Actors: Channing Tatum, Dwayne Johnson, Bruce Willis, Ray Stevenson, Adrianne Palicki, Ray Park
Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: July 30, 2013
Run Time: 110 minutes
Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3D: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars
I am an 80′s kid and I have and always will be a fan of “G.I. Joe”. The first film “G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra” was fun but a bit of a mess. “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” is a nice improvement, yet far from perfect. It is jam-packed with non-stop action and some great visuals. One problem that I had with the first film was how cartoony it looked. This film is must more realistic and the way they should have done “G.I. Joe” from the beginning. If you’ve seen the trailers then you will know that action stars Dwayne Johnson and Bruce Willis have joined the team and help to rescue this franchise. They both deliver in terms of amping up this film to a higher profile. Most importantly, they ditched Marlon Waynes from the first one, which was the worst casting ever. If you are looking for a fun and action-packed time, then check this sequel out. I am sure that we have not seen the end of this franchise. GO JOE!
“G.I. Joe: Retaliation” focuses around the team not only fighting their mortal enemy COBRA, but they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that jeopardize their very existence. The G.I. Joes get framed by Zartan, who disguises as the Commander in Chief (Jonathan Pryce), of stealing nuclear warheads. Due to this the elimination of the Joe’s are put in place by the fake president and it is up to Roadblock (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson), Lady Jaye (Adrianne Palicki), Flint (D.J. Cotrona), Snake Eyes (Ray Park) and Jinx (Elodie Yung) to fight the Cobra Commander and put a holt on his plans for world domination.
Paramount is releasing this film as a Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD combo pack with an UltraViolet. In addition, this release will include a limited time offer to receive a FREE set of high-quality, collectible personalized dog tags. This film was delayed so it can be post-converted to 3D in order to follow the trend of recent releases. I would like to say that it works for the film but it is really doesn’t. There isn’t really much depth or wow factor added to film with this aspect. The 3D isn’t the worst that I have ever seen but it is not the best either. As much as it pains me to the say, the 2D version is actually much more clearer and is the preferred way to enjoy this film fully. Despite the 3D, the 1080p transfer is super clear and works well with non-stop action. When it comes to audio tracks, “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” will literally knock you on your ass with its Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track. It sounds amazing, period.
All of the special features appear on the 2D Blu-ray, there are no 3D extras here. First up we have an audio commentary track with director John M. Chu and producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura, which delivers tons of great information about the production. Next up we have “G.I. Joe: Declassified”, which is an eight part series of featurettes. “Mission Briefing” looks into the production and design with director Jon M. Chu. “Deployment” takes us through the military aspect of the film with Military Advisor and ex Navy SEAL Harry Humphries. “Two Ninjas” looks into the Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes role in the film. “The Desert Attack” looks into filming the film’s critical sequence. ”Cobra Strikes” looks into the Cobra’s look and sets for his evilness. “The Lone Soldiers” looks into the history behind the series”. “The Monastery” looks into the creating the huge Storm Shadow-Snake Eyes fight. “Fort Sumter” talks about shooting at Fort Pike. Lastly there are three short deleted scenes.