'G.I. Joe: Retaliation' Looks Promising

COMMENTARY | The trailer for the next "G.I. Joe" film, entitled "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" is now up. Except for three of the Joes from the original film, the cast is all new, with Dwayne Johnson as Roadblock and Bruce Willis as General Joe Colton.

The trailer suggests that the Joes are framed for treason and are all but taken out by U.S. military forces. Subsequently it looks like that Cobra, the evil organization which the Joes fight against, tries to take over the United States. There is an arresting scene of Cobra banners being erected at the White House.

Besides Johnson and Willis, Channing Tatum as Duke, Ray Park as Snake Eyes and Byung Hun-lee as Stormshadow return. Other newcomers include Elodie Yung as Jinx, DJ Cotrona as Flint, Adrianne Palicki as Lady Jaye, RZA as The Blind Master, Ray Stevenson as Firefly, and Joseph Mazzello as Mouse.

The first movie was criticized by many for moving away from the "all American heroes" of the cartoon series and making the Joe organization more international. One might have responded that the live action movie Joes were American-led and most of the main characters were American, a coalition of the willing as it were, to fight against evil.

Just looking at the trailer, one cannot guess whether these complaints are addressed or not. The remnants of the Joes appear to have drawn the mission, which they have been forced to accept, of taking back the United States from Cobra and clearing their names.

There will be plenty of action, with explosions, stunts, and more weapons fire than it would take to fight a world war. This is entirely appropriate in a franchise that is based on a cartoon series that was based on a toy. It will be a movie for guys who love movies and the women who love them enough to go with them to the theater.

One added element in the sequel seems to be humor, which the first movie lacked. Bruce Willis, in the scene at the end of the trailer, has one of the best lines he has ever made outside of the Die Hard films. For that alone I look forward to this film's summer release.

Source: The Trailer for G.I. Joe: Retaliation is Here! Coming Soon, Dec 12, 2011