Michael's Movie Grade: C
A fun little action movie.
The live action GI Joe movies do not have the best track record and this film tries it darnedest to rectify that. In this movie we spend time actually getting to know some of the characters, the action sequences are quite fun and the storyline is more developed. While the film doesn't completely succeed in revitalizing the franchise, it is quite entertaining in its own right.
One thing that I really appreciated about this movie was the way the main character was handled. The filmmakers did not simply make him a simple good guy, but a man who has to deal with his anger and hatred before he can become the hero he needs to be. Through most of this film he is neither a good guy nor a bad guy, but a faulted man who we can all easily relate to. Henry Golding's performance of course heavily enhances this. His two main allies are also quite well written and just as entertaining as the lead. Unfortunately this movie's main villains are completely bland and boring and any scenes that revolve around them just don't work.
The action scenes are big and a lot of fun. For a movie based off action toys and a kids cartoon show, they are appropriately over the top, and this is what makes them so joyous. Unfortunately the use of "shaky cam" can sometimes really get in the way, but most of the times it is not as distracting as you would think.
The storyline is one we have seen many times before, yet it is surprisingly pretty well told. There is nothing groundbreaking or awe-inspiring in the storytelling but it is engaging and fun enough for what this is. The story moves at a swift pace without ever once feeling rushed. We are also treated to an engaging and fun environment which can make the story come to life. Still at the same time some of the exposition can feel forced and the ways the filmmakers tried to tie this into the bigger GI Joe universe don't really work (a Marvel movie this isn't)
This is not a masterpiece by any means, but it does its job well enough to provide you with a fun time at the movies.
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