadow are worth the price of admission alone. Bruce Willis is trying much more in this than he did in his own tent pole franchise and I really liked Adrianne Palicki's Lady Jaye. However, the performances aren't all roses. Jonathan Pryce is still a bit over the top as the faux President/Zartan. The ball was dropped by casting the wooden D.J. Cotrona as Flint. A character who is supposed to be the more charismatic version of Duke merely slinks by unnoticed and unremarkably through this film. And I'm not even going to get into how bad RZA is as Blind Master. I think it is the overall camaraderie of both teams that allow you to be able to dismiss the bad apples.
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