The year was 1923. The place was Providence, Rhode Island. The event was the creation of Hassenfeld Brothers, a textile company created by three brothers, Henry, Hillel, and Herman. In 1942 the company transitioned to making toys, and in 1964 they created an "action figure" called G.I. Joe. Originally, G.I. Joe was hugely profitable. Still, by the mid-1970s, production was halted. Over the years, the G.I. Joe series has expanded in media with comics, books, records, and films. The first live-action movie, released in 2009, was G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Twelve years later, the film is available on 4K for the first time.
M.A.R.S., a weapons manufacturer, has created a new weapon using metal-eating Nanobots. They sell four Nanobot-infused warheads to NATO, transported by Americans Conrad "Duke" Hauser (Channing Tatum; Magic Mike) and Wallace "Ripcord" Weems (Marlon Wayans; Scary Movie). When the convoy is ambushed, Duke recognizes The Baroness (Sienna Miller; American Sniper) as his ex-fiancé, Ana. Distracted, Duke fails to prevent Ana from stealing the warheads, only for them to be recovered by the elite special forces group, the G.I. Joes.
The Joes take the warheads to "the pit," their base in Egypt. General Hawk (Dennis Quaid; The Parent Trap) dismisses Duke and Ripcord, but Duke argues to stay. Hawk agrees, requiring them to train under the Shield team. Meanwhile, the Baroness and Storm Shadow (Lee Byung-Hun; I Saw the Devil) break in and steal the warheads. The Joes must uncover the villains' plan before destroying major European cities.
This is an action film first, with dialogue, not a priority. Tatum fits the soldier role well but struggles with acting. Wayans neither adds nor detracts significantly. Miller is mostly annoying, though her fight scenes are solid. Quaid brings his usual authoritative presence as a top-ranking officer.
Paramount excels with 4K transfers, and this title is no exception. However, some special effects look fake. Colors pop and details are sharp, enhancing the viewing experience.
The audio retains the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 from the 2009 Blu-ray. It's disappointing that there's no Dolby Atmos upgrade, but the 5.1 surround is excellent, with clear dialogue and no artifacting.
The Combo Pack includes the 4K disc, Blu-ray, and a Digital HD code. It features audio commentary by Director Stephen Sommers (The Mummy) and Producer Bob Ducsay (Van Helsing).
If you grew up with G.I. Joe and know the characters, this film is a faithful interpretation of the comics. However, if you are unfamiliar with the G.I. Joe background and aren't a fan of action, fighting, and guns, this movie may not appeal to you.
It may look good and sound great, but the acting, script, and special effects leave much to be desired for the average viewer.
Grade: C
