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G.I. Joe: Retaliation (also known as G.I. Joe 2 or G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation) is an 2013 American science fiction action film directed by Jon M. Chu, based on Hasbro's G.I. Joe toy, comic and media franchises. It is a sequel to 2009's G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. It stars Bruce Willis, Dwayne Johnson, D.J. Cotrona, Channing Tatum, Jonathan Pryce, Ray Park, and Ray Stevenson. This plot follows a lander of the hero named Cobra operative Zartan still impersonating the President of the United States, the terrorist organization is able to frame the Joes as traitors, and have them nearly annihilated in an airstrike. Cobra Commander places the world leaders under Cobra's control, and gains access to their advanced warheads. Outnumbered and outgunned, the surviving Joes form a plan with the original G.I. Joe, General Joseph Colton, to overthrow the Cobra Commander and his allies.

This film released in March 28, 2013 on United States. It received negative reviews from film critics who was criticized the most spoiled products and failure action but it gross $375.7 million against the production budget is $130-155 million. Snake Eyes G.I. Joe Origins is release in July 23, 2021 while Henry Golding as a portrayed Snake Eyes with the story scene origins. Also this sequel named G.I. Joe Ever Vigilant is release in 2022 while it finishes this development

Plot[]

Duke leads the G.I. Joe Team to North Korea to find a North Korean defector. Later, Zartan, impersonating the President of the United States, frames G.I. Joe for stealing nuclear warheads from Pakistan after the death of its President during a civil war, and subsequently eliminates G.I. Joe, which kills Duke and the other Joes, using a military air strike. Heavy machine gunner Roadblock, rookie sniper Flint, and counterintelligence officer Lady Jaye survive the attack by diving into a well, and they return to the United States and find the original G.I. Joe, General Joseph Colton, who provides them with weapons.

Meanwhile, Storm Shadow, who survived the Arctic base's destruction, and demolitions expert Firefly rescue Cobra Commander from an underground maximum-security prison in Germany, leaving Destro behind. Storm Shadow retreats to a temple in the Himalayas to recover after he was injured. The Blind Master, leader of the Arashikage Clan, sends Snake Eyes and his apprentice Jinx, to capture Storm Shadow, allowing him to answer the murder of his uncle, the Hard Master.

After Zartan announces that Cobra will become the premier U.S. special forces team, replacing G.I. Joe, Lady Jaye deduces that someone is impersonating the President and steals a sample of the President's DNA and confirms that he is Zartan. They escape after a confrontation with Firefly and Zandar, the head of the U.S. Secret Service's Presidential Detail and a member of Cobra. Colton leads the Joes to infiltrate a fundraising event where the President attends it.

Snake Eyes and Jinx locate and capture Storm Shadow after a battle with some ninjas loyal to Storm Shadow and take him back to Japan, where Storm Shadow proclaims that he did not kill the Hard Master and proves it by fighting Snake Eyes with the weapon that killed the Hard Master, which breaks. Knowing that Arashikage steel does not break, the Blind Master deduces that Zartan was the one that murdered the Hard Master and framed Storm Shadow for it, who joined Cobra to bring it down from the inside. With him cleared of murder, Storm Shadow then accompanies Snake Eyes and Jinx as they join the Joes' efforts to stop Cobra and avenge the Hard Master.

Zartan invites the world leaders to a summit at historic Fort Sumter, where he blackmails them into disabling their nuclear arsenals, and reveals that he has created Project Zeus: seven orbital kinetic bombardment weapons of mass destruction at his command, destroys Central London to prove his superiority, and threatens to destroy other capitals if the countries do not submit to Cobra. Storm Shadow betrays Cobra Commander and starts a fight, revealing Cobra's deception to the world leaders. Colton kills Zandar and rescues the real President with Lady Jaye, while Storm Shadow kills Zartan. While Snake Eyes, Jinx, and Flint fight Cobra's soldiers, Cobra Commander activates the remaining six weapons and instructs Firefly to protect the launch device, and escapes onto the helicopter. Roadblock and Firefly fight, but Roadblock is able to deactivate and destroy the orbital weapons, as well as kill Firefly. Storm Shadow leaves after avenging his uncle.

At the White House ceremony, the real President addresses the nation and commemorates the Joes, who were awarded by Colton: Roadblock, Jinx, Flint, Snake Eyes, and Lady Jaye. Colton presents Roadblock with an M1911 pistol that belonged to General George S. Patton; to use it to find Cobra Commander. Roadblock proudly raises the weapon and fires a single shot in honor of his fallen comrades, vowing to avenge them.

Cast[]

  • Bruce Willis as Joe
  • Channing Tatum as Duke
  • Dwayne Johnson as Marvin
  • D.J. Cotrona as Dashiell
  • Lee Byung-hun as Thomas
  • Adrianne Palicki as Jaye
  • Ray Park as Snake Eyes (Also Henry Golding has been movie in 2021)
  • Jonathan Pryce as Zartan
  • Ray Stevenson as Firefly
  • Elodie Yung as Kim
  • Luke Bracey as Cobra Commander

Production[]

Development[]

After the financially successful release of The Rise of Cobra, Rob Moore, the studio vice chairman of Paramount Pictures, stated in 2009 that a sequel would be developed. In January 2011, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, the writers of Zombieland, were hired to write the script for the sequel. The movie was originally thought to be titled G.I. Joe: Cobra Strikes, which was later denied by Reese. Stephen Sommers was originally going to return as director of the sequel, but Paramount Pictures announced in February 2011 that Jon Chu would direct the sequel. In July 2011, the sequel's name was revealed to be G.I. Joe: Retaliation. Chu would later declare that Paramount wanted a reboot that also served as a sequel to The Rise of Cobra since "a lot of people saw the first movie so we don't want to alienate that and redo the whole thing."

Casting[]

In January 2011, it was confirmed that Byung-hun Lee would reprise his role as Storm Shadow in the sequel. Channing Tatum and Ray Park also returned, as Duke and Snake Eyes, respectively. Rachel Nichols, the actress who played Scarlett in the first film, stated that most cast members would not be returning, except for the three aforementioned actors. In March 2011, Sienna Miller stated that she would not be returning for a sequel. Joseph Gordon-Levitt also confirmed that he would not be returning as Cobra Commander in the sequel because he was too busy with The Dark Knight Rises.

In June 2011, Dwayne Johnson was cast as Roadblock, D. J. Cotrona and RZA were cast as Flint and Blind Master, respectively, while Élodie Yung was in talks for the role of Jinx. In July 2011, Adrianne Palicki was confirmed for the lead female role of Lady Jaye, and Ray Stevenson was confirmed to portray the villain Firefly. Arnold Vosloo also confirmed that he would reprise his role of Zartan, although in the final film Vosloo appears only in a couple of non-dialogue scenes, with Jonathan Pryce playing Zartan in most scenes. Joseph Mazzello was confirmed to play Mouse. In August 2011, Walton Goggins was added as Warden Nigel James, and it was confirmed that Bruce Willis was cast to star in the film as the original G.I. Joe. The character of Joe Colton was a replacement for fan-favorite Joe character Sgt. Slaughter. Sgt. Slaughter stated that he "was originally supposed to be the part of Bruce Willis' [as] Sgt. Slaughter but because we had a conflict in toy companies, Hasbro and Mattel, I wasn't able to do it. It's one of those things, Rock (Dwayne Johnson) doesn't have a contract so he can do what he wants to do and he's been very successful".

In September, a casting call sheet leaked to the Internet revealed that Cobra Commander would appear in the sequel, though it was unknown who would play the character. Chu said that fans would get a glimpse of Destro in the film, but Christopher Eccleston would not reprise his role in the sequel. On May 1, 2012, it was confirmed by Jon Chu that G.I. Joe: Retaliation's Cobra Commander is Rex Lewis, the same character that Joseph Gordon-Levitt played in The Rise of Cobra.

Filming[]

Principal photography began in August 2011 in Louisiana. On November 22, 2011, a crew member died in an accident at a New Orleans warehouse that was serving as a soundstage for the production. The incident happened while crew members were changing out a set. The battle on the Himalayas was shot in the south vertical assembly building at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility, that had been fitted with a green screen wall at a very steep angle with a lot of rigging above to swing the stunt people through.

Fort Pike in Louisiana stands in for Fort Sumter in South Carolina as the site of the climactic summit meeting of the leaders of nuclear-armed countries.

Visual effects[]

Retaliation had 700 visual effects shots, which were mostly handled by three effects companies. Visual effects supervisor Zachary Kinnery declared that while the visuals aimed for the "big and bold" typical of the franchise, Retaliation would be the first to attempt "a bit more of that gritty realism." The major part of the effects was given to Digital Domain, which for 227 effects created digital vehicles and aircraft that had to "look fantastic but which are also plausible", given they had to match practical models, the Zeus satellite and a sequence where Zartan shows his nanomite-related disguise to the president—done with the same head replacement software developed for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Tron: Legacy. Industrial Light & Magic made the London destruction, a digital White House, and the mountain sword fight, which had computer-generated backgrounds and digital augmentation of the stunt people's performance. Method Studios was responsible for the desert attack, Firefly's explosive bugs, and the malfunction on the underground prison. Saints LA handled minor effects such as compositing and news graphics.

Music[]

The film's score was composed by Henry Jackman. A soundtrack of the score was released in April 2013.

Release[]

This film released in March 28, 2013. It getting delayed by coronavirus pandemic 5 times which it secretly released in March 2012.

Ban In Pakistan[]

The film was banned by the Central Board of Film Censors of Pakistan due to initial scenes at the beginning of the movie which depict the country negatively, according to film censor board officials. A Karachi-based cinema posted on its Facebook page that the film would not be screened due to restrictions by the censor board. The censorship was due to the film's depiction of Pakistan as an unstable state and the fictional portrayal of a "foreign invasion of Pakistan's nuclear installations", which caught the ire of film censor authorities. Consequently, restrictions were imposed on screening the movie countrywide. According to an official at the censor board, the film portrayed Pakistan negatively not only on the issue of the War on Terror but also on the international standing of the country: "There is a scene which shows the assassination of the Pakistani president and the imposition of martial law, which is not a fair representation of the country." Another cinema official explained "There were obviously several objectionable things which would never have passed the censors, but these things are also relevant to the content of the film."

Marketing & Merchandising[]

A toyline for the film was confirmed by Hasbro in February 2012. Despite the movie's release being moved from June 2012 to March 2013, the initial assortments of figures, vehicles, and role-play items were shipped to retailers, and appeared on store shelves in May 2012. A Variety article was published stating that the already released figures had been pulled from the shelves and recalled by Hasbro, although the company's official statement indicated that existing product would be sold through. New product shipments were halted by Hasbro, but existing Retaliation figures were available in Target, Wal-Mart, and Toys R Us as late as December 2012. The toyline was re-released in the United States in February 2013. A four-part limited series comic book titled G.I. Joe: Retaliation Movie Prequel was published by IDW Publishing from February 2012 to April 2012. Written by John Barber, it acts as a prequel to the movie.

Home media[]

G.I. Joe: Retaliation was released on DVD, Blu-ray, and Blu-ray 3D on July 30, 2013. A Blu-ray "Extended Action Cut" added 12 minutes of footage and uncensored violence was also available, with the United States version being a Best Buy exclusive.

The film topped No. 1 on both the Blu-ray and DVD sales charts with at least 54% of both Blu-ray and DVD units sold. The film also topped weekend rentals as well.

Reception[]

Box Office[]

G.I. Joe: Retaliation grossed $122.5 million in North America and $253.2 million internationally for a worldwide total of $375.7 million, against a budget of $130–$155 million.

In North America, the film grossed $10.5 million on its opening day, debuting at the top of the box office. The film retained the No. 1 spot over the three-day weekend and grossed $40.5 million; however, the film's opening weekend fell 14.2% against The Rise of Cobra's $54.7 million debut.

Critical response[]

The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 29% based on 180 reviews, with an average rating of 4.5/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Though arguably superior to its predecessor, G.I. Joe: Retaliation is overwhelmed by its nonstop action and too nonsensical and vapid to leave a lasting impression." At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating to reviews, the film has an average score of 41 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale.

Alan Scherstuhl of The Village Voice wrote in a positive review that "this [movie] pushes right past competent into mostly legitimately enjoyable" but added that "the movie is still dumb as catbutt. It's an honest and accomplished dumbness, however, where the stupidest stuff seems to be there because the movie would be less fun without it." The Hollywood Reporter's Todd McCarthy was critical about the film's use of 3D and accurate reflection of the franchise's comic book and cartoon origins, but predicted it would still earn better than its predecessor, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a grade of "B-", calling it "well-executed technocratic action fluff" and commented: "In its dehumanized and trivial way, it's a triumph of razor-sharp, hyper-violent style over formulaic substance ... Hollywood has now evolved to the point that it can deliver these kinds of thrills with maximum brute force and keep the impact so light that the result can still be regarded as a 'harmless' diversion for 14-year-olds." Glen Heath Jr. of Slant Magazine gave it two out of four stars, criticizing the film's "cut-happy style" and plot, but lauding the action sequences and Chu's direction as "poetry in high-speed motion."

In a negative review, Betsey Sharkey of the Los Angeles Times panned the "overwhelmingly complicated, globe-hopping, enemies within, enemies without story line" and 3D but noted that "the humor, when it works, offers 'Retaliation' some redemption." She ended with: "It's convoluted. Frankly no one should have to think that hard to keep up with the Joes." Another negative review came from Variety magazine's Justin Chang, who ridiculed the movie's large-scale destruction of foreign cities, writing: "Audiences who thrilled to the sight of Paris under biochemical attack in Cobra will be pleased to watch London endure an even more horrific fate here, although the sequence is tossed off in quick, almost ho-hum fashion, with no time to dwell on anything so exquisitely crass as the spectacle of the Eiffel Tower collapsing." He summarized the movie as "a more straight-faced brand of idiocy than its cheerfully dumb 2009 predecessor."

Writing for Empire magazine, Olly Richards gave the movie 2 stars out of 5 and compared it unfavorably with its predecessor, writing: "The first film you could at least laugh at. This takes all its silly ingredients and smushes them down flat. 'Retaliation' over-promises and under-delivers." Richard Roeper of Chicago Sun-Times gave the movie 1.5 stars out of a possible four, branding it a "ridiculous and overblown debacle" that contained "nothing but well-packaged garbage" and further adding: "To say 'G.I. Joe: Retaliation' is a video game for the big screen is to insult a number of video games that are far more creative, challenging and better-looking."

Sequel and Spinoff[]

This film confirmed that sequel announced in release. This film spinoff called "Snake Eyes G.I. Joe Origins" is release in July 23, 2021 while G.I. Joe Ever Vigilant is release in 2022.

Awards[]

Year Award Category Nominee Result Ref.
2012 Golden Trailer Awards 2012 Best Action Teaser Paramount Pictures and The AV Squad Nominated
2013 Golden Trailer Awards 2013 Best Action Trailer Paramount Pictures & Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Nominated
IGN Summer Movie Awards Best Action Movie G.I. Joe: Retaliation Nominated
2013 Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie: Action G.I. Joe: Retaliation Nominated
Choice Movie Actor: Action Dwayne Johnson Nominated
Choice Movie Actress: Action Adrianne Palicki Nominated
Choice Movie: Scene Stealer Channing Tatum Nominated
2014 Acapulco Black Film Festival Hollywood Award Artist of the Year Dwayne Johnson (for Fast & Furious 6, Pain & Gain, and Snitch) Nominated
ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards Top Box Office Films Henry Jackman Won
2014 Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Male Butt Kicker Dwayne Johnson Nominated
2014 World Stunt Awards Best Stunt Rigging Kurt D. Lott for the Himalayan Mountain Sequence Nominated

Videos[]

Images[]

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