I liked the movie. It was a bit gratuitous with the rampant killing, I wonder if it sets a record for the number of 1 on 1 deaths?
Lots of fighting, explosions and action, AND a plot. Not going to win an Oscar, but it was fun. Almost felt like a James Bond movie with the enemy lair. The effects were over the top, but they were having fun with it.
Questions/spoilers I'd like answered: Is Cobra Commander in the movie, or is it just the downplayed "Doctor" played by Joseph Gordon Levitt.
Does Destro don the "Metal Mask"?
I admit that as a kid, playing with the toys, the "bad guys" were cooler. The mistique of Cobra Commander's simple, but sleek chrome mask (I didn't much care for the hood). Destro's metal mask. And later Zartan and his crew. The toys were just awesome!
I'm not a fanboy that's gonna be all pissed when the movie takes a totally different direction than what I remember as a kid. I collected the comics and the toys, but frankly, I've forgotten a lot of it. I do remember thinking how cool it would be to see a live-action G.I. Joe movie, though. I'm just curious if these two icons are somehow kept intact.
Either way, it looks like it will be a good popcorn movie.
No, Van, it's certainly not a kid's movie. However, it probably appeals to those of us who are still kids at heart.
This is not a spoof or mockery of the 1980's G.I. Joe franchise, ala the 2004 Starsky & Hutch movie's treatment of its own namesake. G.I. Joe is an over-the-top, non-stop, action flick that remains true, at least in spirit, to the 1980's comics and cartoons, sometimes to a fault. I assume if you are all set to watch a G.I Joe movie, you pretty much know what you're in for. If you are expecting a rock-solid plot and believable fighting scenes and technology, then you are going to be sorely disappointed. One must view this film for what it was intended, and that is for action and special effects.
Given that, the weaknesses of the film are few. The fight scenes are often too disorienting due to the fact that the camera is zoomed in too close and editing virtually eliminated any continuity in a fight.
Secondly, Channing Tatum's portrayal of "Duke" was atrocious. No one should expect Oscar-winning performances in this film, but Tatum's performance was well below that of his accompanying cast---and that's saying something.
Despite those flaws, I still got a kick out of watching this film. I will be purchasing the Blu-ray Disc.
The Doctor is Rex, Cobra Commander. He is not "Cobra Commander" until the end of the film, at which time he dons a chrome-like mask that is not the sleek, simple mask from the comics and cartoons, but rather an ornate, almost aquatic-like mask.
The Doctor injects the freshly injured/burned McCullen (soon to be known as Destro) with the "healing" nanobots who transform his face into an organic metal.
No flame intended, and your view is shared by many. However---and maybe it was just my expectations---but I expected an over-the-top, "live-action cartoon", and that's exactly what I got.
