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03-27-2013, 05:11 PM | #1 |
Overlord of Evil
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Philly
Posts: 11,489
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***Major Spoiler Alert***
Since last night I have had a chance to gather my thoughts on the 3D screening of G.I.Joe Retaliation. I've seen a few people call me out on my positive take, and I'm going to explain in detail why this movie is an Awesome G.I.Joe Movie! The first step you should take, is go see the movie for yourself. I'm going to get a little Fan Boy ish so stay with me. What I am not going to do is type out the movie scene for scene. I will try to point out what makes G.I.Joe Retaliation work for the G.I.Joe fan base and why Rise of Cobra failed at that mission. Before we get into the content on the film, I want to touch on the 3D topic and why you may want to see it in that format. To start my only option to see the film last night was in 3D and I have not had a chance to see it in another format yet. So I can't say how the film stands along side a digital standard view. What I can tell you, is that I enjoyed the film in 3D, and I do feel it added an extra dimension to the fight scenes. There is a very clever and well-choreographed fight scene between Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes that is followed up by an equally awesome Red Ninja battle on a steep slope of a mountain. It last about 10-12 minutes. This battle alone was worth watching it in 3D. The quality of that sequence was outstanding. It was clear and crisp, no blurriness like I have herd a few people report on. I can't understand how there seems to be a debate on the quality of the 3D. The only thing I can think of is different people have different levels of vision or they need to eat more carrots. So to close out the fight on 3D, my bottom line reason is, it added to the films enjoyment level of battle scenes, it felt like it was filmed that way on purpose and not an after thought. It's not a requirement to see it in 3D, however it definitely makes that Ninja Battle pop. Lets start off with the opening battle between the new core cast of the G.I.Joe Retaliation team and North Korean Troops. Right from the start you get a feel for how Jon Chu set out to make the military action more grounded in reality, a huge difference from the last film and how Stephen Sommers laid the ground work for the film. You see cool military tech, you feel could be in-use by Americas Elite including the latest in body armor (some real, some Hollywood) and real military grade small arms, and one or two added Hollywood bullets for effect. All of the things the core G.I.Joe fan base complained about the uniforms in Rise of Cobra, was corrected right from the start of this film, right up to the end. This is the kinda content that the average movie audience will not even notice, but to us is important. So now that we have established that Jon Chu has already captured the core spirit in design of what the G.I.Joe Retaliation Team should look like what about how they fight and work as a team? Again a huge turn around from Stephen Sommers vision of G.I.Joe, to what Jon Chu has given us. There are two battles at the start of the film one is small in North Korea and the other is huge in Pakistan to secure WMD's. The first battle is more of an introduction to the new team so we all get to hear code names and such. They attack in a small group like a Special Missions Team, to extract what looked to be a spy, from a military camp. Right away you know your looking at much more grounded in reality military style, and action in this film. It's a short scene that ends with Flint showing off and changing the North Korea flag at the base, with the G.I.Joe Movie Logo Flag. It was bad ass touch that set the tone for the movie. The second battle was much bigger and was more of the same, grounded real fire weapons in a "Seal Team" hit hard, complete the mission, and get the F' out style. It was the best G.I.Joe battle of the movie and reinforced Jon Chu's new style and direction of combat. Again this is why this film will work with the core G.I.Joe fan base and why ROC failed. This battle is followed up by the G.I.Joe team getting crushed by a Cobra surprise attack. We get our first hint that Firefly will be a major Cobra villain and what the major plot points will be. At this time the surviving members of G.I.Joe gather and Roadblock pulls the dog tag from Duke's body (it looked like Duke to me). Regarding the death of Duke. He meets his end saving Flint from a rocket attack by Apache Helicopter. He is standing up against an armored vehicle, and you see a huge explosion over take his face followed up by the armored vehicle smashing into him. At this point in the film I wanted to give a standing ovation for being able to watch that in 3D. That brings me back to another huge difference from Rise of Cobra and G.I.Joe Retaliation, the casting was outstanding. Dwayne Johnson as Roadblock was huge. Channing Tatum as Duke was a disaster in Rise of Cobra. His baby face and his Malibu's Most Wanted speech impediment made him unbelievable to play the character of Duke. He just did not have the maturity level and stage presence to pull off the leader of the G.I.Joe team. After Rise of Cobra was over, there were rumors that Duke wanted Channing Tatum killed off and he got his wish. For the record I don't hate Channing Tatum as a person, nor as an actor, he has a career in Hollywood that I wish I could live out. He just is no Duke. To be fair, the casting of ROC was a huge train wreck, Senna Miller was equally awful, and it just shows another way Retaliation got it right, Casting. So now we are at the point of the film, where Storm Shadow and Firefly break Cobra Commander out of prison. Again Jon Chu understands what makes this universe of G.I.Joe special, and keeps the core creative look, and feel of the Cobra organization. I hate to keep beating the dead horse but this is the reason why Retaliation kicks ass, and Rise of Cobra sucks ass. Firefly in my mind stole the show. He had a huge role in the film and everything about the character was awesome. The tech he used was perfect, from the firefly bombs to the exploding motorcycle, WIN. Here is where the film splits into two stories. One is the hunt for Storm Shadow who was hurt in the escape from the prison, and was sent to Red Ninja temple located in the mountains to heal, and what's left of the G.I.Joe team trying to figure out why they were ghosted. This leads us to Jinx, and the Blind Master. I have seen a few people talk about RZA and his acting. He did this on purpose to match a classic style of old school Kung Fu movies. Only people who are fans of these classic movies will understand that, and I can see how it could throw some people off. To me it was awesome, I get it, old school Kung Fu Theater Marathons on channel 17 all day long! So Snake Eyes and Jinx are instructed to bring back Storm Shadow for final judgement. (See my 3D rant above for my take on that scene.) They go and do that successfully and bring Storm Shadow back to the Blind Master. The G.I. Joe team seeks out the help of Joe Colton, while Cobra Commander, Zartan, Firefly and the rest of Cobra put their master plan into play. It would not be a G.I.Joe film if Cobra did not have some massive plot to take over the word. At this point we get our first look at the new Cobra Commander costume in all it's glory, at the same time we get to hear the voice. Cobra Commander has a very Darth Vader feel and effect, to how he was portrayed in Retaliation. Yet another reason why the core fans will love this movie. The G.I.Joe teams figures out Zartan is the president and with the help of Storm Shadow who has revealed that he did not kill the Hard Master then joins the team as they set out to spoil Cobra's plot with the information provided by Storm Shadow. Since we are getting to the end I'm going to try and be less of a spoiler and just give the general direction of the film. Zartan acting as the US President is attending a nuclear disarmament conference with all the major wold leaders. He puts Cobra's plan into play with the Cobra army (H.I.S.S. Tanks and all) acting as security, Cobra Commander shows up with the Red Ninja's and all hell breaks loose as the G.I.Joe team steps in to try and stop the plot. Storm Shadow confronts Zartan for his revenge, and Roadblock and Firefly square off for the final battle to save the world. In the end Cobra Commander escapes and Roadblock saves the world and gets revenge for killing the G.I.Joe team at the start of the film. My only complaint is that the ending felt a little rushed. It was not perfect but I'm sure Jon Chu didn't get the 175 million that Sommers got to make this all happen. This is a huge step in the right direction for the G.I.Joe franchise, and I hope this film is a huge blockbuster. I would say it's safe for kids, due to the low blood and guts factor, but remains engaging enough for adults who know nothing about G.I.Joe, to be thoroughly entertained. My only fear at this point..... is Hasbro ready if this film turns out to be a hit like Transformers? I mean I took a trip to Target, Walmart and Toys "R" us today and could not find one Red Ninja. When kids see this film, it's going to be all about the Ninja's! That's really all I got. I wish Jon Chu the best of luck and I hope he gets a big ass budget and a third G.I.Joe film. I also hope that Hasbro gets massive toy sales out of this film and so should you. Nobody wants G.I.Joe to go on time-out! To be very blunt, I'm not kissing anybody's ass because it's a movie that has a G.I.Joe label on it. Jon Chu made a good film IMO, and he deserves props. I would never rubber stamp a review, bottom line.
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03-27-2013, 05:57 PM | #2 |
Metalhead Extreme
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Trinidad and Tobago
Posts: 2,051
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this review sent chills down my spine an not in a good way, now my expectations went from Moderate to lukewarm :(
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03-27-2013, 05:59 PM | #3 |
Overlord of Evil
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Philly
Posts: 11,489
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That's awesome, this way when you go and see the film, it will make it that much better for you, when you see with your own eyes how much better this film is over ROC.
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03-27-2013, 06:05 PM | #4 |
Reptilian Ninja
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Jacksonville, Fl
Posts: 15,963
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It was great. I dont think it will be a hit like transformers was. There have been trailers of the movie on tv for months now and the other day I was in the toy aisle and a kid didnt even bother looking at the figures which to me is funny cause kids know who the rock. You think they would at least pause and take a gander. I think the movie will do good though. not a block buster but enough to get a third.
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B/S/T http://www.hisstank.com/forum/g-i-jo...nja-b-s-t.html B/S/T Feedback http://www.hisstank.com/forum/buy-se...adowninja.html Will trade multiples from my haves for the Scarlet and/or Biggles Jones figures from Crossover Set. Same with Fss 5.0 Jane, FSS 6.0 Dojo, Retaliation Red Ninjas, and Hiya Colonial Marine Figures |
03-27-2013, 06:06 PM | #5 |
Metalhead Extreme
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Trinidad and Tobago
Posts: 2,051
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No it just goes to show that it doesnt have the charm like the cartoon which I enjoyed more, dont get me wrong I love the comics but it was the cartoon feeling in ROC that made me love that movie alot.
Seeing that this ditches everything from the first except for a couple of characters from the first an decides to go a different route it just wont have that same feeling. I am a die hard fan I wont lie but hardcore fanboy? no they give many fanbases i am apart of a bad name saying that their version of whatever deserves to be the only thing that should be appreciated. ROC was made for the fans who loved the cartoon, Retaliation is made for the fans of the comics. I just hope the third ( I am definitely sure there will be a third film) one will incorporate BOTH to blend in both version. Tho you must ask yourself this. What would Chu do with the same script Sommers worked with for Rise of Cobra and would the outcome be completely different. |
03-27-2013, 06:15 PM | #6 |
Overlord of Evil
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Philly
Posts: 11,489
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Quote:
ROC was made for the fans who loved the cartoon, Retaliation is made for the fans of the comics. I just hope the third ( I am definitely sure there will be a third film) one will incorporate BOTH to blend in both version.
Tho you must ask yourself this. What would Chu do with the same script Sommers worked with for Rise of Cobra and would the outcome be completely different. You can be a fan of ROC all you want but it stands on it's own. You have not seen the movie yet, come back when you have an informed opinion. I say that in a non aggressive manner, i really want to hear what somebody who thinks ROC was great, has to say about Retaliation.
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03-27-2013, 06:24 PM | #7 |
Metalhead Extreme
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Trinidad and Tobago
Posts: 2,051
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To quote Jmacq1
Quote:
Sorry, but Joker's dead-on in his assessment that RoC heavily favored the cartoon incarnation(s) of Joe over the comics. It's not about character backstory and costumes. It's about overall plot themes and structure, and the generally pretty cheesy tone.
Cobra gets superscience weapon to try to conquer the world G.I. Joe runs around trying to stop Cobra from using the super-weapon and fails, usually demonstrated by Cobra deploying said super-weapon somewhere instantly recognizable but outside the US. G.I. Joe's base gets attacked at some point. Duke gets captured. It all ends with a big battle at Cobra's base, with Cobra Commander and/or Destro slinking off to plot another day (which was actually the original ending of the film, but they went back and changed it when test audiences didn't like it). RoC was pretty much a live-action Sunbow "mini-series" on the big screen. Yeah, they made changes, but just because they made changes doesn't mean it didn't draw heavy influence from the Cartoon. Quote:
And even though RoC changed the connected relationships, that element did come heavily from the comics where EVERYONE was connected.
RoC had Duke hooking up with Baroness who was the sister of Cobra Commander. Marvel's ARAH had Snake Eyes and Cobra Commander heavily connected. SE's sister and family died in the same accident that killed CC's brother, which was the event that led both men down the paths they went. Let's not forget that it was a mission in Viet Nam that SE was on that killed the Baroness' brother, which is the event that led her down the path of international terrorism. And can't forget that Destro was also there that day as a teen. Zartan was hired by CC to try and kill SE but killed the Hard Master instead, but it turns out that Firefly was directly involved in that as well. RoC did a good job of copying elements from the comics and Sunbow, it just turned out that it was elements that the diehard fans didn't like. Sorry DESTRO thats how I view it no offense |
03-27-2013, 06:30 PM | #8 |
Cobra Viper
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 165
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Destro's Review > RT Haters
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03-27-2013, 06:52 PM | #9 |
The Viper is Not Coming
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Cobra-La
Posts: 1,532
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I will admit that Retaliation is a lot more fan servicey but to say ROC had zero connection to the comic or cartoon is completely false. The entire concept of the nanomites was lifted from the comics. The idea of the neo vipers and the baroness being injected and controlled on Rex's table was very reminiscent of the brain wave scanner which got many miles in the marvel run. Much of the Baroness's time in the marvel run she is spent under the influence of it. SS and SE's backstory was largely the same as the comic. The Joes still operated from the Pit, which was lifted from the comic. The Baroness still had romantic involvements with Destro.
In the end...I liked both movies and Retaliation does lift a lot more from the mythos...but Retaliation would not exist at all if it weren't for ROC. Its major story components and action sequences exist solely because of what happened in ROC. I really think to get the full enjoyment out of Retaliation it is necessary to see ROC. Really, I think they did a great job respecting what that movie did while at the same time making changes they felt needed to be addressed. Also, there are things about ROC that I think as a movie did better. For instance I thought the ending in Retaliation was way too abrupt and underwhelming. In all truth, I liked both movies a lot. I think what is so amazing is how well Retaliation transitions, acts as a sequel, and stands on its own all at the same time. that is a pretty nifty feat. I just hope the movie does well enough that we get more movies and sooner! |
03-27-2013, 06:57 PM | #10 |
Crimson Guard
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Fredericksburg, VA
Posts: 2,038
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There wont be red ninjas on the shelves because the Army builders buy every freaking one that was short packed in the first place.
Good review, can't wait to watch it. Torn between 2D or not, my wife sees half the time in a blurr without the glasses - how will she sit through this for 90 minutes of blur? |
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