G.I. Joe: Rise Of The Cobra

I really don't know how to start on this film. Half of me wants to call it what it really is, a big dumb, action movie, with a plot specifically designed to have as many pointless fight scenes and explosions as the budget would allow. The other half wants to call it the best film in years.

It's been a long time since a really good action film came out, harking back to the glory years of Stallone, Norris, and Schwarzenegger. However, those films seem clichéd now, but in actual fact, those films created the clichés that are on show so much in G.I. Joe.

The film follows two veterans from the the war in Afghanistan as they discover and then become part of an elite group of soldiers, the Joe's. Of course, it turns out that terrorists have got hold of deadly super weapons and are planning to use them to take over the world. Remember when I said the film was clichéd? So when you think about it, the plot is the same as Team America, a film which set out to parody this type of film. What a sad day it is when a parody becomes more original than a supposedly original film.

As it turns out though, the film is great if you switch your brain off and go into autopilot. It goes along at a nice pace and the action is punctuated with nice bits of plot so you know when to go to the toilet to avoid missing anything interesting. There are some really good sword fighting sections and the gun play is more than enough to keep you entertained. The melting of the Eiffel Tower is especially impressive.

The acting is what you would expect it to be from this level of film, and only Christopher Eccleston stands out amongst the crowd of generic American action guys.

Positives

A hell of a lot of fun to watch.
Its a big stupid spectacle of a film ,which makes it good in my book.

Negatives

If you're looking for a new and/or exciting plot, you're at the wrong film.
Very bland and generic.


Overall

A big dumb action movie in a decade where we haven't had very many of them. You can see the same film in any bargain bin in the country, but that doesn't stop this being any less fun when it comes to what the internet has dubbed "pew-pew" lasers and sweet CGI action sequences.