G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra Blu-ray delivers stunning video and audio in this fan-pleasing Blu-ray release
From the Egyptian desert to deep below the polar ice caps, the elite G.I. JOE team uses
the
latest in next-generation spy and military equipment to fight the corrupt arms dealer
Destro
and the growing threat of the mysterious Cobra organization to prevent them from
plunging the
world into chaos.
Save for the names of the characters and the title of the movie, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra,
or GINO ("G.I. Joe In Name Only"), barely resembles the Saturday morning cartoon millions
of red-blooded American boys and girls grew up with in the 1980s. In fact, the film is barely
distinguishable from most any other big-budget, moderately kid-friendly, summer blockbuster action
fare. This is the absolute ultimate in mindless entertainment, and while it may have hardcore G.I.
Joe fans screaming about ruined childhoods and what not, the film works well enough when taken
at face value. It's loud, fast, violent (but not too bloody), and packed with the latest in
make-believe special effects that create new technologies, weapons, and underwater cities in the
digital realm that allow practically seamless interaction with the film's human characters. While the
action is repetitive but a lot of fun, the film does have its flaws, namely a weak cast,
poorly developed characters, and a sluggish pace. In the end, though, it delivers about what one
would expect of a re-imagining of a fan favorite in 2009: a passably entertaining but somewhat
disappointing two-hour thrill ride.
It just wouldn't be G.I. Joe without explosions and...accelerator suits?
In the not-too-distant future, James McCullen (Christopher Eccleston) has created a weapon of
enormous power. Based on nano-technology, the weapon is capable of laying waste to
everything in its path until a "kill switch" is activated, stopping the destruction immediately.
When N.A.T.O. purchases his weapons, the shipment is almost lost while in the protective
custody of U.S. soldiers Duke (Channing Tatum) and Ripcord (Marlon Wayans) in an attempted
hijacking led by the Baroness (Sienna Miller). The shipment is saved at the last moment by a
foursome of elite Special Forces soldiers -- Scarlett (Rachel Nichols), Heavy Duty (Adewale
Akinnuoye-Agbaje), Breaker (Saïd Taghmaoui), and Snake Eyes (Ray Park) -- hailing from a
secret organization called "G.I. Joe." Duke and Ripcord, having first-hand knowledge of the
weapon, the enemy, and G.I. Joe itself, request entry into the elite organization and after passing
every test with flying colors, they are made a part of the team. No sooner are they greeted into
the
fraternity are the weapons stolen by the Baroness and Storm Shadow (Byung-hun Lee), leading
the Joes on a worldwide chase to recover them before it's too late. Meanwhile, a man known
only
as "The Doctor" (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), is aiding McCullen with his work in nanotechnologies and
slowly creating an army of super soldiers -- or "Neo-Vipers" -- that feel no pain and follow any
command without regard to their physical well-being, a potent combination that, combined with
the stolen weapons, spell certain doom for a world unprepared for the rise of Cobra.
Director Stephen Sommers' (The Mummy)
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is an updating of an American classic for a new millennium,
and the results are decidedly mixed. Gone is the original toy line and cartoon's most
distinguishable feature, the differentiation between characters. While the Cobra characters in the
film are either easily recognizable or, in the case of two, recognizable by film's end, the heroes
seem completely generic and barely distinguishable one from another. It's not that viewers won't
be able to identify Duke, Ripcord, Heavy Duty, Scarlett, Hawk, Breaker, or Snake Eyes at a
glance, but none of them really do anything that differentiates them from any other collection of
Action movie good guys. They talk a good game, know their equipment inside and out, and are
skilled fighters all, but the movie doesn't do anything with them that makes them better choices
than any other collection of figures from the G.I. Joe archives -- say Lt. Falcon, Lady Jaye,
Gung-Ho, Crazylegs, Mainframe, or any of a dozen other characters -- available for portrayal.
No longer a "real American hero" but instead a "real international coalition hero," the characters'
nationalities or accents are neither a help nor a hindrance to the picture; like the characters
themselves, it just doesn't matter who they are or what they say as long as they look good
during the movie.
Several other weak aspects include a generic script, mediocre performances, and a runtime that's
a good 10-20 minutes too long. The story of the creation of a secretive evil organization, its elite
super-soldiers, and the requisite doomsday scenario weapon seems rather cartoonish, but one
must give it credit for being something that could very well likely exist in the realm of the
Saturday morning cartoon on which the film is based. Perhaps the story would have worked
better in that regard had the film been treated a bit more like the cartoon itself, but here, it
simply plods on with a predictability and general lack of urgency and enthusiasm that drags the
film down more often than it elevates it to the level of respectability. As it is, the plot is no
different than any other garden-variety action movie. In fact, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
recalls the abysmal Street Fighter in
several areas of its story, but thankfully this is a far superior picture. The acting throughout is
hit-or-miss; it should come as no surprise that the Cobra characters are played with more vitality,
particularly by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Christopher Eccleston, thanks in large part to enjoying
far better-developed characters. As mentioned earlier, the Joes are but a shell of what they were
in the cartoon, and the performances suffer as a result of identity crises that plague everyone but
the mute Snake Eyes. Channing Tatum is particularly dreadful as Duke; he delivers his lines with
a listlessness, line-by-line reading that lacks both purpose and heart, even in the more crucial
and, for his character, personal moments in the film. Finally, the film's reliance on extensive
filmed backstory only slows the movie down. The Snake Eyes/Storm Shadow subplot in particular
seems redundant, as if the movie needed reason beyond them being two skilled swordsmen on
either side of the battle lines to pit them one against another. The other major collection of
flashback sequences plays pivotal to the plot and comes as something of a surprise, and if nothing
else it will be interesting to see what the sequel does with the two characters that are the subject
of a peculiar connection.
Still, there are plenty of things to like about G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Unlike another
major summer blockbuster -- Transformers: Revenge of the
Fallen -- G.I. Joe's comic relief is limited, painless, and halfway funny. Marlon
Wayans is the film's biggest positive surprise, handling his role with just the right mixture of
seriousness
and goofiness, playing the part straight rather than over-the-top in either direction as either a
stalwart and unstoppable fighting machine or as an annoying sidekick sort of throwaway
character. The film also incorporates some nice little touches from the cartoon series, but again
updates them for a not-too-distant future setting and for 2009 movie-going audiences. For
instance, Scarlett is seen carrying her character's traditional crossbow weapon, though this one
features some snazzy smart darts that can home in on a particular target even when fired from
cover and in a direction opposite the enemy. On a more sweeping scale, G.I. Joe: The Rise of
Cobra is an unmistakably slick production. The movie looks great; the action is well-staged,
intense, and exciting; and the plethora of special effects may not be as seamless as those seen in
either of the Transformers movies or the summer's best movie, Star Trek, but
they're certainly spellbinding in most every scene.
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra storms onto Blu-ray with a strong 1080p. 2.39:1-framed
transfer. It's usually easy to review a disc like this: summer blockbuster, Paramount new
release,
and high-octane Action and special effects extravaganza usually adds up to a stellar visual
presentation, and that formula holds true for G.I. Joe. About the only complaint is that a
few of the effects shots look rather fake, particularly under the 1080p spotlight, but considering
Director Stephen Sommers acknowledges as much in the commentary, it's hardly a concern. The
image also goes slightly soft in a few places, but again, such is a minor complaint in the midst of
an otherwise stellar presentation. The film's first act is rather dark in its major sequences, but
detail resolution, color, and black levels all hold up remarkably well anyway. Blacks are excellent
throughout, delivering good, deep shadows that don't destroy background detail. However, it's in
the film's brighter, daytime scenes that the transfer shines. A chase through the streets of Paris
in chapter 11 appears practically three-dimensional with breathtaking levels of fine detail on
bricked city streets, cars (particularly those suffering heavy damage), and shattered glass. Color
reproduction excels throughout, again in the brighter scenes in particular where every shade pops
off the
screen. Even Snake Eyes' and Baroness' black uniforms and Storm Shadow's white gi are nicely
reproduced. Also featuring spot-on flesh tones and a natural layer of film grain, G.I. Joe: The
Rise of Cobra makes for a satisfying and film-like 1080p Blu-ray transfer.
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra explodes onto Blu-ray with a dazzling DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless
soundtrack. As expected, the track delivers a full surround-sound extravaganza that makes
excellent use of each speaker in the configuration, with special mention going to the hard work of
the subwoofer in every action scene. The film's musical presentation is flawless, with crisp notes
and a solid low end in every instance. Of course, G.I. Joe isn't about music; it's about
hard-hitting sound effects, gunfire, explosions, and prodigious amounts of bass, and that's exactly
what this track delivers. Such sound effects are consistently scattered -- but still precisely placed
-- all around the listening area, creating in each action scene a breathtaking sonic assault that
places the listener next to every explosion and in the midst of every firefight. Gunfire in
particular is prodigious; shots explode from every inch of the soundstage and the devastating
results as bullets impact their targets engenders consistently punishing blows from the
subwoofer.
The finest shootout, at least form a purely sonic perspective, comes during a flashback scene that
takes the audience to an Eastern Africa military engagement found in chapter nine. Foregoing
the energy weapons that populate other action scenes for purely conventional gunfire, the scene
delivers heavy machine gun fire spraying through the living room while more distant shots work
in conjunction with the up-close running gun battle to create a seamless yet frighteningly
realistic atmosphere. A missile launch in chapter 15 is perhaps the track's most powerful
moment; it features a booming, all-encompassing explosion of power that pushes the subwoofer
to its limits and is sure to bring a smile to home theater aficionados everywhere. Rounded out by
generally clear dialogue reproduction that's only once or twice lost under sound effects, G.I.
Joe: The Rise of Cobra represents another fantastic soundtrack from Paramount.
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra features an array of extras spread across two discs. Disc one
features only a commentary track with Director Stephen Sommers and Producer/Editor Bob
Ducsay.
They deliver a good but somewhat unremarkable commentary that delves into the frenetic pace
of
the production and the writing thanks to the impending writers strike, the cast, shooting
locations,
the work of creating a big-budget Action movie, the extensive use of visual effects and the many
fine details therein, Snake Eyes' outfit, their influences, working with Hasbro, and much more.
Disc
two is a DVD that features The Big Bang Theory: The Making of 'G.I. Joe' (480p, 29:34),
an excellent
piece that looks at how the early 1980s-era of G.I. Joe influenced the film and moves on to
examine
the massive endeavor that was the creation of a live-action G.I. Joe film. The piece
details
the challenge of pleasing both hardcore fans and newcomers alike, the rapid pace of the shoot,
the
unique costumes, set design, crafting the special effects, the importance of Snake Eyes'
character,
and more. This is a rapid-fire piece that moves from one topic to the next in quick succession,
but
it
does convey plenty of fascinating material, making it well worth watching. Next-Gen Action:
The Amazing Visual FX and Design of 'G.I. Joe' (480p, 21:08) takes an even more in-depth
look at the creation of the film's numerous effects shots that bring the movie to life. This disc
also contains a digital copy of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Sampled on a second
generation iPod touch, the soundtrack is surprisingly full and engaging, with excellent clarity and
directionality across the two channels. The video quality is average, with solid colors, good depth,
and strong detail, but it does suffer from the expected blocking throughout.
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra accomplishes what it sets out to do, namely rekindle a franchise,
set up the obligatory sequel, and showcase plenty of good versus bad mayhem created primarily in
the digital realm. A summer
blockbuster Action picture in every sense of the term, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is loud,
action-packed, and for the most part, fun. Though it has several glaring flaws, none are fatal to the
film, and for those that can put aside any creative differences regarding the presentation of the
characters, many viewers should enjoy G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra well enough. As
expected, Paramount's Blu-ray release is fantastic. Featuring breathtaking video and audio
presentations but lacking a more extensive supplemental section, G.I. Joe: The Rise of
Cobra comes recommended to fans, Blu-ray completists, and home theater aficionados looking
for another reference-quality technical presentation.
'G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra' was the clear winner in BD sales for the week
ended November 8, according to Nielsen VideoScan First Alert, selling over
three times more than 'The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3'. Last week's number one,
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Paramount Home Entertainment has announced that they will bring the summer action hit 'G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra' to Blu-ray on November 3rd, day-and-date with the DVD release. For the two-disc set, video will be presented in 2.40:1 1080p AVC accompanied by a ...
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