Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

G.I. Joe: Retaliation 3D Blu-ray Movie Review

Perfect popcorn fun.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 14, 2013

The Cobra revolution has begun.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation is an odd sort of sequel, a movie that's a chronologically in-order followup to the 2009 film but also a fairly unique, individualistic picture that's replaced several actors and removed a whole lot of characters from the flimsy script written by Rise of Cobra. Retaliation is a film with its own identity but not its own purpose, a movie that ties up the story from the last film but in many ways feels like about half a franchise reboot, except, of course, in the one area that counts most: action. Retaliation, for all its new names and faces, kicks up the style, pumps up the action, and delivers a shamelessly entertaining tale of good versus evil in a movie that rarely slows to catch its breath or build up its characters as they bring down the house. Plenty of stuff explodes, countless rounds are fired, and lots of marital arts action fills in the gaps when the guns take a breather. It's not special, significant, or really memorable moviemaking, but Retaliation will satisfy that Action-hungry swath of fans while getting back to a more core-friendly Joe experience. Oh, and power suits are definitely not included.

Game face.

***Spoilers for the previous film appear below***

Though Cobra Commander and Destro are imprisoned and out of the picture, Cobra remains a global threat with master of disguise Zartan (Arnold Vosloo) posing as the President of the United States (Jonathan Pryce). Zartan's goal as President: a nuclear weapons-free world, not for the betterment of mankind but so that Cobra may, without fear of massive retaliation, dominate the planet with its advanced satellite-based weaponry called "Zeus." Zartan, as President, frames the G.I. Joe team for the theft of Pakistani nuclear weapons and the murder of that nation's President, an event he uses to set off his global disarmament initiative. He disavows the Joes and sends a strike team to eliminate the group. Now, only a few Joes remain, including Roadblock (Dwayne Johnson), Flint (D.J. Cotrona), Lady Jaye (Adrianne Palicki), and Snake Eyes (Ray Park). They must covertly reveal the truth within the White House before Cobra can dominate the world once and for all.

Retaliation moves away from an excess amount of gimmick and lame-brained humor and instead creates something much closer to what hardened, longtime G.I. Joe fans probably wanted from the first movie: a big, roaring behemoth of an Action flick that's huge in scope and expends an excess of ammunition and pyrotechnics with plenty of Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow bladed and high-flying intimate combat playing out along the way. In other words, it's a humongous popcorn movie that's everything a popcorn movie should be. It's not deeply rooted in human emotions, it doesn't explore the human condition, it's not profound, and it won't create a lasting legacy of dramatic excellence. Instead, it's a superficially complex but fundamentally simple story of muscled and good-looking heroes with big guns battling evildoers determined to rule the world. It's G.I. Joe "fighting for freedom wherever there's trouble," and there's no shortage of trouble in Retaliation. Director Jon M. Chu, in the tradition of the greatest of the straightforward Action movie directors like Roland Emmerich, uses the camera as a playground to explore the scope and intensity of G.I. Joe come to life, and the end result is a movie much more fundamentally satisfying than the first.

Though the action supersedes pretty much everything in a G.I. Joe film, the supporting elements and intangibles do make or break it; those things harmed the previous film -- too much lame humor, too much of a drift from core beyond character names, and shabby character camaraderie -- but they only make Retaliation a better film, complimenting the story and action and pacing rather than hindering them or, worse, feeling like a detached element from them. Channing Tatum and Dwayne Johnson -- the latter of whom proves an invaluable addition to the franchise -- find a natural, believable, friendly chemistry that, beyond the mayhem and plot basics, is the film's best asset. However, Retaliation largely ignores its secondary characters; Jinx and especially Flint rarely elevate to anything beyond two faces, while Lady Jaye offers little more than sex appeal and a rather flat story arc with a "haunted past" she hopes will be resolved by film's end. The villains, too, are bland (beyond Zartan and Storm Shadow) and work only as foils for the heroes and a reason to set off all of the explosions. Ultimately -- no matter what the characters do, how they look, or who's gone and who's back and who's new -- this is a film about expectations. Audiences going in hoping for deep character studies or profound drama will leave disappointed, but like the best of Emmerich the film will satisfy core Action enthusiasts just looking for the next big spectacle. It'll also wash away much of the bad taste left behind from the last picture as a more faithful G.I. Joe adaptation without all the added bells and whistles that weighted down Stephen Sommers' fun, though very far from perfect, film.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation 3D Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The 2D transfer for G.I. Joe: Retaliation is nothing less than phenomenal. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the 3D presentation. Rather than looking darker than the 2D -- which is a problem many 3D transfers face -- Retaliation actually appears a bit lighter. There's a paleness to the image, generally, and the black levels aren't as tight and deep as they are in the standalone 2D transfer. What's more, details look appreciably more flat here, less dynamic, less realistic, less filmic. The image remains rather sharp and well defined, just not beautifully and naturally so. There are exceptions; for example, scenes that take place in the abandoned gym look really great, but there's definitely a less dynamic edge to the image on the whole. Colors aren't quite as deep, either, lacking the boldness and vibrancy of the 2D image. As for the 3D elements, they're fair but hardly approaching excellence. That the film's theatrical release was delayed for several months for a 3D conversion is well documented, but the results just don't show on Blu-ray. An establishing shot of a grassy bank in North Korea at film's start actually proves to be one of the finer 3D moments in the film. There's a healthy sense of sprawling space to the shot that seems to extend well back and far from the viewer. The transfer toys with quality 3D imagery -- looking up and down a deep water well and the mountainside ninja battle being two others -- but there's not a consistent feeling of legitimate depth to much of the 3D experience. Flying glass, sand, and sparks do appear to extend beyond the limits of the television screen, though such plusses are rather few and far between. Also, text and computer graphics always look like they're above the screen or made of significant depth, respectively. It's basically effective but something of a disappointment overall, particularly up against the excellent 2D image. This is definitely not must-see Blu-ray 3D.

Note: Screenshots have been sourced from the 2D transfer and are not reflective of 3D quality.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation 3D Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

G.I. Joe: Retaliation explodes onto Blu-ray with a tremendous Dolby TrueHD 7.1 lossless soundtrack. Paramount's latest sound presentation is one of the most dynamic and enjoyable available today. Right from the Paramount logo the track positively dazzles, revealing exceptional clarity within a full, wide soundstage. Surround support is immediate and natural, while bass is big but balanced. Those elements define the entire experience. Action scenes explode with a large array of elements, from cracking gunfire erupting all over the stage to heavy, thumping explosions that push the low end to its limits. Aircraft zip around the stage and heavy ground vehicles rumble all over. The sense of chaos completely surrounds the listener and every action scene in the film proves completely worthy of demonstration showroom floors. Yet the track doesn't just excel at its most exciting. Minimalist elements, small supporting sound pieces, and environmental touches help bring the track to life, again by making use of a very big stage and the track's pinpoint placement and clarity. Musical delivery is robust but smooth, sounding very big and satisfying with full seven-channel implementation and a quality bass element. Dialogue comes through evenly and clearly from the center. This is a fun, reference-quality track from the first second to the last.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation 3D Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

G.I. Joe: Retaliation features commentary, deleted scenes, and plenty of featurettes. A pre-menu screen allows users to choose either a Joe or Cobra theme. All supplements appear on the included 2D-only disc. There are no 3D-exclusive extras.

• Audio Commentary: Director John M. Chu and Producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura deliver a good, balanced track in which they cover the film's tone, real-world plausibility of plot devices, sets and shooting locales, crafting the action scenes, the cast, and plenty more. The track doesn't break new ground but it does offer fans a solid behind-the-scenes glimpse into the film.
• Deleted Scenes (HD, 3:59): Pakistani President Assassinated, Interns, and Arlington.
• G.I. Joe: Declassified: Mission Briefing (HD, 10:02): A look at the qualities Director Jon M. Chu brought to the film, the stylistic changes made from the first film, shooting in New Orleans, and character and vehicle design.
• G.I. Joe: Declassified: Deployment (HD, 8:06): Military Advisor and ex Navy SEAL Harry Humphries prepares the actors to properly depict skilled military professionals. The piece also examines additional details behind preparing for action scenes.
• G.I. Joe: Declassified: Two Ninjas (HD, 7:34): Building the Dojo set from scratch, training for martial arts fight sequences, and redesigning the Snake Eyes suit.
• G.I. Joe: Declassified: The Desert Attack (HD, 8:25): Filming in a 40-acre sand pit near New Orleans and killing off a main character.
• G.I. Joe: Declassified: Cobra Strikes (HD, 8:57): A look at the underground prison set, Byung-hun Lee's character and performance, introducing Firefly, designing Cobra Commander's look, building the Cobra command center, and digital Zartan effects.
• G.I. Joe: Declassified: The Lone Soldiers (HD, 7:43): A closer look at some of the human emotions in the film, casting Bruce Willis, and a brief history of G.I. Joe action figures.
• G.I. Joe: Declassified: The Monastery (HD, 9:56): Constructing and shooting the Storm Shadow-Snake Eyes Monastery fight and all of the additional action surrounding it, with an extensive look at previz, green screen, and wire work.
• G.I. Joe: Declassified: Fort Sumter (HD, 12:09): Shooting at Fort Pike, making the sequence with the international leaders, and shooting the action sequence that follows.
• DVD Copy.
• UV Digital Copy.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation 3D Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If lots of explosions, an endless string of gunfire, and plenty of marital arts action sounds even the least bit palatable, check out G.I. Joe: Retaliation. It's the zenith of polished, action-packed modern shoot-em-up marvels. Better, it's a superior film to the previous installment in every area. Better characterization, a good story, and a more faithful adaptation of classic G.I. Joe makes it a runaway success within its natural confines. It won't leave its audiences pondering the meaning of life, but it's rock-solid escapism at its finest. Paramount's Blu-ray 3D release of G.I. Joe: Retaliation features reference-quality sound but a picture quality that's a few ticks below the 2D-only presentation. A nice selection of extra content is included. The 2D-only release is the better value.