Happy Trails: "GI Joe: Retaliation"

I've spoken about movie trailers in relation to the final films in my posts before.  In this new series, I will be talking about new trailers for upcoming movies. Trailers give us a glimpse into a film, sometimes accurately, sometimes not, to help us decide whether we want to see it.



"G.I. Joe: Retaliation" is the sequel to 2009's "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" directed by Stephen Sommers.  "Retaliation" is directed by Jon M. Chu, and features almost an entirely different cast from the original. 


First off, we have Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson taking a prominent role in the trailer.  The main character of the first film, Duke (Channing Tatum), appears briefly in the trailer.  The trailer hints that Duke may meet his end in this film, though it's obviously too early to tell that. 

"Rise of Cobra" spent much of its runtime eventually serving as the origin story of the villainous Cobra Commander (Joseph Gordon Levitt).  Cobra Commander, strangely, also barely makes an appearance in this trailer at about one minute in.  Gordon Levitt has stated he won't be returning for this second film, nor will Sienna Miller, Rachel Nichols, Dennis Quaid or Marlon Wayans. 

I have to admit that I am not particularly familiar with the characters of "G.I. Joe."  Growing up, I was much more into "Transformers."  I don't have the emotional attachment to these characters that many do, so seeing them up on the screen, changed around and adapted has had little affect on me.  Then again, I always like seeing new and alternate adaptations anyway.  But more to the point, I don't have a particular "G.I. Joe" vibe that I'm looking for here.

This trailer features lots of explosions, colorful looking characters, and sweet, sweet ninja action.  Like the first film, it's likely to have a boundlessly stupid plot and generic dialogue propped up by some cool, slick-looking special effects and action sequences. 

The big surprise in this trailer is the appearance of Bruce Willis at the end.  I simply had no idea that either he or the Rock were in this film, and honestly that puts my interest in it on a whole new level.  The best and most intriguing parts of the trailer are the casting, as well as the quick looks at a cliff-face ninja battle and a cheesy fun shot of the Cobra flags unfurling over the White House. 

The trailer looks fun.  Hopefully the movie can maintain the sense of cartoonish absurdity from the first that made it bad but oh-so-entertaining.  With the Rock and Bruce Willis on board, it has some star power that the original didn't.  Let's face it, Channing Tatum and Marlon Wayans are not exactly big-name action stars for a reason.

"G.I. Joe: Retaliation" opens in theaters June 29, 2012.