G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Jordan

WEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!

Michael Bay could take a few lessons from Stephen Sommers on how to lighten up a bit. Both Hasbro franchises have huge action, ridiculous special effects and laughable characters but G.I. Joe is the one that genuinely feels like the film was made by recording what some kids were imagining as they were playing around with the toys. It's just so much fun people. If you can't get any enjoyment out of this film, ironic or not, then you must be dead inside.

I genuinely love this film. I can't call it a guilty pleasure, it because I don't feel guilty about enjoying this. There's certainly some laughable lines and major cheesy moments but no worse than in most other films of its ilk. But perhaps most surprising of all some really awesome ninja fights, great hand to hand combat the likes of which I didn't recall seeing since the Bourne series.

There's also a lot of action helped by digital trickery and some of it is quite inventive, I especially like the car chase in Paris. That sequence is just great. Sommers fills his film with some crazy camera moves and creative blending of live action and digital. There's some really delightful eye candy. And every weapon has such great sound to go with it.

This film does suffer from a lot of flashbacks some of them seeming to come at very inappropriate times, which I actually find funny too. But it does do it's job, as the first film of what is supposed to be a franchise should, it sets up the ridiculous world, all the characters and gets them where they need to be by the end of the film for ongoing stories. Everyone basically ends up where they are remembered as from the cartoon show or whatever it is they are known from. I don't know the franchise or the characters so I had to do a little reading up, but as far as I can tell, this is the case.

This is not as great as The Mummy but a step up from Van Helsing. Sommers isn't directing part two though so I hope it lives up to the promise of this first film. We all saw what happened with The Mummy 3. Don't do that again please. And show transformers that you don't have to take your toys so seriously.