Reviewed
by Lamar Kukuk
8/9/09
One
tends to get a little nervous when seeing that Hasbro now has an animated
production company logo, even more so when reading that a deal was recently
struck for a movie “based” on the old Viewmaster toy. But the great
toy franchises can be rich subject matter for movies, inspiring as they
did no end of comic books, novels and animated series designed to sell
even more toys. In fact, in the case of well-chosen properties, the
opposite problem can emerge: there are so damn MANY Transformers
that their film adventures get stuffed-to-bursting with characters.
Upon conceding the viability of toy-based movie franchises there are two
obvious ones, the aforementioned Autobots and Decepticons and the Real
American Heroes of G.I. Joe. The original 1964 Joe figure was just
some guy with a gun, but the line was reimagined in 1982 with a complex
backstory about the eternal struggle between the heroic G.I. JOE organization
and the evil COBRA. And it's this Joe world that Mummy
director Stephen Sommers brings to life in G.I. Joe: The Rise
of Cobra. The necessity of introducing so much so fast leads
to a rocky start, but once it settles in, this is the kind of fun, empty
calorie action spectacular this dreary summer movie season has been missing.
Go, Joe!
In
the 1600's, mad weapons merchant James McCullen (David Murray) is arrested
for playing both sides in a French war and, before being sealed into an
iron mask, vows that future generations of McCullens will not only make
the weapons, but “run the wars” as well. Cut to the present, when
another James McCullen (Christopher Eccleston) unveils a staggeringly dangerous
new weapon to NATO: nanomachines that will eat through enemy weaponry.
Four of these missiles are being transported by a team led by Duke (Channing
Tatum) and his pal Ripcord (Marlon Wayans) when a team of commandos with
advanced weapons attacks. Their leader, The Baroness (Sienna Miller)
is a face from Duke's past and that causes her to hesitate and lose her
prize when another team shows up. Scarlett (Rachel Nichols), Snake
Eyes (Ray Park) and Heavy Duty (Adewale Akinnuoya-Agbaja) take them back
to meet their boss, General Hawk (Dennis Quaid), who introduces them to
G.I. Joe, an elite force made up of the best of the best troops from all
over the world. Duke barters his knowledge of his history with the
Baroness, then his fiance Ana, for spots for he and Ripcord on the team.
But it'll take all of Joe's weapons, skill and might to defeat McCullen's
forces, including ninja assassin Storm Shadow (Lee Byung-hun), master of
disguise Zartan (Arnold Vosloo) and a mad scientist known only as The Doctor.
Just how did the tragedy that split Duke and Ana up four years before put
the world on the brink of doom?
As
one would hope from such a property, G.I. Joe's WOW factor is sky-high.
That the climax pits massive armies in amazing ships against each other
on multiple fronts is a given. But there's an even better sequence
around the middle where the Joe heroes race The Baroness, Storm Shadow
and company around Paris trying to stop them from bringing down the Eiffel
Tower, with Duke and Ripcord wearing “accelerator” suits that allow them
to run as fast as the cars they're chasing. This sequence is chock-full
of exploding and flipping cars and massive event movie destruction that
has the advantage of feeling more like it's actually happening to real
people, as opposed to the more conventional CGI action sequences that occur
elsewhere. But the Paris sequence shocks the movie to life after
a rocky start, and from that point on I felt the kind of engagement in
the characters and situation that I cared enough about who would win those
CGI battles to carry the day.
It's
a good thing that G.I. Joe's cast is filled with good, distinctive
actors, because there isn't a truckload of time for character development
and what there is isn't always good. Early scenes lean too heavily
on standard military movie posturing and babble it takes the actors some
time to finally outshine. Slowest to warm up, ironically, is Tatum,
who has real dramatic gifts (check out Stop-Loss
if you doubt me), but isn't the kind of “twinkle in his eye” leading man
the role of Duke calls out for. He's adequate, but no more.
Wayans showed a lot of potential in this sort of role in the odd, misbegotten
2000 Dungeons and Dragons movie, and builds on it here: Ripcord
is actually more fully dimensional and emotionally accessible than the
guy he's supposed to be sidekicking for. Palace favorite Nichols
is great once the movie just lets Scarlett be, but she doesn't quite wrestle
down some dicey early dialog (could Meryl Streep herself have sold that
speech about how she doesn't trust emotions because they can't be quantified
by science?). Quaid lives large as Hawk, and Said Taghmaoui brings
charm and wit to his role as the techie Breaker. Park's made a career
of silent stuntman roles like Snake Eyes. It's a special skill to
make a character out of nothing but body language, and he does it well.
On
the Cobra side, Eccleston brings confidence and presence to his Bond villainish
role, while Vosloo relishes his every moment as Zartan. Byung-hun
is delightful as Storm Shadow: I loved the way his eternal struggle
with Snake Eyes plays out as a movie-within-the-movie complete with its'
own set of flashbacks that lays out the backstory that put the two at each
other's throats even as children. Miller is outstanding at all the
difference facets of the Ana/Baroness role, whether she's admiring a victim's
shoes or showing real conflict about the evil choices she's made.
In fact, it's her performance that allows the movie to find much of its'
emotional footing, and she's great in the flashbacks that make us ask the
pivotal question of how anyone could change this much in just four years.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is also terrific in a role I shouldn't really say
too much about.
Sommers
has spent the last five years trying to shake off the disappointment of
Van
Helsing after his breakthrough success on the Mummy franchise,
and it's good to finally see him back in the director's chair. Joe
doesn't necessarily bear his directorial stamp (although it does feature
cameo appearances by Mummy star Brendan Fraser and Kevin J. O'Connor,
without whom no Sommers movie would be complete), but while it lacks his
trademark campiness and high spirits, it's also more focused and consistent
than all but his high-water mark, The Mummy Returns.
There's
a pretty big segment of the viewing audience that's just not gonna go along
with a movie about G.I. Joe, but if you're inclined to go with it, odds
are you'll like G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. It's a
movie with franchise aspirations, and ends with a clear cliffhanger jumping-off
point for that sequel Paramount's holding its' breath for. Now that
these characters are settled in, sequels have a good chance to cut to the
chase and avoid some of Cobra's issues, but there are still plenty of action
figures we haven't met yet to gum up the works (paging Sgt. Slaughter!).
The Transformers franchise has already fallen into that trap, and
so Sommers and his Hasbro partners should know not to repeat those mistakes.
And knowing is half the battle. |
