![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
The ending credits of "G.I. Joe" have the Black Eyed Peas' song "BOOM BOOM POW" playing loudly. This song is a aural encapsulation of everything the film was about: too-rhythmic editing, loudness, and an affected hipness that worked in some places, but not in all.
On one hand, a lot of things work in this movie; my inner-8-year-old boy was highly entertained because nothing ever stopped happening. The sword fighting sequences between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow were admittedly pretty damn thrilling (although the final outcome leaves lots of room for potential sequel); the gadgets cool; and the villians' plots reasonably well crafted enough to be slightly plausible. I should pause and say here that the film is made 100x better by the presence/performance of Chris Eccleston and his wonderful Scottish accent. While I could tell he was having a good time playing the bad guy, he never camped up the role or overdid it. Heck, if you're feeling ambivalent about the film, wait for the video and then fast-forward to all the scenes with him in them and you'll see all the best parts.
However, there were several things that made me stop and shake my head in various states of dismay/disgust/general wtf?!-ness. For starters, a lot of the plot was driven by assumptions along the lines, "Well, here's something incredibly dangerous, but I'll just take dealing with it into my own hands, WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG--", followed by ironic editing to show things going horribly wrong. There was also a major plot point that hinged on the fact that several characters who were supposed to be fully functional adults apparently had the emotional maturity of 5-year-olds. In the design phase of the movie, I had also hoped for fully clad heroines, but alas,Booberella the Baroness wore a lot of cleaveage-revealing outfits, and Scarlett ended up in "armor" that looked like it had been spray-tanned on. (Granted, Scarlett was a crack shot with her awesome crossbow, so that made up for booberella the less than dignified costuming.)
I was super psyched to recognize one important set location--the Huntington Japanese garden! I've rung that bell! I've observed that bridge and wished that I could stage a staff fight on it! I've wished I could sit in that tea house and... well, it doesn't have anything to do with the movie, but I was very excited.
One review I read commented that this movie was like "Team America: World Police" in live action, and while this is mostly untrue, I did want to smack whichever production designer thought it would be funny in the Paris set to have a mime in a black and white striped shirt and a beret, a man carrying a large bunch of balloons, a bread shop for one of the main characters to smash into (long story), and a pair of lovers interrupted in their making out beneath the Eiffel Tower. If the streets had been paved with croissants, I would not have been surprised. It's also a sad measure of my state of mind that when I watched the general path of destruction woven through the streets of Paris, I thought, "Wow, insurance agents would have had a field day with this."
Anyway, the short version: A great movie to see to indulge your inner ADD-addled child who likes loud noises and cool things. Pure summer junk food. For sustenance, turn to something else (like the preview of the new Martin Scorsese horror film, "Shutter Island" which looks like all kinds of beautiful, creepy, and awesome.)
On one hand, a lot of things work in this movie; my inner-8-year-old boy was highly entertained because nothing ever stopped happening. The sword fighting sequences between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow were admittedly pretty damn thrilling (although the final outcome leaves lots of room for potential sequel); the gadgets cool; and the villians' plots reasonably well crafted enough to be slightly plausible. I should pause and say here that the film is made 100x better by the presence/performance of Chris Eccleston and his wonderful Scottish accent. While I could tell he was having a good time playing the bad guy, he never camped up the role or overdid it. Heck, if you're feeling ambivalent about the film, wait for the video and then fast-forward to all the scenes with him in them and you'll see all the best parts.
However, there were several things that made me stop and shake my head in various states of dismay/disgust/general wtf?!-ness. For starters, a lot of the plot was driven by assumptions along the lines, "Well, here's something incredibly dangerous, but I'll just take dealing with it into my own hands, WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG--", followed by ironic editing to show things going horribly wrong. There was also a major plot point that hinged on the fact that several characters who were supposed to be fully functional adults apparently had the emotional maturity of 5-year-olds. In the design phase of the movie, I had also hoped for fully clad heroines, but alas,
I was super psyched to recognize one important set location--the Huntington Japanese garden! I've rung that bell! I've observed that bridge and wished that I could stage a staff fight on it! I've wished I could sit in that tea house and... well, it doesn't have anything to do with the movie, but I was very excited.
One review I read commented that this movie was like "Team America: World Police" in live action, and while this is mostly untrue, I did want to smack whichever production designer thought it would be funny in the Paris set to have a mime in a black and white striped shirt and a beret, a man carrying a large bunch of balloons, a bread shop for one of the main characters to smash into (long story), and a pair of lovers interrupted in their making out beneath the Eiffel Tower. If the streets had been paved with croissants, I would not have been surprised. It's also a sad measure of my state of mind that when I watched the general path of destruction woven through the streets of Paris, I thought, "Wow, insurance agents would have had a field day with this."
Anyway, the short version: A great movie to see to indulge your inner ADD-addled child who likes loud noises and cool things. Pure summer junk food. For sustenance, turn to something else (like the preview of the new Martin Scorsese horror film, "Shutter Island" which looks like all kinds of beautiful, creepy, and awesome.)
