G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013) Review:

Stephen Sommers' G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) was not an amazing film but it was a fun one. With a lighthearted tone, energetic action sequences and different characters, it was a summer movie most people ended up watching. Surprisingly, it took four years for the next chapter of the Joe's to be told. Even if movies don't fair well with critics (like this one did), if it earned enough money, a sequel will most likely be produced. With all this time one would think that the crew had enough time to perfect this project so it connected with its parent well. Eh....it kind of does....and doesn't.

Snake Eyes, Roadblock & Joe Colton

Starting off pretty much where the first ended, the Joe's are still among the highest regarded force in the
world. They are also still on red alert for losing Cobra Commander and Zartan (who is now disguised as the American president). Audiences are then brought back to Duke (Channing Tatum) where we see that he is well integrated in the Joe system and has new friends - Roadblock (Dwayne Johnson), Flint (D.J. Cotrona) and Lady Jaye (Adrianne Palicki). That's not all though, Cobra Commander has also added a new team member - Firefly (Ray Stevenson). Thus bringing up the first flaw, character continuity. Where is it?

Writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick must not know what a sequel script to a movie entails if a story is being continued. Though they have proven they can write; Zombieland (2009) is the prime example. Here, Reese and Wernick return, exclude and eliminate various characters as if they weren't an integral part of what made the first movie work. What happened to Ripcord, Breaker, Scarlett, Baroness and Heavy Duty? A visual appearance isn't even needed, the writers could just have included a verbal cameo about them mentioning what happened to them. Is it too hard to include? It shouldn't be. Also the return of Storm Shadow is questionable. The first movie he was killed,.......so how did he survive? No explanation.

Explaining things seems to be an issue for this movie. Not only for the old but the new. For example, when did Duke meet Roadblock and the rest of his new found buddies? Who is Firefly? Where did he come from and why does he have an obsession with exploding mechanical fireflies? It's frustrating because these characters have respectable personalities but very little of it is looked at. The only new characters that are really given any kind of a back-story are Jaye and Roadblock. But even then, their stories sound unfinished and slim. One thing that surprised me was that a question of mine from the first movie was answered here. Who is the real G.I. Joe? Well I got it - it's Bruce Willis, what a shock. Even Willis' background is brushed over, which fans may feel like they were given the slip.

However, the acting isn't bad. Dwayne Johnson and his Joe counterparts work effectively together. The Cobra Commander is still a faceless enemy (which they actually got the correct look for this movie), but his voice should've been higher pitched and not so deep. Cobra Commander was never supposed to sound demonic, he was kind of like a new age Skeletor. With the commander comes Firefly (Ray Stevenson), a snarky southern man with a nasty scar on his face who can actually hold his own against Dwayne Johnson. Why doesn't Hollywood see the opportunities in this man? Stevenson is about as underrated as his other Punisher counterpart Thomas Jane. Both are immensely capable of action movies and no one bothers to hire them.

Cobra Commander & Firefly (Ray Stevenson)

Directing this sequel is Jon M. Chu who is better known for directing the "Step Up" sequels (which is where Tatum started surprisingly) and the first two Justin Bieber documentaries. Mr. Chu doesn't have a track record with action films and for his first time, he did well. Much of the action sequences were executed professionally. Then again, that could be the work of Jim May and Roger Barton's editing skills. The cinematography is good thanks to Stephen F. Windon. Lastly, Henry Jackman's score was executed nicely too. He had the right emotion and tone set for each scene but what did surprise me is that he didn't include a theme like Alan Silvestri did for the first movie. A franchise like this has to have a main theme. It is still entertaining but it has big loopholes.

It's not bad sequel at all to the first movie, but its continuity is all over the place. Dwayne Johnson and Bruce Willis with big explosions only goes so far. Without accounting for the new and old parts in plot, the story begins to have a disconnect.

Points Earned --> 6:10