G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) Review:

As a kid, I never was into G.I. Joe action figures. It didn't really grab my attention. Nor did director Stephen Sommers really grab my attention with this film originally. But I ended up going because I had nothing else better to do. I must say that for a person who was never into the franchise, definitely turned the other cheek. I enjoyed this film better than I thought I would. I'm not saying it's great and memorable, but it is fun to watch.

The G.I. Joe crew

This movie is probably why Sommers could not direct The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008), which is what I was more interested in watching. Anyway, G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra stars Channing Tatum and Marion Wayans as two soldiers who end up finding their way into the secret society of the "Joes". That's the other thing, I originally thought G.I. Joe was a specific character. Why would you change it to as name of an organization? I spent the whole movie trying to figure out which the original Joe was. In this film, there's a Commander Cobra, but no G.I. Joe? How did that get passed during the screenings of the script?

Appearing as the leader of the "Joes" is Dennis Quaid. I enjoyed watching him act. He for some reason reminds me of a Harrison Ford duplicate because of the way he talked. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is also in this movie and he's fun to watch because of his callous nature. Rachel Nichols plays a character called Scarlett who is just an eye pleaser to watch and I don't blame Wayans character for doing the same. Finally Ray Park, the martial arts man who knows how to amaze us with his physical abilities plays Snake Eyes, the silent but deadly man. He is another character that is great to see move around.

It's scenes like these (that feature Ray Park) are a joy to see

Since G.I. Joe is a military force, there is going to be action in here. Much of it is pretty fun to watch. At points it had me just want to hop on screen and do the same. All the guns make good noise and the vehicles have never before seen attachments, not sure if it's a new thing though. Ray Park is great to watch, he's too good with a sword! Besides just swinging a sword, he also does flips, somersaults, rolls anything you can think of.

This movie also has some comedic moments but obviously this isn't supposed to be a comedy. And because this is a Stephen Sommers' movie, he has called upon his two most famous actors for small parts. Who are they; Arnold Vosloo and Brendan Fraser. Ten years after The Mummy (1999), they are still fighting on opposite sides. It's almost like his trademark. The music is also good listening. Alan Silvestri composed this music and it goes well with all the action that occurs during the film.

G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra doesn't quite make sense in some areas but it's made-up by its good cast of actors, impressive music and fun action sequences. Director Stephen Sommers may not be able to create the most astounding films, but he knows how to make fun ones.

Points Earned --> 8:10