What makes a great “popcorn flick?” It’s not just big action scenes, hi-tech special effects, or campy dialogue. It also does not mean the film is automatically written off as a shallow piece of work without any real depth to it. A truly classic “popcorn flick” is actually something of a rarity. A perfect storm of components must fuse together and, more often than not, simmer for a few years before truly knowing whether a film deserves the label “popcorn flick.” And knowing is half the battle. You see what I did there?
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra should be fast tracked to being labeled one of the classic “popcorn flicks” of this decade. In fact, it’s been quite a while since a pure-bread film of this nature was made with such precise calculation. However, if you are a hard-core G.I. Joe canon fanatic, you should strap two of the largest toy vehicles you own to your feet and roll far, far away from the theater. Director/writer Stephen Sommers (The Mummy) took many liberties with the G.I. Joe legacy from the cartoon and comic books. Usually this would be a grave and unforgivable offense in the highest of geek courts, but not with G.I. Joe. The reason being is that G.I. Joe started off as just a toy. It then later became a promotional comic book and the very popular cartoon series. Now don’t ask what section of the rule book this clause is in because I’m not even sure where to find the rule book itself, but if a property does not start off as a written story then much more leeway is given to future adaptations where canon is concerned. That’s not to say it would be just fine if Sommers decided to make Snake Eyes a yappy teenage girl or give Destro a mohawk, but nuances like a character's age or blood relations can be forgiven if not all together ignored. Even the popular cartoon series, which is the most memorable for nostalgic fans of the genre, did not follow the storylines or characters’ backgrounds from the comic books that preceded it.
This film does a fantastic job of setting the table right from the opening scenes. It lets the viewer know what the rules of this reality are and what’s in the realm of possibilities for the characters. Even more impressive, it sticks to those rules throughout the entire film, something that is overlooked in a lot of today’s science fiction. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is an over-the-top and entertaining film based on a 1980’s cartoon and it never forgets it.
Another accolade for Sommer in this film is he accentuates what made G.I. Joe popular in the first place. It’s all about the vehicles and Snake Eyes vs. Storm Shadow. The movie is full of uber hi-tech vehicles and weapons that made the toy line so popular back in the 1980’s. Also a good portion of the film focuses on the most popular Joe, Snake Eyes (Ray Park, Star Wars: Episode I, X-Men) and his constant battle with his arch-nemesis Storm Shadow (Byung-hun Lee, Hero). If there were any part of G.I. Joe's history that could absolutely not be altered in any way, it would be the character of Snake Eyes. And to Sommers credit, he produced the truest version of the character that would even impress that kid on the block that had every single action figure, vehicle and headquarters set up in their basement at all times.
An easy plot, quick explanations, bad dialogue and shallow character development all work as components of this film instead of plaguing it. This again is a credit to how Sommers set the table when the film opens. The actors, although none of them really stand out, all seemed to dive head first into the material and take the characters for what they are. To their credit, none of the performers tried to make their character into something deeper or more complex than they had to be. This all cumulates to what may be the most impressive quality the film has to offer. That being the feeling of the popular cartoon brought to life. Only now it includes some surprisingly graphic violence, which should appease its now much older fan base. In addition, there are a few pop-culture catch phrases inspired by the G.I. Joe franchise that will definitely put a smile on the face of loyal fans.
Most film critics will no doubt crucify this film. It might even deserve some of the more harsh reviews that it inspires. Because as a pure film, the only awards G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra could possibly win would come MTV or Nickelodeon. However, it just might be one of those films a father shares with his son to show him what was cool back in his day. And for this film, perhaps that is the other half of the battle.
Story: 6.5
Acting: 6.0
Writing: 6.5
Captivation: 7.5
Replay Value: 9.0
Total: 7.1
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