G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

Unlike Dragonball Evolution and Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, I always thought that G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra was going to be fun film that I could enjoy. I knew I would hate the former two to death, so I avoided them like the plague. When the first G.I. Joe reviews starting coming in with surprising results, it seemed that I was right about it being an enjoyable popcorn flick. It eventually came down to Earth, but that didn't stop me from seeing it.

Early on in the film though, I began to think I was wrong. Not only is the acting ho-hum (though Dennis Quaid is endearing as always), but the script is littered with lots of awkward dialogue and the CG effects are inconsistent. Sometimes of the effects looked okay, but other times they looked downright awful. The renderings of the many of the vehicles are very distracting, they are so poor. The most impressive sequence was the chase scene with the accelerator suits, which not only looked pretty cool at times, but actually showcased some pretty neat ideas (like that "car flipper" thing on the front bumper of the bad guys' vehicle).

The writing is standard action movie fare and director Stephen Sommers does his utmost to cram as many action set pieces into the movie was possible. This makes the film feel a bit rushed, but it also made the movie one that was never boring. The writing also adds a decent layer a depth with the flashbacks and the villains are actually done quite well considering. I spoiled myself though, having figured out who the disfigured doctor was before he revealed his identity. The Snake Eyes/Shadow Storm backstory could have been left out though. It felt shoehorned in, and they also overplayed the sensei character - his lines were laughably bad. Speaking of being shoehorned in, what was with Brendan Fraser's stupid cameo? Did he want to be in the movie so much that he'd stoop to taking such a dumb, utterly pointless role? He wasn't even on screen for two minutes! Seriously, what the hell?

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is not a great film, but it's not a bad one either. In spite of all it's flaws, the fun factor is just enough to pull the film through. If one can just sit back, relax, and not think too much -- something I really struggled with much of the way -- it's a decent film that can certainly be enjoyed. It's no "G.I. Joke." Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.

(out of 5)

Bring on the sequel. Just don't make it absolutely atrocious like Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. That crap-fest was so awful that I didn't even bother to review it.