“G.I. Joe” (2009) [PG-13]

     The 2009 “G.I. Joe” live-action remake has its high points and its low points. Much like original “G.I. Joe” cartoons, it is full of overly dramatic plotting villains and incredibly futuristic gadgets. However, those are the only thing it has in common with the cartoons. The movie itself is great for a summer movie, especially if the viewer doesn’t know much about the original cartoon. The lower points to this film is that it doesn’t follow close to any of the original stories and Channing Tatum who played Duke seemed too much like a boy-band singer to play the normally heroic character.

     There are only two things the movie shares with the cartoon version. One is the portrayal of the plotting villains known as “Cobra.” In the cartoons they are terrorists seeking global domination. The movie does a good job on portraying Cobra in that very same way. The other similarity between the two is the factor of futuristic gadgets. However, none of the technologies in the movie are anything like the ones in the cartoon. These are the only connections between the cartoon and the live-action remake.

     If viewers are looking for a good summer action film, they will find one in this movie. It’s enjoyable for a summer flick and is meant to be pure action, nothing else. It does a great job of entertaining simply with nonstop action. Because it has nearly nothing in common with the cartoons viewers are better off with this movie if they don’t know much about the cartoon. This live action reboot makes an exciting movie if the viewer is looking for something filled with action.

     For what few good things there are in this movie, there are bad things that go with them. First of all, most big fans of the original cartoon usually won’t enjoy this movie too much. It strays too far from the original cartoon and barely does justice for it. In addition, Channing Tatum, who played Duke, was the worst possible choice the makers of this movie could have picked. He was too much like the “pretty-boy” type to play the courageous hero Duke. There’s not much enjoyment to be found in this movie for true die-hard “G.I. Joe” fans.

          My overall rating: 2 out of 5