G.I. Joe: Retalliation

Jon M. Chu's G.I. Joe: Retaliation (US, 2013) - Muscle-bound and lumbering, G.I. Joe: Retaliation goes in a more stripped-down, no-nonsense direction than its predecessor, and the end result is a beefier but not better movie. This sequel to the cartoonish first film, 2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra, discards much of the original cast for a new set of heroes, most notably an always-game Dwayne Johnson. But between its generic action-thriller plotting and unsophisticated worship of warfare and hardware, Retaliation is a conspicuously uninspired effort that goes through the motions, hoping undiscriminating genre fans won’t mind. RATING: 4