Movie Review: G.I. Joe- The Rise of Cobra

Posted On: August 9, 2009
Posted By: odeisel
Comments: 1

By Malice Intended

Genre entertainment doesn’t always have to transcend its origins to be revolutionary. However, a healthy dose of ambition can mean the difference between something truly universal and something only the die-hards can appreciate. G.I. Joe: the Rise of Cobra is based on the popular Hasbro toy line and the syndicated cartoon that accompanied it. G.I. Joe is an elite military unit whose membership runs the gamut of race and nationality. Its core members are all specialists of one sort or another. The film focuses on the induction of new members Duke (Channing Tatum) and Ripcord (Marlon Wayans) as well as the race to stop Cobra from obtaining and using weapons of mass destruction on strategic targets across the globe.

Weapons expert James McCullen (Christopher Eccleston) sells nanotechnology-based weaponry to NATO only to steal it back from them as part of a scheme to bring terrorist organization Cobra to power. McCullen works in conjunction with a mysterious malefactor (Gordon Levitt) who employs nanotechnology in hideous experiments meant to equip Cobra with invincible soldiers. Standing in the way of this plot is the aforementioned elite military unit G.I. Joe, led by General Hawk (Dennis Quaid).

The Rise Of Cobra is a wildly uneven film. Most of its problems stem from director Stephen Sommers’ lack of style and consistency. His lowest common denominator approach results in movies that are high in tech but low in personality. Rise is a series of peaks and valleys. Certain elements work well, while certain elements fail miserably.

Perhaps the best examples of the inconsistent tone are the action set pieces. The stand out is a chase through the streets of Paris, where Duke and Ripcord don special mechanical suits to track down Storm Shadow and The Baroness as they recklessly weave a Jeep through heavy traffic. The sequence is well edited, with a varied shot selection that allows us to understand the “geography” of the scene. The scene is surprisingly competent, but stands in stark contrast to the by-the-numbers fight scenes. The inevitable confrontations between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow should be marvels of martial arts choreography and swordplay. Instead, they are perfunctory and incoherent. The moves are indistinct and the shot selection does not vary much.

The performances and characterizations are also uneven. The characterization of Snake Eyes is spot on, and Ray Park hits all the right beats. He doesn’t utter a word, never removes his mask, and communicates solely through hand gestures and martial arts moves. Joseph Gordon Levitt chews quite a bit of scenery as the antagonist. His face is also hidden for most of the movie, but Levitt manages to convey a sense of menace through his mannerisms and voice over work. The characterization is suitably cartoonish.

Conversely, Marlon Wayans proves to be a weak link as Ripcord. This is unfortunate given the considerable screen time he gets. His performance consists mostly of mugging for the camera and unfunny one-liners. It seems like it belongs in another movie. As Duke, Channing Tatum doesn’t have much to do other than be driven and focused. He is serviceable, but as a main character he is bland. The film has provided him with a back story, but it comes off as perfunctory. As The Baroness, Sienna Miller is neither convincing nor memorable. The role requires nothing more from her than looking good in a leather suit. As James McCullen, Christopher Eccleston gives a good effort but his slight frame and well-mannered demeanor sap the character of any sense of true menace.

As expected, the plot is simple and reminiscent of story archs from the cartoons and comics. Unfortunately, it lacks a sense of focus. One is never quite sure of what Cobra’s ultimate goal is aside from world domination. Perhaps that is enough for a film of this type, but something a bit less vague would have been preferable. It almost feels like the screenwriters couldn’t be bothered as it would have required them to flesh out the villains more.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is not bad enough to hate or good enough to love; neither memorable nor consequential. It simply aims to appease its target audience and aspires to nothing more. It does so in a decidedly average fashion. One wishes that it could have gone about its business with more style and personality. Instead, it opts to simply go through the motions. That is a real shame, as bit more energy might have turned it into something more than meets the eye. Wait, that’s the OTHER cartoon.

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