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The Mesa Press

The Mesa Press

The independent student news site of San Diego Mesa College.

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The Mesa Press

The Mesa Press

‘Retaliation’ redeems ‘G.I. Joe’ name

For years, G.I. Joe has been a household name when it comes to classic American pop culture. So when a motion picture was released in 2009, longtime fanatics were thrilled to see their favorite characters come to life on the big screen. However, the movie bombed with both critics and fans due to its multiple mistakes that made even the younger fans turn their heads in disgust.

With almost an entirely new cast, “G.I. Joe: Retaliation,” released on March 28, stepped up to the challenge of redeeming the movie franchise.

Following the events of the first film, Zartan, who is disguised as the President of the United States, sets up the G.I. Joes and frames them for stealing nuclear warheads in Pakistan. After a military strike ordered by Zartan eliminates the majority of the Joes’ forces, Roadblock (Dwayne Johnson), Flint (DJ Cotrona) and Lady Jaye (Adrianne Palicki), after surviving the assault, seek out revenge against Zartan and the rest of Cobra, led by Cobra Commander (Luke Bracey), a ruthless dictator hellbent on ruling the world.

It’s safe to say that expectations were especially high for this film, given that the first was an utter failure, complete with lackluster action, terrible acting and the overall feeling that the film never really took itself seriously. It’s also safe to say that “Retaliation” met and soared above any and all of these expectations.

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There was plenty of action to go around and not once did it feel stale or tiring to watch. Whether it was Snake Eyes (Ray Park) taking on a gang of ninja in the Himalayan mountains or Roadblock and Firefly (Ray Stevenson) duking it out in a pistol battle, this is one of those films where there’s actually more bang for the bucks you’ll be paying.

The story was drastically better than that of the first film and although most fans saw “Retaliation” as a reboot of the series, the film dwelled on plot points developed in the first, such as the “Nanomite” technology and the feud between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow (Lee Byung-Hun). On the contrary, the film abandoned key characters from the first film like Scarlett, Ripcord and General Hawk, but you can only fit so much awesome into one film.

The film currently holds a 29% “rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the general consensus criticizing the movie for being “overwhelmed by its nonstop action” but remember: these are the same people who gave “Zero Dark Thirty” a 94% approval rating. If you’re not a big fan of awesomeness, this is not the film for you.

Whether you’re a fan or not, “Retaliation” will finally fulfill the bloodlust you’ve kept through movies like “Olympus Has Fallen,” “A Good Day to Die Hard” and other “action” movies you’ve had forced down your throat this year. “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” has all of the works for the perfect “man-semble” film- guns, explosions, ninjas and of course… Bruce Willis.

Rating: 5/5

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About the Contributor
Joe Llorin, Features Editor
Joe Llorin, 19, has been Features Editor at the Mesa Press for three semesters now, with this semester being his final in the class. He specializes in writing reviews and opinions, while news-writing is his least favorite. His goal is to eventually attend San Diego State University and major in journalism. It's his dream to write for a major publication like Game Informer or Rolling Stone. He received an honorable mention at the 2012 SPJ (Society of Professional Journalists) awards for his story "Jessica Lerner shares miracles with the world" in the "Best Features Story" category. Besides your usual "teenager" activities like playing video games and hanging out with friends, his other passions include playing the guitar, listening to music and following and discussing his favorite television shows and sports teams. An avid listener of music and viewer of a wide variety of movies, Joe is always happy to find outlets for his thoughts. You can follow and write to him on Twitter: @StorminLlorin.
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