G.I. Joe: Retaliation was released in 2013, four years after G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. At the time, I liked The Rise of Cobra, it was a decent action movie, but the way it played with the G.I. Joe lore and characters did not sit well with many fans. Still, the addition of The Rock and Bruce Willis had me pumped up for the sequel.
How to Download G.I. Joe: Retaliation
G.I. Joe: Retaliation was released on March 28, 2013. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice.
The Movie Review
Before we get to the actual movie, we have to talk about the mess of a release this thing had. In early 2012, G.I. Joe: Retaliation was being hyped, it even got a Super Bowl spot which Paramount must have paid a fortune for! It was all heading up for a June 2012 release.
Last-Minute Changes
However, Paramount changed their minds last minute and decided that they wanted to convert the movie into 3D as 3D was still something studios were all about in the early 10s! I remember seeing full pegs of G.I. Joe: Retaliation action figures in a few stores as Hasbro had these made and ready to go for the release of the movie! It was an absolute mess and added a lot of confusion to the movie.
Delayed Release
Nearly a year later than planned G.I. Joe: Retaliation hit the theatres and to be honest, if The Rock was not in it, I do not think I would have made the effort to see it in the theatre as I had lost a bit of interest in it by the time it was released. It is a direct sequel to The Rise of Cobra and I think it does follow that movie pretty well.
Cobra’s Infiltration
Cobra has infiltrated the White House with Destro pretending to be the President of the United States. They have a devastating weapon that they unleash on London. This is a pretty cool scene, but nowhere near as good as that epic Paris scene that happened in The Rise of Cobra.
New Joe Team
No spoilers here, but we have a bit of a different Joe team this time around. The absolute standout here is The Rock as Roadblock. I do not think that they could have cast Roadblock any better than they did and I know I am biased as I am a huge fan of his, but Roadblock is the best part of the movie. I will say that I was very, very disappointed with what they did to Duke and I am sure that hardcore Joe fans were probably even more disappointed.
Cobra’s Threat
Cobra as you would expect has their sights set on world domination and due to Destro running the USA, The Joes have been vilified! After decimating London, they demand that the other world leaders submit to them or they will face the same fate. The story is another action-packed affair like the first one, but there is a bit more here that I liked. The stuff with Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow was once again really well done and the stuff with their backstory was pretty cool.
Final Verdict
Most people will say that G.I. Joe: Retaliation is better than the first movie, but I do not think that there is much in it, to be honest with you. Out of the two movies, that Paris scene is my favorite thing so I guess based on that alone, I like The Rise of Cobra just a bit more. Still, like I said about the first movie, if you are in the mood for an all-out action movie that is fun and action-packed, you will have a good time with this.
