G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra DVD: Review By Solar XI

2009 is the year that probably had the shabbiest film releases for as long as I can remember. Sure we had mostly sequels, but August brought us the ‘Rise of Cobra’. Director Stephen Sommers, visualizes the origins story of Joe enemies Cobra. It also follows the induction of both Duke (Channing Tatum) and Ripcord (Marlon Wayans).

The film does feature many actors including Dennis Quaid, Sienna Miller, Adewale Akkinuoye-Agbaje, Joseph Gordon- Levitt, and Ray Park. The cast is, I suppose, lead by Channing Tatum. Tatum fails to deliver and doesn’t give off the Joe attitude. The guy could use some acting classes, but he’s landed some pretty good roles so who am I to judge. Marlon Wayans, who portrays Duke’s best friend, Ripcord, gives an excellent performance as well as his expected comic relief.

Surprisingly Joseph Gordon-Levitt does not give a hint of his child star days as the evil Doctor, whose diabolical plot leads him to become Cobra Commander. Levitt is very convincing as The Doctor who has a secret past involving his friendship with both Duke and Ripcord. Arnold Vosloo, pretty much cameos as Zartan, the master of disguise. Brendan Fraser cameos as Sgt. Stone, his scene lasts about five minutes in which the scene involves Ripcord and Duke training.

Sommers fails to make CGI created scenes believable. When you have “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” as competition, you want to go all out. Much criticism has come from the fact that this film doesn’t give the Joes the traditional Army uniforms, which is because it is set in the future. Duke and Ripcord are given Delta 6 Accelerator suits that enable them to run and jump great lengths, which is seen in previews and TV spots.

Part of the problem with this film is the advertising. The film trailers contained too many plot spoilers. Of course you have to show action sequences if you want the audience to feel the slightest bit of interest. Through the course of watching spots and trailers, we pretty much know what to expect.

Having this DVD, in standard issue, the film is pretty much the same, giving this a general review. Special features are not included, unless you find previews of “Monsters Vs. Aliens” and “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” special. It’s just another great action packed flick to add to the collection. It’s not exactly a MUST HAVE, but it’s something to enjoy.