“When all else fails, we don’t.” —General Hawk
Today’s quick review: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. When the Baroness (Sienna Miller) ambushes their convoy and steals its cargo of experimental warheads, Duke (Channing Tatum) and Ripcord (Marlan Wayans) join G.I. Joe, an elite team of soldiers led by General Hawk (Dennis Quaid), to get the weapons back. Their mission uncovers a sprawling plot headed by arms dealer James McCullen (Christopher Eccleston) to hold the world hostage.
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is an action adventure movie that adapts the G.I. Joe franchise for the big screen. Two American soldiers enter a world of advanced technology, skilled operatives, and ninjas to recover a weapon that could destroy any city on Earth. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra features a lively ensemble cast, flashy action, and a plot that covers a lot of ground. Even so, the movie’s many gambles will not pay off for some viewers.
The Rise of Cobra’s greatest strength is its eclectic, endearing world. Taking modern-day military action as a base, G.I. Joe throws in every idea it can think of that will lead to a fun action sequence, from hyperkinetic armor to optic camouflage to underwater missile bases. The attitude of heroism and adventure papers over a lot of the inconsistencies, leading to a popcorn action movie with a much larger toolkit than most others.
However, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra has some sharp drawbacks. The plot suffers from trying to cram too many characters and too many twists into a short amount of time. The decision to tie together the origins of Duke, the Baroness, and several other characters leads to strained plot logic. The movie also plays fast and loose with the rules of its world, relying more on flashy technological gimmicks than bread-and-butter action scenes.
How much you get out of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra will depend on how willing you are to roll with its punches. For the right viewer, the movie is a fun dose of popcorn action that offers plenty of spectacle and never takes itself too seriously. But hardcore fans of the series will find that the movie takes too many liberties with its source material, and more critical viewers may be put off by its eclectic world and loose plot logic.
For a sequel loosely set in the same continuity, try G.I. Joe: Retaliation. For a similar blend of military action, maniacal villains, and science fiction, try Captain America: The First Avenger or Captain America: The Winter Soldier. For a somewhat more grounded movie about a rogue team of soldiers, try The A-Team or The Losers.
[5.8 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1046173/). I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for enjoyable action that requires some heavy buy-in.