G.I. Joe ROC: User reviews!

[rashad]

There's quite a few scenes/lines from TV Spots/Trailers not in the final film.

 

[CelticPredator]

I agree with most of Guard's review.

But the CGI to me, looked way too unfinished...with very little detail. Everything felt very soft.

 

[Ironfan72]

Saw the film this morning and I am a huge Joe fan so I was very excited to see this film, I avoided the "fan" reviews and went in with a open mind.
First, I loved this film, action packed from the beginning, it flew by and was fun all the way around.
JGL as Dr. Rex/Cobra Commander was very cool and creepy, Baroness and Stormshadow were bada$$ as were the M.A.R.S. troops.
Not a huge fan of Destro, but loved Eccleston, he was very good as Destro. Tatum was better than I expected, seemed flat at moments, but no other complaints as Duke. Ray Park as Snake-eyes, perfection.
Over all, I loved this film and plan on seeing it again, I gave it a 10 out of 10, a very fun summer movie that pays off, worth the money.

 

[co2]

You may have learned about modern weapons. But GI JOE and COBRA used laser weapons, jetpacks, mind control, and outlandish vehicles pretty much from the word go, in both the comics and the cartoons. Did they have the black battle armor? No.

But then, it was 2009, either.

There was high tech stuff from the beginning. I believe they encounter attack robots in issue #7 of Hama's run.

BL, I love the water crack.

You are right about the robots, but that kind of goes along with what I was saying in that Cobra seemed to have more of the futuristic, sci-fi stuff (with Destro always creating new, crazy weapons), and that was OK with me, but the Joes usually had modern military gear.

I watched the animated series, but I guess was more of a fan of the comics.

 

[BigCityBoy]

I absolutely loved this movie. It was a whole lot better than I expected it to be. Everyone was great. Marlon Wayans wasn't annoying like I thought he would be. Joseph Gordon-Levitt delivered as The Doctor/CC. Someone was right, it didn't sound like him at all and I'm wondering too if that was actually JGL's voice or someone elses (i.e. Darth Vader). But in any event, the voice worked and his mask that he put on towards the end worked too. My favorite scene is at the beginning when Duke and Ripcord are ambushed by Baroness & the other goons and the other JOE's rescued them. I'm giving this movie an 8. The reason why is because there were some scenes where the CGI did look cheesy. Other than that I'm definitely giving it a second view, buying the DVD, and anticipating the sequel!

 

[Doctor Jones]

The only time the CG looked iffy to me is the zoom out of Duke in the shark when after he said, "this army" and the ships rose behind him.

 

[roach]

he sounded like Cobra Commander when he took off the mask and revealed himself

 

[Figs]

Just got home from watching this.

I really enjoyed it. Aside from a few corny lines and a tiny bit of over explanation in the end battle I was entertained. Only other negative I had for this film was at times during the action, especially explosion scenes, Sommers should have pulled the camera back a little.

The key thing that I liked about this film was that it was similar to the action films/summer films I grew up with. They were fun and entertaining without being crude or bloated(Transformers 2) . As another reviewer or two had said, this did make me feel like a kid again and no it was not as dumb as some are saying(I'll get to that in a minute).

I thought the cast did well with what they had. Once again this was a film aimed at a slightly younger audience which isn't surprising when you look at the source material(Cartoon, figures, etc.), so I wasn't expecting super serious dialogue at all times. For the good guys, Wayans wasn't as bad as I thought he was going to be, some of his lines were corny but he never got to that level where I wanted to smack him. When it comes to Tatum I have to agree with most that he didn't show enough emotion and he had a stone dead face a lot of the time. Park was awesome as Snake Eyes which was expected and Quaid wasn't as phoned in or hammy was some have been saying. Rachel Nichols as Scarlett was pretty good(as was her cleavage ) and had some good action scenes. Never understood what all the *****ing and crying was about before the film came out over her and Ripcord. Once again fanboys cry and whine before fully seeing how the finished product turns out. Sometimes it's justified, most of the time it's not.

I really enjoyed most of the performances from the villains, just about more than the heroes even. Eccleston I felt was great for what he was given and had one of the strongest performances in the film but would have liked to see more of him as actual Destro. Kind of wish his face at the end was a bit more like the cartoon where it's a real shiny silver, the film version I sort of compare it to the meh quality of colossus in X-3. Lee did really well as Storm Shadow and

Spoiler

if there's a sequel I'm sure he'll return

. Miller seemed to have fun playing Baroness but I feel they kind of screwed her character up in regards for a sequel that might possibly be more like the show a lot of us grew up with.

Spoiler

Unless the nanobytes somehow control her again before those doctors can get them out will she be a good guy in a possible sequel? That or they could always have CC and Destro break her out/kidnap her and put her under their control again although I feel that would be kind of repetitive.

When it comes to Arnold Vosloo, from the few movies I've seen him in(Hard Target, Mummy films) I wouldn't go so far as to call him a good actor but he seemed to do pretty well for only having a few scenes as Zartan. I'm guessing

Spoiler

the nanobytes that were injected into him gives him the ability to change his face multiple times and not just into the president.

Once again something that can be used even better in a sequel giving him more screentime. Last but not least is JGL as CC. I thought he was ****ing fantastic and did a damn good job. He played it like it should be played with just a tiny bit of the over the top that reminds everyone what kind of film they are watching and it's source. While I think his voice was perfect before his final mask I don't think the heavier voice afterwards was as horrible as some have said. It was a bit deeper and louder but not that bad. I actually didn't mind the mask they gave him, it may not be the hood or the completely silver faceplate with helmet but I felt it worked.

This film had some great action and the CGI wasn't that bad imo but once again I have to say that I've never been a huge nitpicker of CGI. That might have to do with the fact that I try and look at the entire scene instead of focusing on on object. An example would be the underwater final with all the vehicles, I'm not one to focus solely on one of the subs just to see if it's textures are perfect, lawl. The excellerator suits were actually pretty cool too. The story itself was simple but so were the cartoons most of the time. Pretty much a paste job with the villian trying for world domination. I wasn't really disappointed with that factor though this film definitely felt like it was setting up for a sequel by trying to get the character depth out quick with fast flashbacks.

All in all I give it a 3/5. Hopefully there are fewer corny lines(though they weren't facepalm worthy) and a more complicated plot in any possible sequels, which I hope they make at least one more. I would be disappointed if that was all we get to see of Destro and Cobra Commander. Truthfully I think a lot of the backlash from this film critically is because of a lot of people (fans and critics alike)are going into recent films with negativity since this summer has had a lot of films that didn't deliver. That and TF2 is still fresh in everyone's minds and with the critics I don't put it below them to have bitter agendas for not being able to watch the film early as usual(sorry, don't care about education and tastes...everyone is human and most are not above human emotion of bitterness and having agendas at times. Not saying all of them but a good amount). With the fanboys it comes down to typical anal retentive details like "ZOMG, CC's mask doesn't look exactly like the cartoon" or "WTF Scarlett only wore her trademark brown jacket once in the entire film". Other than that no this was not as dumbed down or lame as some are saying, it was a lot better and way more fun than TF2...which I think tried too hard.

If your not sure about parting with $10.00 to see it in the theatres at least give it a rental. I was actually surprised that it was one of the more entertaining films of the summer.

 

[Sarge 2.0]

Well, I mean movie snobs who want thought provoking themes and layers of every film. They have to learn that all movies don't need to be like this. What are they expecting out of a toy movie? If they don't like it, they should at least have fun. But they probably won't admit it.

No one has said that every movie needs to be Fanny and Alexander. People just expect a movie to be good, and to some degree enjoyable. So the fact that it's a summer blockbuster tentpole film based on a toyline doesn't mean it gets a free pass for being a piece of garbage. If critics and "movie snobs" as you put it pan the flick, it's most likely because the movie was hackneyed, stupid, loud, and bloated with CGI. Once you've reached a certain level of maturity (and seen a certain number of movies), a paint by numbers blow 'em up CGI extravaganza flick based on a toyline ceases to contain any "fun". Unless of course it has a certain visual inventiveness and energy. But Stephen Sommers, like Michael Bay, is a fairly incomptent visual director so I doubt that. Take Transformers 2, there were tons of people I know (many in my age group) who thought that the movie was filled with excitement. But to me the action scenes were incomprehensible and Hollywood blockbuster cliches are no longer something I find "exciting". Perhaps I've "seen too many movies" and now realize that 90% of the films that are released today are much of muchness and are basically mediocre to bad throwaway material designed to make a quick buck. And I'm sorry, I'm not going to "turn my brain off" so that I can passively sit back and let a crappy Hollywood blockbuster (in reality just a cog in the publicity machine) wash over me and then claim that I "enjoyed it". It seems pretty clear to me that GI Joe is another money maker designed to sate the basest desires of the lowest common denominator. Asking someone to "turn their brain off" and "just enjoy" a crappy movie is basically saying "just sit there and pay money to watch a toy commercial because the massive marketing blitz tells you it's supposed to be fun". Sorry, but I'm not going to be a part of groupthink. If I have to "turn my brain off" to enjoy it, that just means it's a crappy movie that requires you to become a nimrod for anywhere from 90 to 120 minutes in order to somehow gain satisfaction from it.

Also: I haven't seen the film and don't intend to unless someone were to pay me to do so. Even then they would have to pay me a pretty sizable amount of money. I've learned my lesson after TF2.

 

[jebhdb]

I really enjoyed G.I. Joe. Most of my fears going into the movie proved to be unfounded. Marlon Wayans was my biggest fear going into the movie as I haven't enjoyed most of the movies I've seen him in and his performances usually are way over the top, but I felt he did a great job playing Ripcord. Tatum Channing was a little wooden as Duke, but overall he did a pretty good job. Sienna Miller was stunning and did a great job playing the Baroness. JGL did a fine job as Cobra Commander and Scarlett, Heavy Duty and Destro were well accounted for. The performance I wasn't crazy about was Dennis Quaid as General Hawk. He was just a little to hammy for me. All in all I thought G.I. Joe was alot of fun and would go to see it again. I will definitely pick it up on blu-ray when its release and will recommend it to friends.

 

[Blade X]

I liked it, but I didn't love it.

I thought it was a good movie, but not a great movie.

Over all, G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA was a fum and entertaining movie. I give it a solid 8.

The only way this movie would have been a perfect 10 for me is if the following things were ditched/added to the movie.

1. Storm Shadow didn't die. Although he did "die" in the comic, but came back a few issues later, so hopefully this will be the case in any future sequels. I also hope that it is revealed that Storm was being controled by those nanites and will turn out to be realyy a good guy and join the JOES. Heck, it's already been confirmed by Somers that Storm, like in the comics, did not kill the Hard Master.

2. Get rid of that crap about Baroness (a) being American (b) Duke's ex fiance (c) Cobra Commander's sister and (d) really a good guy who is being mind controlled by CC.

3. Replace Ripcord with Stalker (played by Wesly Snipes). Also, Ripcord's race should not have been changed.

4. Snake Eye and Scarlet should have been portrayed a lot closer (not a full blown romance just yet).

5. They should have ditched all that crap about the JOE team being an international team, and made all of the JOE's (regardless of their ethnicity, race,or country of birth) American citizens serving in the U>S. military. And the PIT should have been in America.

 

[jebhdb]

While I might agree with you Blade, if they had made all the characters American it would have drastically cut the movies international box office.

 

[The Guard]

Do you REALLY think Storm Shadow is dead?

Come on.

 

[CelticPredator]

As I said before...we dont even know where he was stabbed....

 

[javphonic]

I liked it, some parts were a bit cheesy and predictable, but overall, it's a good summer film, lots of action and Wayans was hillarious... I don't see how someone could particularly say it's a bad film, it was a decent action flick

 

[Timstuff]

I was also surprised about Wayans. Everyone was hyping him up to be the Jar Jar binks of the movie, but he actually ended up being entertaining without crossing over into annoying (for me, at least).

 

[Doright]

I loved it. It was an action packed thrill ride from start to finish with great characters doing awesome stuff.

Sure it's not some peice of high art film making but it is 100% GI-Joe and that's exactly what it should have been. I give it an 8.5 out of 10.

 

[terry78]

I enjoyed it. Just one of those movies you have to watch on a Saturday because you just feel like going nuts, to be honest. Had some geniune funny moments, like Ripcord getting up off the ground in the suit and immediately getting hit by the car. JGL did chew the scenery as CC, but I sense he had fun doing that voice. This had a lot of Sommers-isms, like the semi-campy deaths with the face meltings and what not, but it comes with the territory. And yes, as soon as the final scene showed you heard murmurs in the audience, "yeah, it's gonna be a part two."

 

[Frodo]

I really enjoyed this film ! It was a great popcorn flick. I think the IGN review said it was on the level of the Roger Moore Bond films and I tend to agree. I went in to check my brain at the door and have a good time and it suprised me. There was cheese of course like Destro's accent but it's not like I was expecting The Dark Knight. Storm Shadow was awesome . Is Sienna Miller not one of the hottess women to walk this planet?!She's always been a good actress and it's good to see that even in something like this she put in a good performance. Rachel Nichols was gorgous as well . Wayans was also funny imo . The stunts and the fx were first rate and I think the Paris sequence was the best action scene in the film . If you're looking for a fun film I recommend seeing it.

 

[Nightmare]

Do you REALLY think Storm Shadow is dead?

Come on.

He better not be!

 

[rashad]

Byung said he's returning if there's a part two! They have all options for sequels in their contracts after all.

 

[Jolly Rolly]

This comment from a reviewer on IMDB pretty much sums up the difference between ARAH and ROC.

I LOVED GI Joe, cartoon, comics, toys etc. This ain't it! Guess what? ITS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE!!!! This is for my 10 year old son, who doesn't know squat about the GI Joe I grew up with! Just like when I was 10 and an adult looked at my 3 3/4 inch Joes and asked "What is this?" I would say "my GI Joes" and they would all respond with "It's not like the GI Joe I played with."
Bottom line is this movie is going to suck for me, but not for my son Dylan who thought the trailer "freaking rocked!"

 

[gtkilla]

It was awful. Action scenes were entertaining for the most part, but towards the end it was boring. The plot with all its twists and turns and whatnot was silly and stupid, it ruined the movie for me.

 

[deathshead2]

G.I Joe-The Rise of Cobra
What a mess this movie was, really Stephen Sommers what happened to you? Sure, Deep Rising was terrible, but The Mummy was such a fun and original action movie. I even loved Van Helsing!

So, why, Stephen did you decide to take so many steps back in movie making? In an interview not even a week old, you said your direction wasn't "MTV style." You, sir, are a liar! "MTV style" directors like, Bay or, Greengrass, now I can understand their direction, in this I couldn't tell what was going on. Yes, I knew hits were being made, and bones we're being broken, but I couldn't tell how they were being made, or broken. The actions scenes were clearly poorly planned, rushed, and intelligible.

Whats worse is the cinematography. Everything is so dark. Snake Eyes wears black armor, even though he is a ninja, that doesn't mean he should not be seen. He is the most popular Joe for a reason. So show him! The other Joes in armor also didn't stand out, and neither did the practical sets. Everything was so bland, and boring. The Joes in every piece of media before the movie was ever planned had always been colorful it added to their uniqueness, and made them standouts in the toy isle. The costumes designed for the movie made them all just another boring group of hero that where all black. After movies like X-men, and The Matrix you'd think we'd grow out of all black attire.

The CGI was also a problem. It makes me sad to see that a movie made in 2009 have worse CGI than movies from the 1990s. I can understand that many sets had to be expanded from practical to CGI to give it a sense of scale, but please at least make it look like they belong together, and not forced together. The dialogue was also a let down. With nothing coming out of the actors mouths in the least bit interesting. Yes, this movie is just a giant toy commercial, but really the silly dialogue in toy commercials are better than this. All the actors didn't seem to care about there roles either, expect for Marlon Wayans, who was a surprise. I didn't find him funny, many in my theater did, but you can tell he is having fun. And he was the only actor to give the role his all. Thus, not the cgi, not the action scenes, and yes, not even Snake Eyes were the most memorable from the film, but the charisma that Marlon Wayans gives off was.

This movie is not worth seeing in theaters. Seeing unpolished CGI on the big screen is annoying, and action scenes you need to rewind to get the full benefit of your time and ticket purchase. This is best left on the rental shelf for, you to see when it's cheap.
(2 out of 5)

 

[Blade X]

While I might agree with you Blade, if they had made all the characters American it would have drastically cut the movies international box office.

Making all of the soldiers in both TRANSFORMERS movies American, certainly didn't hurt those 2 movies box office take internationally. Heck, the soldiers in the TRANSFORMERS movie seemed (at times) more like the G.I. JOE team from the comics then the JOE team does in the JOE movie.