The second instalment in the G.I.Joe series, G.I.Joe : Retaliation, has hit the screens today in India, a day ahead of its theatrical release in the USA. The movie has been directed by John M. Chu and it has Bruce Willis and Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) in lead roles. The film has been distributed by MGM and Paramount. Let us see if this sequel is better than the first instalment.
Story :
The plot of ‘G.I.Joe : Retaliation’ is one big jumbled mess and there are multiple story-lines running all over the place. But the basic theme is this. The COBRA team is out to take control of the world and the G.I.Joes must stop them. Sounds familiar? Err… What else did you expect?
The President of Pakistan is assassinated and the country falls into utter chaos. The US President (Jonathan Pryce) orders the Joes to go into Pakistan and retrieve the country’s nuclear warheads before they get into the wrong hands. After a successful raid, the Joes are ambushed by an unknown enemy and they are made to look like traitors.
Severely depleted, dishonoured and disavowed, the Joes now turn to their only hope – General Joseph Colton (Bruce Willis).
Together, they must save the world from the COBRA commander and his sinister plans. In the middle of all this, Storm Shadow (Lee Byung Hun) learns something about his past and he must now redeem himself and his honour.
This is what ‘G.I.Joe : Retaliation’ is all about.
Plus Points :
Bruce Willis has a brief but pivotal role in the movie. He has the chutzpah and the star power to make a huge difference to the film. If the climax is anything to go by, expect a bigger role for the man in the next sequel.
Dwayne Johnson looks macho as Marvin, a.k.a. Roadblock. Adriane Palicki looks super hot as Lady Jaye and her stunning body gets very good coverage in the film. Jonathan Pryce delivers a neat performance as the President of the United States. The highlight was his ‘Angry Birds’ episode in the middle of a global nuclear missile launch frenzy.
The film has lots of grand action sequences. Some of the episodes have been shot pretty spectacularly – For eg, the sequence where Snake Eyes tries to kidnap Storm Shadow and the climax block.
The movie has good pace, especially in the second half and entertainment quotient never goes down.
The destruction of London has been shot/conceived pretty well – full marks to the VFX team here.
Minus Points :
Like I said, the movie has some sub plots which keep side tracking the story. These separate story-lines do not gel with the main plot seamlessly.
Logic goes for a toss, big time. The film is outlandish, even by corny action film standards. Laughter broke out in the theater when the Indian Prime Minister ( played by Ajay Mehta ) said ‘Shuru Karo’ and ‘Bandh Karo’. That was supposed to be a pretty serious moment in the film.
For all his sinister characterisation, we are yet to see proper and really evil ‘villainism’ from the COBRA commander.
The emotional shock that should follow in the aftermath of a completely destroyed London is nowhere to be seen.
Technical Aspects :
Stephen Vindon’s cinematography is pretty spectacular. Roger Barton’s editing is a mess and leaves the film with a lot of disjointed sequences. Henry Jackman’s background score is ok.
The VFX team deserves applause for a pretty cool job. John M. Chu’s succeeds in making the film a lot better than the first part. There are some flaws, but he has kept the entertainment quotient pretty high and the pace never goes down.
Verdict :
G.I.Joe : Retaliation is a time pass action flick. From an entertainment perspective, it is a whole lot better than the first part. Bruce Willis and Dwayne Johnson have a significantly positive impact on the movie and Adrianne Palicki’s glamour helps matters too. Go watch G.I.Joe : Retaliation with your friends and you will have fun. Just remember not to look for logic and an intelligent plot.
PS : I watched the 2D version and not the 3D version, so can’t comment about the 3D effects
123telugu.com Rating – 3.25 / 5
Reviewed by Mahesh S Koneru
