G.I. Joe: Retaliation 3D

Yes, the sequel is an improvement over the original, but don’t get your hopes up too high. Dwayne Johnson joins something like his 18th franchise, as does Bruce Willis, in this confusing yet sometimes entertaining follow-up to G.I. Joe: The Sucky First Movie. There are some good action sequences to be had, including a snowy-cliff sword battle and the destruction of London. There’s also a lot of clatter about Cobra Commanders and Snake Eyes and a bunch of other toy names I simply lost track of. Channing Tatum and Johnson have great rapport, and a whole movie with them together could’ve been fun. Unfortunately, Tatum makes an early exit, making way for The Smirk. Willis is OK here, but he doesn’t add all that much. Jonathan Pryce is fairly menacing as two characters: the president of the United States and his evil imposter. I’d tell you some plot details but that would be a waste of space. Just know that if you plunk down for this you will see a couple of good action sequences and a whole lot of mindless crap.