| G.I. Rise of the Cobra DVD | |
 Surprisingly enjoyable and fast-paced romp which appears to have lost little in translation from big to small screen. Here's what we thought about the film on it's theatrical release...Having created a super-weapon based on Nano-technology, arms dealer McCullen (Eccleston) is keen to prove the power of his device. When a botched transportation by NATO results in the warheads falling into the hands of the secretive GI: JOE organisation, McCullen enlists the help of The Baroness (Miller) and Storm Shadow (Lee) to complete his evil plans. Their first attack leaves Duke (Tatum) and Ripcord (Marlon Wayans) as the only survivors and they are soon recruited to join Sergeant Hawk’s team and protect the weapons. Much of the entertainment in the film comes from seeing the ‘JOES’ facing off against their nemesis’s in spectacular fashion. The highlight of which is a superb chase sequence across the streets of Paris which is as good as anything else this year. The special effects are flawless here and although the plot and script make little sense, when the action is this good you really do forget the shortcomings. The scene in question is about 10 minutes long and if anything comes too early in proceedings as nothing else in the film lives up to it. The climax is a confusing battle in the hi-tech underwater base of the villain… it feels like something from the Roger Moore ‘Bond’ era and makes an unwelcome return here. The rest of the G.I. JOE team all actively participate in bringing out the best in the thin story with only Quaid appearing to be left out as he is on the sidelines in a cheerleading role. Nichols, Adewale and Ray Park (as the martial arts specialist Snake Eyes) are all convincingly good, and get away even when delivering some laughable dialogue. Having the most fun though are Sienna Miller and Byung-hun Lee as the bad guys who enjoy kicking ass. Miller looks great in the glamorous outfits but also shows off some tough moves as the cold and clinical Baroness. The characters story is also deeper than one would expect for such a film with a myriad of flashbacks revealing various relationships between all the foes. The standout though is the white-clad Storm Shadow played by arguably the coolest man in cinema today Byung-hun Lee. He stole the show in ‘The Good, The Bad and The Weird’ and he does it again as he effortlessly poses and preens throughout the film… his fight sequences with Snake eyes are excellent. Duke and Ripcord fail to spark as the main protagonists with Tatum not really given enough to do and Wayans not really up to the task of being likeable AND funny in the sidekick role. Tatum has a bright future ahead of him though, and even if this isn’t the film to blast him into the A-list it certainly won’t be long before he gets there. Eccleston and Pryce might not be required to bring much to the party, but we could still have done with a bit more from both of them. Starring: Channing Tatum, Sienna Miller, Christopher Eccleston, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Byung-hun Lee, Rachel Nichols, Dennis Quaid and Jonathon Pryce. Director: Stephen Sommers Written by: Stuart Beattie, David Elliot and Stephen Sommers Release date: December 7th Cert: 12A Running time: 113 minutes DVD Special features - Commentary by Stephen Sommers and Bob Ducsay - The Big Bang Theory – The making of G.I. Joe - Next Gen Action: The amazing visual FX and design of G.I. Joe Film Rating: *** DVD Rating: *** Review: Cassam Looch |
