What a blast G.I. Joe: Retaliation is! And then another blast, and another, in a series of concussive jolts that shred any conventional sense of story as thoroughly as anything since the last Michael Bay film.
Bruce Willis, The Rock, explosions, comedy and action help this popcorn sequel rise above its more Sci-Fi predecessor, but even fans caught up in the action will occasionally find this live action film to be just a bit too cartoonish.
Retaliation takes itself about as seriously as it should. Which is to say, not very. The dialogue is light and breezy, filled with jokes and sarcastic asides.
The filmmakers appear to have handed a dozen or so G.I. Joe dolls to a 9-year-old, watched him play for 110 minutes, and then shot a scene-for-scene remake.
A terrible film with a confusing plot, jarring tonal fluctuations, characters that engender no sympathy, and a strangely flippant attitude toward violence.
When it comes to big and loud, this is the movie to beat for at least this week; what makes it entertaining is its unabashed wallow in these qualities ...