Director: Jon M. Chu
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Bruce Willis, Channing Tatum, Adrienne Palicki, D.J. Cotrona
Running Time: 99 Minutes
Certificate: 12A
Synopsis: After the G.I. Joes are framed as traitors by Zartan, who is still impersonating the President of the United States, the Cobra Commander now has all the world leaders under Cobra’s control, with their advanced warheads aimed at innocent populaces around the world. Outnumbered and out gunned, the Joes form a plan with the original G.I. Joe General Joseph Colton to overthrow the Cobra Commander and his allies Zartan, Storm Shadow and Firefly.
In G.I JOE RETALIATION, we see very few of the original cast exhibiting their fighting prowess and Channing Tatum reprises his role as camouflaged caper whereupon the Duke is deposed in no less than twenty minutes of the opening credits. I swiftly realised that Chu’s loyalty would lie with the original Marvel comic and not the toy. Queue a treasure trove of ammo, injuries, fatalities and human suffering.
With the chief protagonist having hung up his dog tags, Tatum’s mentor and paternal counterpart in the film, Roadblock played by a mountainous Dwayne Johnson (THE SCORPION KING), takes the reins like a post-apocalyptic, Jay-Z quoting, machine gun toting Hannibal leading his men to rage against a duplicitous government. Amongst the requisite fest of testosterone powered explosions, pumping soundtrack and roaring whir of turbo, the C-GI Joes topple and spin with death defying alacrity across the screen in a world relayed by Chu where confusion prevails.
In the film, Chu presents a reality devoid of any black and white system of good versus evil and creates a stage of chaos punctuated by masked Ninja militia, body armour, concealed faces and a marring in defined identities. The President, superbly acted by screen stalwart Jonathan Pryce, is impersonated by the evil Zartan and paraded as the Cobra Commander’s puppet. With the Pakistani president slain, the Joes are confronted by a confusing landscape where friends are foes and vice versa alike.
Paradox and an unsettling shift in mood is nowhere more in evidence than where we see Duke and Roadblock’s seemingly meaningless playful wrestling of machismo and words at the film’s start. A vapid exchange of inane schoolboy taunts during a training exercise to shoot a cupcake off its stand immediately aligns the hearth and human relationships with execution as the Joes are besieged by a fleet of shell spitting helicopters. This scene is spliced by Storm Shadow spilling out from his foetal captivity as a lethal assassin to join forces with the Joes, pronouncing the definitive words, “ I am not with you, but I am not against you ” lines which Chu perhaps intends to sum up the central theme of his work – there are no boundaries and no clear labels.
Duke’s fateful demise is perhaps symbolic of the nation’s vulnerability to terrorist insurgency, a world like a newborn exposed to a malignant autocratic order. The remaining tripartite team of Americana, Joes Roadblock, Flint (DJ Cotrona) and G.I candy lithe limbed feminist flag flyer Lady Jaye (just don’t call her Brenda!) (Adrienne Palicki) combine like father, son and holy spirit to fight the evil Zartan and his snarling henchman Firefly (Ray Stevenson), entrusting the help of General Colton played by iconic sexagarian veteran Bruce Willis and high-flying Jinx (Elodie Yung).
A myriad of martial arts expertise ensues with graceful, carefully crafted choreographed precision. The visual fluidity afforded by dance is Chu’s signature style of direction (Justin Bieber : Never Say Never; Step Up 3D; Step Up 2 : The Streets) and is perhaps employed here as a vehicle to carry the liquid relationship between good and evil as one bleeds into the other. The overriding theme of duality is also presented as a partnership of steps, so precarious that one faltered movement consigns a man and nation to oblivion.
Jonathan Pryce gives a fine performance playing both despotic president and vulnerable old man, an element that is reinforced in other characters demonstrating their human fragility. The scene where Lady Jaye strategically shoots Pryce’s arm so to free him illustrates the complexity of the decisions man must make: to save thousands, you must sacrifice tens. Her friendly fire releases him from Zartan’s vice and the Joes embark upon their mission to liberate the manacled supporters of stars and stripes.
There is a psychological depth afforded by the characters which lends an interesting sense of 3D totality to a film otherwise littered with a maelstrom of fantastical visual effects. Roadblock (Dwayne Johnson) exposes his vulnerability and the Aenean rage experienced by a grieving father and friend. Gone is the original fraternal camaraderie evident between Duke and Ripchord and what we witness here is an embodiment of protector and child, much as a nation is nurtured and protected by its leaders.
The father/identity card is similarly played by Lady Jaye who is striving to make her father proud. Capable and a tough cookie exterior, her Circe siren call is used as a lethal weapon against the foe. We also meet the man who gave the Joes their nomenclature – all hail almighty Bruce, of seminal action man viewing! bringing full circle a recurring theme of paternal duty and the intrinsic importance of the father as bestower of social and moral instruction. Here, Chu’s examination of father as both ruler and regulator adds an interesting dimension to the film, creating an authentic representation of the original graphic novel.
There are several visually arresting and memorable components to the film which merit a brief mention. The clever symmetry of the mise-en-shot where we see a parallel drawn between the micro-chip fire fly drones and the fleet of helicopters is an effective concept. Also the scene where Roadblock pours the fallen Joes’ dog tags before General Colton, brings an element of pathos and a human quality to the soldiers’ plight. The Ninja fight scenes are particularly noteworthy for their shear ingenuity and ambition in scope. Here, the sound recording of weaponry deserves particular commendation – no easy feat!
So, to sum this flick up – A monumental slice of American CGI pie action with a hefty portion of cheese gives rise to hidden depths of characterisation and a faithful treatment of the Joes carved in Marvel. “In the immortal words of JAY-Z” the G.I Joe brand won’t die tonight.. well at least not for another few films. A surprisingly strong contender.
GI JOE RETALIATION plays in UK cinemas and US cinemas from 27th March, 2013
