G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra poster & wallpaper

Dennis Quaid, Christopher Eccleston, Channing Tatum

An elite military unit comprised of special operatives known as G.I. Joe, operating out of The Pit, takes on an evil organization led by a notorious arms dealer.

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62% liked it

155,418 ratings

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37% liked it

142 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 58 min.

Directed by: Stephen Sommers

Release Date: August 7, 2009

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DVD Release Date: November 3, 2009

Stats: 43,775 reviews

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G.I. JOE: RISE OF COBRA POSTER G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra YOUR FIRST LOOK AT THE BREAKER FROM THE G.I. JOE MOVIE G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra G.I. Joe Rise of Cobra. G.I Joe G.I Joe G.I. Joe G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra YOUR FIRST LOOK AT SNAKE EYES G.I Joe YOUR FIRST LOOK AT HEAVY DUTY FROM THE G.I. JOE MOVIE AWSOME FAN MADE G.I. JOE POSTER G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra G.I. Joe G.I. Joe poster
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Flixster Reviews (43,775)

  • allan913
    November 7, 2009
    allan913
    An awsome, explosive, exciting and highly entertaining sci-fi action-thriller. It's an exhilerating, eye-popping, wickedly funny and tremendously fun rollar coaster ride from begining to end. A total blast. A first-rate adventure filled with stunning speacial effects, explosive a...( read more)ction and great chracters. A dazzeling action-packed thrill-machine that does not quit. Loads of bullets, wild stunts and sword play to go around. A non-stop joy-ride of a movie. A very cool, fast and furious action movie. It's mind-blowing, riveting and sensational. This popular comic book burst onto the screen with explosive energy and fantacy to re-invent itself to be a high-octane and high-tech flick. It just roars across the screen with unstopable fun. It rocks all sorts of adreniline and pulse-pounding excitemnt all the way to the end. Director, Stephen Summers delivers his best adventure in years. A great all-star cast. Dennis Quaid is teriffic. Marlon Wayanes is riot of energy. Joseph Gordon Levitt is surprising in this role gving a rather chilling performance. Christopher Eccleson is brilliant. Ray Park is the perfect choice for the role of Snake Eyes, even thow he never says a word, it dosent mean you cant feel the energy that he gives in the action scenes.
  • shiftyeyeddog
    October 11, 2009
    shiftyeyeddog
    No one expected this to be a great film, but if any of you, like me, held out hope that it may at least succeed at just being silly popcorn fun, well... abandon all hope ye who enter here.

    Where to start? The writing: HORRIBLE - The backstories and flashbacks are laug...( read more)hably bad. Lame jokes fall flat, but we have ample opportunity to laugh thanks to some unintentionally hilarious bad scenes. Then they thought they were being clever by shoving every catchphrase from the cartoon into the first half hour ("kung fu grip" "knowing is half the battle", "real american hero", etc)

    The action: could be exciting and fun, but is ruined by the bad jokes and even worse CGI.

    The direction: Sommers is a hack - pure and simple. The main makes people like Brett Ratner and McG look like Spielberg and Scorsese.

    Then there's the worst offenders of all - the acting. It's cast with a plethora of C-list actors who don't fit the parts in the slightest. Channing Tatum may very well be the worst actor of the 21st century, and can't deliver a single line convincingly, and his non-verbal acting is even worse. Marlon Wayans is annoying and fails completely at adding humor to the film. Rachel Nichols is almost as bad an actor as Tatum, and might I add not nearly as attractive as they try to pass her off as. I am simply baffled as to why a few talented people like Dennis Quaid and Joseph Gordon-Levitt chose to participate in this mess. They are far too good for this film. Paychecks, I guess. Levitt, in particular, takes on a terrible role with a stupid look and an even more ludicrous voice.

    Hey, I'm all for dumb fun, but this was just terrible, largely due to its cast. At least one good thing came of this film - Thanks to the nostaliga it drummed up, I made a ton of money putting my old toys up on eBay.
  • KhrisP
    October 9, 2009
    KhrisP
    Thanks... for killing one of my favorite childhood likes. I remember when I was a kid, playing with the action figures, had a nice collection too.... had Duke, Gung Ho, and all the main ones.

    Even I got the idea as a kid... American military Special Ops take on terrorists.

    We...( read more)ll... they got that bit right.

    FUCK! this movie just annoyed the crap out of me... why couldnt they just keep it simple?? American hard asses take on new terrorist group. Probably nice they made it international, but then we have everyone saying "Joes" all the time and its so Americana. Duh. Its called GI JOE for a reason.

    Such an interesting cast... and one big mistake of a movie. yeah it was a live action film... but a bloody useless one. What was it trying to do, set a new record for action in the movies or something? Yeah Im an action junkie but this just gave me a headache. The technology is cool but over the top, just like the action, the visuals.

    Crappy script, couldnt even understand what the cast was saying half the time as they were mumbling like b grade actors. The eye candy was useless, the girls are thicker than oak wood. Stephen Sommers should just shelve this away and go back to the drawing board.

    The only thing I liked was the martial arts... cause it was done by experts, thank god!!!


    Anyways... Im waiting for the "REAL" GI Joe movie next year.... Sly's The Expendables.

    Now all I have left of GI JOE is my childhood memories.. how sad.
  • stuartb1234
    October 8, 2009
    stuartb1234
    so bad its funny. "team America: World Police" live action ;)
  • PvtCaboose91
    October 7, 2009
    PvtCaboose91
    "Technically, GI Joe does not exist. But if it did, it would be comprised of the best men and women from the top military units in the world, the alpha dog's. When all else fails we don't."


    Built on the philosophy that any line of Hasbro action figures will translate t

    ...( read more)o the big screen with lucrative results (à la Michael Bay's Transformers), G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is exactly the type of overblown, loud, mindless summer blockbuster it clearly aspired to be - a cartoonish actioner of ornately costumed good vs. evil with large explosions, plenty of CGI, very few nuances and some woeful acting. The filmmakers behind G.I. Joe visibly intended to replicate what a 10-year-old boy's imagination might conjure up while playing with his action figures, and the result is an action film highlight reel that's pleasing to the eye but not to any other organ. On this note it's an awful movie by any standard, but it's also a great deal of fun.


    For those unaware, G.I. Joe is not a person - it's an organisation (a bit like the X-Men, except the G.I. Joes gain superpowers through technology and training rather than innate ability). General Hawk (Quaid) is the one who presides over this elite unit of warriors. The plot, so to speak, concerns the Joes whose mission is to defend a bunch of cutting edge NATO weapons from an evil organisation. The bad guys plan to steal these weapons and use them to destroy strategic global targets in an effort to (what else?)...take over the world! Of course, none of this detail matters because the whole storyline is an excuse to showcase action sequences that'll just be interrupted by a poorly-placed flashback or a silly joke.


    G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is virtually wall-to-wall action, delivered at such a brisk pace that the lull is very noticeable during brief breaks for exposition. The dialogue is expectedly risible, while the story is at once elemental and incomprehensible; jumping from 1640s France to the near future before zipping to Tokyo 20 years earlier, and so on. The screenplay (credited to five writers) is a clichéd mess of fanboy pandering (the famous "knowing is half the battle" line is of course spoken) which struggles to introduce a cumbersome roster of one-note characters while a world domination scheme unfolds that wouldn't pass muster in the most self-indulgent efforts of the James Bond franchise. The script also spends an absurd amount of time on flashbacks that help establish all the characters in the Joe universe. Half the bad guys were originally good guys, the Cobra back-story is turned into a chintzy soap opera, and the origins tale of Snake Eyes is compressed into a few short flashbacks (usually concerning fights between two kids). Even despite the attempts to offer an origins tale for most of the protagonists, they remain as plastic as the toys that inspired them. Sure, expecting character development in a G.I. Joe motion picture is foolhardy, but tension and excitement in action movies are tied to the viewer's ability to root for the protagonists - and it's hard to root for underdeveloped characters.


    On the other hand, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is a devilishly fun and entertaining guilty pleasure. Why? Because it gets it - it knows the pedigree it wants to be, and it pursues it. All that's missing from this film is the hands of an 8-year-old on the screen making the characters move. Director Stephen Sommers only operates in one gear; infusing G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra with a blistering pace that makes it somewhat easier to overlook the film's numerous shortcomings. The atmosphere of unapologetic cartoonishness is exacerbated by the eye-rolling overuse of computer-generated special effects, with the pervasive lack of reality reinforcing the film's proud status as a big-budget summer blockbuster.


    In any case, this film is far better than Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - not because it's more creative or thoughtful (it isn't) but because Sommers is a more sure-handed director than Michael Bay. An audience may not have a great deal of emotional investment in the action, but at least it's comprehensible (the camera never experiences a sudden seizure). Admittedly, too, the action sequences are frequently exhilarating, and the inclusion of several better-than-expected set-pieces (like a breathless chase through the streets of Paris) allow the film to be far more fun than it should be. Yet the quality of the CGI is inconsistent (at times bordering on photorealism, at other times embarrassingly phoney), and the climax erodes interest by splicing together a few hundred concurrent battles instead of just one conflict. While far too long at almost two hours, G.I. Joe is at least not as excruciating or unending as Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.


    The only aspect of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra which does resemble Transformers is the attempt on the part of the filmmakers to have it both ways - to make it as childish and blood-free as possible to draw in kids and obtain a PG-13 rating for maximum profits (though it still underperformed at the box office), while also including enough shooting and violence to keep the older demographic entertained. Like most of Sommers' other work, it's impossible to take the deeply stupid material seriously, and it's therefore jarring that there's a semi-serious tone to everything. It's like Team America minus the winks and overt humour.


    Unsurprisingly, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra features atrocious acting. Channing Tatum is the most glaring offender in the bad-acting department, with a performance that's beyond unconvincingly wooden. Sienna Miller is equally dreadful. An audience should become invested in the relationship between Tatum's Duke and Miller's Ana, but poor writing and lack of chemistry between the leads fails to sell the romance as anything more than a feeble plot element. Christopher Eccleston and Joseph Gordon-Levitt provide a few giggles; they understand they're playing cartoons, and have suitably hammed it up. Marlon Wayans is the film's comic relief, but he's only slightly amusing. Also in the cast is a stale Dennis Quaid, and a few actors from Sommers' The Mummy who are given small roles (Brendan Fraser, Arnold Vosloo and Kevin J. O'Connor).


    The subtitle The Rise of Cobra is actually misleading - the Cobra doesn't bother to rise until the last few minutes. There are also loose ends dangling everywhere, which suggest the filmmakers were thinking of a sequel before producing this chapter. The film is therefore not a standalone entity but a tease for future instalments, which makes it an unsatisfying standalone experience before those sequels have been made.


    If any film of 2009 has suffered bad buzz and worse marketing, it's G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. The result is nothing excruciating, but at its best moments it's still entirely forgettable. Then again, the 10-year-old boys for whom the movie is tailor-made aren't seeking Oscar-calibre performances or anything thought-provoking. They want eye-candy and no-holds-barred action, which G.I. Joe delivers at mind-numbing pace. Is it perfect? Fuck no. It's rubbish. But it's still fun.
  • sparks235
    November 7, 2009
    sparks235
    I never was interested in the G.I. Joe cartoons as a kid, but I enjoyed watching this movie!
  • loveuid2003
    November 7, 2009
    loveuid2003
    It was okay, not like I thought it would be
  • charlenebonnici86
    November 7, 2009
    charlenebonnici86
    When All Else Fails, They Don't
  • slick36
    November 7, 2009
    slick36
    Image and video hosting by TinyPic

    (Stephen Sommers), the Director who brought you the Mummy brings you another action/adventure about a special unit of soldiers yo...( read more)u battle wits against a evil cooperation run by the villianous Destro in G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA.

    I must say when I heard about & saw the trailer for G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA, I wasn't too thrilled. I thought it was going to be just another corny addaption that a director put together that was painfully bad to experience. With G.I. JOE it succeeds where its awesomely done as Sommers brings the cartoon to life. I was very surprised how much fun I had watching G.I. JOE. It's basically nonstop action from start to finish thats hardcore intenssity with huge explosions & bullets fying all over the place for it's 120 run time. Even though the movie wasn't exactly like the cartoon, I still thought it was cool how Sommers took it & made it into something everyone could enjoy. Sommer's managed to make the actors like action figures in a futuristic way. This film just blew me away with it's incredible action sequences & fun moments. When the action hits, they are extremely loud for the hearing impaired which saying not a bad thing since I like to listen to it. The only problem I had with this was the fact the effects went a little over the top where it made the movie look too cartoonish. The story was kinda cool but thats not really the main issue here. All G.I. JOE was made for was to enjoy it for what it is, a big summer popcorn action film. The acting in this film was decent. I mean your not going to have an oscar worthy of actors in a film like this. The one I thought stood out the most was Channing Tatum as Duke. I thought Channing carried the movie well. He showed alot of emotion & looked like he had fun with his character. Their were also a few babes in here that were smokin hot like the Baroness played by the sexy (Sienna Miller) & lovely (Rachel Nicols) as Scarlet in those tight leather suits. I know the guys will have a time watching them. The legendary Dennis Quaid kinda failed for me as he went over the top with his character making it seem like he was rehearsing. If I had to choose my favorite one of the lot, I would have to go with Ray Park who was Snake Eyes. Man, that dude is just so fun to watch as he does his martial art moves & weaponary skills. Everything about him is awesome & amazing in way thats hard to believe that he's doing all his stunts. Ray was just all over the place in this one which was good. Snake Eyes really kicked butt. Hope to see him kick more on the second one. The others were just alright but not really special as the ones I just mentioned. I think the other actors felt the same way, just having fun with something like this. I mean who couldn't when you have the oppurtunity to become an action figure? BTW this interprets a sequel from the ending, I can't wait to see how the second one is going to turn out. I'm guessing more action than this one but I was surprised how much action this one had for the first one, it was surprisingly amazing.

    Overall, G.I. JOE is a must see for action junkies. It's probably the greatest action movie I've seen in my life. So if your familiar with the cartoon its a definent watch. If you've never heard of the cartoon which is highly unlikely, you'll still have tons of fun with it. If you just turn your brain off for 2 hours which really didn't seem all that long since it was so fast paced with entertainment, you'll love this one. So far G.I. JOE is best cartoon adaptation ever made. G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA is a fast paced, entertaining exciting, adrenaline rushed actiioner that expodes off screen full of nonstop action packed stunts that are impossible to take your eyes off.

    "WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS, WE DON'T"

    4 stars
  • engramirkamal
    November 7, 2009
    engramirkamal
    G I Joe is a highly dynamic, high tech gadgetary packed movie. No stop action, battle of good & evil. Action lovers do go it a try. I feel it is better than lots of high tech sci fi.

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Critic Reviews

August 12, 2009
Armond White, The New York Press

G.I. Joe must be understood as an authentic measurement of our cultural values. Its appeal to the pop-commercial synapses also demonstrates livelier filmmaking than such utter banality as Iron Man and... full review

August 12, 2009
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

Basically Team America: World Police played straight and minus the political edge. full review

August 11, 2009
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

I could load you up with more plot details, but this mercilessly incoherent, galactically stupid movie left me too numb to type. full review

August 11, 2009
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

G.I. Joe is a loud but proficient slab of explode-o-rama summer blockbuster nonsense, perfectly entertaining if you like that sort of thing, extremely skippable if you don't. full review

August 9, 2009
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

It is sure to be enjoyed by those whose movie appreciation is defined by the ability to discern that moving pictures and sound are being employed to depict violence. full review

August 7, 2009
Kyle Smith, New York Post

Formerly a real American hero, G.I. Joe is no longer a hero (it's a team) or American (it's a multinational unit of military superstars, though the way they do business you'd rather have the Croatian ... full review

August 7, 2009
Nigel Andrews, The Financial Times

There is an inertia born of ceaseless, stupefying animation. full review

View more G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments

  • haider03444502976
    November 2, 2009
    haider03444502976
    ohhh good one..............................
  • snypabrian
    October 28, 2009
    snypabrian
    beautiful,must see movie
  • jameskaindoh
    October 22, 2009
    jameskaindoh
    Its the best movie of the year, i love it.
  • katasteaua2002
    October 2, 2009
    katasteaua2002
    Nr 1
  • sportboy
    August 21, 2009
    sportboy
    This movie was extremly bad.
  • MadaboutHatters
    August 15, 2009
    MadaboutHatters
    So over the top bad that this was actually enjoyable fun to watch.
    If you go in to just enjoy the ride and remember this ISN'T based in reality then you'll be fine.
    I think too many people pick this movie apart and forget what playing GI Joes was when you were a kid which was to use your imagination, your Joes could jump from the floor to the couch and there was nothing they couldn't do and in alot of ways that's what this movie is.
  • lashorty1993
    August 12, 2009
    lashorty1993
    omg i loveeeeee thiz movie i would go and see it again !!!

    love da cazt , love the fightinq everythinq was just great!!!
  • chef0399
    August 9, 2009
    chef0399
    whent to see it on my brithday..still could not belive it was out on that day...left me and my friend with questions like when is the 2nd one comeing out...still i would watch this movie over and over and over..it was worth the money and i cant wait for the dvd
  • southerneagle78
    August 9, 2009
    southerneagle78
    Why can't they just leave things alone. Everything isn't meant to be remade, revamped and brought to a movie theater.
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