G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (UHD Blu-ray) review

[David Vaughn]

Studio: Paramount
Release Date: July 20, 2021
Rating: PG-13
Film: 2/5
 
Plot
Starring Channing Tatum, Marlon Wayans, Sienna Miller, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rachel Nichols and Ray Park, as well as veteran actors Dennis Quaid and Christopher Eccleston, G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA follows a top-secret elite strike force featuring the best operatives from around the globe.  After a high-tech secret weapon is stolen by a mysterious and evil organization known as COBRA, it’s a race against time for the G.I. JOE team to avoid their enemy from plunging the world into chaos.
 
My Thoughts
Somehow, I missed this film when it hit Blu-ray in 2009, which in all honesty, was probably a good thing. We sat down last night with an open mind hoping to be entertained. While we didn’t expect the acting to be great—and it wasn’t—but there was an expectation that the story would somewhat competent and entertaining. For starters, the film is far too long at just under two hours. To add insult to injury, the character development is quite poor and none of us felt anything for the main characters. Finally, there is such a thing as a movie with too much action and that is certainly the case here. When the end credits finally role I was exhausted. Finally, the CGI work is laughably bad. In fact, it’s some of the worst CGI I’ve ever seen on a big budget feature film.
 
Comparing the Blu-ray to the UHD didn’t reveal a major upgrade. Sure, the colors are a bit more saturated, shadows slightly more revealing, and details a bit more resolved, but you’d be hard pressed to tell the two discs apart. The audio track is the same DTS-HD MA 5.1 on each disc and is the highlight of the entire experience.
 
Video 7.5/10
 
Audio 9/10 (DTS-HD MA 5.1)
 
Special Features:
·        Commentary by director Stephen Sommers and producer Bob Ducsay
·        UHD + Blu-ray + Digital Copy
 

 
 
Conclusion
This release is timed to the marketing effort of the third film in the franchise—Snake Eyes—which is hitting theaters soon. The film did well enough at the box office in 2009 to have a sequel released, which I hear is better (I’ll be reviewing that as well). If you own the film on Blu-ray, I see little reason to upgrade to the 4K given this isn’t a true 4K sourced disc (2K upconversion). The film itself is full of action but the story and acting left me wanting a lot more.  
 
 
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS2000 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Portrait Displays CalMAN color calibration software & C6-HDR Meter from Portrait Displays)
Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 88” 16x9 Fixed Screen
Trinnov Altitude 16 Audio/Video Processor
ATI AT527NC Powering Bed Channels
ATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
System Controller: URC MX-990
M&K S-150 THX Ultra (R-C-L Speakers)
M&K SS-150 x4 (Surround Speakers)
Atlantic Technology IC6-OBA x 4 Overhead Speakers
SVS PC-Ultra Cylinder Subwoofer
HSU VTF-15H MK2 Subwoofer
JL Audio Dominion F110 Subwoofer x 2
Mini DSP HD controlling all subwoofers
Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling

PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner

[AVSCraig]

Thanks for taking one for the team! 

[bmoney]

I enjoyed these films. Can’t take any toy movie seriously lll

I’m curious what makes these releases different than the previous 4K release 

[David Vaughn]

I enjoyed these films. Can’t take any toy movie seriously lll

I’m curious what makes these releases different than the previous 4K release

I didn't even know they were released previously!

[bmoney]

I didn't even know they were released previously!

An excuse to eat popcorn