Movie Review # 554: G.I. Joe: The Rise Of The Cobra (2009)

Alright, so today, we are going to review an action film from over a decade ago. I surprisingly saw the second film back in 2013, but I don’t recall seeing this first film that I was unaware of as well. I got it for my birthday earlier this year. So now, it shall be reviewed FYI, the second film will hopefully be rewatched, and reviewed in the very near future.

Plot: When Duke (Channing Tatum) and his squadron of G.I. Joe soldiers discover a plot by terrorists , led by the Cobra Commander (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), to release a technology called nano mites on American soil, cities, and across the world. At the request of General Abernathy/Hawk (Dennis Quaid), it is now Duke, and his team’s mission to find the mastermind, and destroy the nano-mites once and for all.

Okay, first of all, I didn’t realize that this was based off a comic book story if some kind. How interesting that we have a film with no superheroes with super powers for one of the rare times in the comic book world. Second, G.I. Joe: The Rise Of The Cobra is surprisingly another very good action film. First of all, we should appreciate the fact that there are some cliches that many action films have been known to have more often than not, that this film manages to avoid in more ways than expected. Also, the designs of the villains from the Cobra organization are surprisingly really cool. I wouldn’t be surprised if some people were to decide to dress up especially as one of those characters for Halloween, or some event like that. The underwater lair, one of the areas where the Cobra organization gathers, is really cool too. There are also some really funny lines on here as well. Honestly, if you liked action films like 2008’s Get Smart, or any of the Marvel superhero films that were released from 2008’s Iron Man, and onward after that, especially the comedy element of those films, you’ll more than likely enjoy this the comedy from G.I. Joe: The Rise Of The Cobra as well. The comedic lines are spot on, and any funny moment that occurs throughout this film is perfectly timed as well. Also, how could you not like the cast for this film, from Channing Tatum to Dennis Quaid, Sienna Miller, Marlon Wayans, Arnold Vosloo, and some others? The only thing that I will say is that if there ever came a time for Arnold Vosloo to play a good character in a film, he should. Okay, don’t get me wrong, he’s played plenty of great villains from the mummy in the Mummy films, one of the terrorists in one of the seasons of 24, a villain in Agent Cody Banks, and probably quite a few more. Still, if anyone can name me a film in which Arnold Vosloo played the role of a good guy, please do. Additionally, most of the plot twists are very good too. There was one twist that probably didn’t work quite as well, but more on that when I discuss the cons in this film. Oh, and one other thing to mention is that you’ll more than likely love how the different relationships are handled in this movie.

However, as I mentioned a moment ago, G.I. Joe: The Rise Of The Cobra is not without it’s fair share of flaws. For one, there were one, or two strange plot holes in this film. Also, as I mentioned, there was a plot twist that occurs near the end that didn’t seem to work quite as well as some of the other plot twists in this film. As a result, in this case, this film could probably have some flawed messages by the end of this film. The origins of the nano-mites could have potentially been explained a little better. Finally, there were some aspects of the ending that didn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense.

Well folks, that concludes my review for G.I. Joe: The Rise Of The Cobra. It’s certainly a good movie. However, there were points where this film a little more potential than it got in the end. I would say that if this film went through one, maybe two more rewrites, this film would have probably been better than it was in the end. For the film that we got, it is still worth checking out, despite not quite being one of the best action films out there. I would say definitely see this film if you’re interested in a very good action film for the sake of seeing some good action, comedy, and some likable characters.

Final Grade: B-