G.I. Joe: Retaliation

Spanks – 3

Director – Jon M. Chu

Writers – Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick

Starring – Dwayne Johnson, Jonathan Pryce, Byung-hun Lee, Adrianne Palicki, Channing Tatum & Ray Park

Release Date – 22 March 2013

MPAA Rating – PG-13

Run time – 110 Minutes

G.I Joe Retaliation is no where close to being as fun as Rise of the Cobra. The filmmakers also seemed to not know what direction to go in. Serious and realistic or, like the first one, outrageous and fun. Retaliation was trying to be both, and it didn’t work. There is also at least one movie that could have been made about what happened between the two movies.

The film starts with Cobra Commander and Destro having been caught and put in a high tech prison. However, other members of Cobra are still at large. Zartan was able to impersonate and takes the place of the president by using some sort of nanotechnology. In this position he is able to frame the Joe’s as traders and orders and air strike to take them out. Three members survive the attack and they set out to find out why they were attacked and clear the Joe’s name.

There were times when the film moved slowly which made it seem to be longer. I could have used more Bruce Willis, although the old man jokes aren’t needed because there is a whole movie about that. It also had some cool fight sequences with Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow. Lots of things blow up thanks to Firefly. However, G.I Joe: Retaliation doesn’t live up to its predecessor.

Olympus Has Fallen

Spanks – 5

Director – Antoine Fuqua

Writers – Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt

Starring – Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Finley Jacobsen, Dylan McDermott, Rick Yune, Morgan Freeman & Angela Bassett

Release Date – 22 March 2013

MPAA Rating – R

Run time – 120 Minutes

Olympus Has Fallen has been the best movie of the year up until now. It is about a North Korean terrorist group that takes control of the White House and kidnaps the president. A secret service agent who used to be on presidential detail is the only hope to saving the President.

The movie is very realistic looking, especially when the White House is being attacked. It is brutal too. When somebody gets shot, there is blood spurting out from the bullets. When there is fighting, it is regular fighting and none of that crazy Matrix style fighting. All these elements lead to the realistic feel, think Saving Private Ryan or Black Hawk Down.

The movie moves very fast. It is action packed from start to finish. It never gets slow. There is even some of the cheesy action movie lines thrown in here and there. Olympus Has Fallen is a very fun movie and you should check it out.

Snitch

Spanks – 3

Director – Ric Roman Waugh

Writers – Justin Haythe, Ric Roman Waugh

Starring – Dwayne Johnson, Barry Pepper, Jon Bernthal, Susan Sarandon, Michael Kenneth Williams & Benjamin Bratt

Release Date – 22 February 2013

MPAA Rating – PG-13

Run time – 112 Minutes

Snitch was a good movie, but it isn’t as action packed as the trailer makes it seem. When I saw the trailer, it seemed to me to be similar to Taken. Snitch is much more drama driven and the only action is in two sequences.

The film is about a father who helps the DEA after his son is put in jail after his friend turned him in. His son was told that he could get a reduced sentence if he gave the names of other drug dealers. He didn’t know any because he got arrested after his friend asked him if he could send pills to him because he couldn’t carry them on an airplane. This friend snitched his name to get his sentence reduced. His father convinces the US Attorney that is running for Congress to let him get names to reduce the sentence of his son.

The movie is very interesting and shows how our government catches drug dealers. The government gets those that they arrest to give names of other dealers to get their sentences reduced. It is pretty crazy.

Even though I was expecting an action movie, I never got bored with Snitch. I was itching for some action at times, but the story fully kept my attention. It is a movie worth watching once.