G.I. Joe retaliates with sequel

No one could call the first G.I. Joe film — 2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra — a masterpiece, but it had moments of spectacular action and a sense of silly fun.

Now, after much waiting, the sequel G.I. Joe: Retaliation is finally here, with a new director Jon Chu (Step Up), and a handful of new cast members such as Bruce Willis and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Of course, the original stars, Channing Tatum, Ray Park, and Lee Byung-hun are still there, too.

Does the new creative shake-up work? Read on for the five things you should know about G.I. Joe: Retaliation. Because knowing is half the battle.G.I. Joe: Retaliation spends much of the first half untangling itself from the mythology established by the original movie.This includes tying up some loose ends, killing off a bunch of characters and introducing a few new ones.The good news is that it mostly succeeds; the bad news is that if you haven’t seen the original, you’ll probably have a tough time keeping up with what’s going on.More silly fun
Compared with the first movie’s half-hearted attempts at humor, G.I. Joe: Retaliation embraces its comedy elements, with its tongue placed firmly in its cheek and jokes that actually connect.
The tone is set early on when Roadblock (Johnson) begins an inspirational speech with, “In the immortal words of Jay-Z…” Surprisingly, the humor never detracts from the intensity of the action.More exciting action sequences.There are several memorable action sequences in G.I. Joe: Retaliation. Watching a small army of Ninjas rappelling and bungee jumping as they fight across a mountain range, you remember why such movies exist in the first place.Chu might have started his career with dance films, but he uses those musical rhythms and a keen understanding of choreography to make coherent, exciting set pieces.Tatum is the best.

Although given less screen time in this sequel, Tatum still steals the limelight. That man is a steam-powered charm machine and you cannot help but love him, no matter the size (or depth) of his role as Duke.
Watch it in 3-D.Yes, it costs more, but there’s really something to be said about seeing G.I. Joe: Retaliation in 3-D.
The picture looks unbelievable, greatly enhancing the action, such as in the aforementioned fight sequence. There’s nothing small about the film. So treat yourself.

 BY WANYANG SHI