# An Osage Home Theater Shack Review: G.I. JOE: RETALIATION (Blu-ray; Paramount/MGM/Hasbro)



## Osage_Winter (Apr 8, 2010)

[img]http://getsomegrapesoda.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/gijoe-retaliation-blu-ray-combo-pack-cover-art.jpg[/img]*Releasing/Participating Studio(s): Paramount/MGM/Hasbro
Disc/Transfer Information: Region A; 2.40:1 (Original Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1); 1080p High Definition 50GB Blu-ray Disc
Video Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 110 Minutes
Tested Audio Track: English Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (Tested in 5.1 Configuration)
Director: Jon M. Chu
Starring Cast: Channing Tatum, Bruce Willis, Dwayne Johnson, Adrianne Palicki, Ray Stevenson, Joseph Mazzello

PLOT ANALYSIS:*

All it takes is a couple of minutes into watching this to know that Jon Chu’s sequel is leap years better, more involving and far less cheesy and quasi-cartoonish than Stephen Sommers’ original. It can almost stand on its own as blockbuster action flick, of course thanks to the somewhat rudimentary casting nowadays of folks like Willis and Johnson in these types of films; and, as always, Johnson chews up the scenery he’s in with brooding, muscular presence and testosterone-fueled fury while Willis attempts to again change the shadow of himself and step out of the “John McClane” limelight, but to no avail: Those same off-putting smirks, grimaces, attempts at unsettling one-liners and even his annoying-to-look-at-now bald head all come to the forefront again in this as it does in everything he’s been doing pretty much since _Die Hard With a Vengeance_. But, the kicker of this whole film – and I’ll get to this in the technical analysis area – was one of the most rambunctious, aggressive, overcooked (in a good way) and tactile sound mixes I have _ever_ heard in my time dabbling in this hobby. I mean, WOW…THIS is what high resolution audio should SOUND and FEEL like is what I thought as I sat through action sequence after action sequence on this disc. Couple that with the fact that I can’t remember the last time I noted a TrueHD track on a Blu-ray coming with a 7.1 surround arrangement configuration – if at all – and you have the makings of a disc that can be utilized for nothing else than picture and sound demonstrations if the film itself doesn’t butter your proverbial bread.

Seriously ‘Shacksters – the 7.1 TrueHD track in English on the Region A disc of _G.I. Joe: Retaliation_ was an experience that blew me away…and I’m difficult to impress in this area. I couldn’t help but think how disappointing blockbusters such as _The Avengers_ were in the sound department as compared to this title, and that made me a bit melancholy – honestly, the 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio of _Avengers_ came off as weak, wimpy and a bit lean in the rear soundstage compared to the hefty, brooding almost air-pressurizing track Paramount and MGM equipped _Retaliation_ with. Note: I mentioned _Avengers_ because this was a Blu-ray release carrying a 7.1 surround mix as the subject of this review – and while both were played back on my 5.1 system arrangement, _Retaliation_ completely blew it out of the water and presented something I never heard before since the launch of this format. Normally, 7.1 tracks played back on my system suffer from what I like to call the “dumbing down effect” – that is, something goes wrong when the back surround channel information is “collapsed” into the standard two surrounds when these tracks are played back on a system that doesn’t contain back surrounds…difficult to describe, essentially these audio tracks lose something that’s been confirmed by many others that experience this with 5.1 setups. I heard it in _Captain America, Thor_ and _Avengers_ – but not here on _G.I. Joe: Retaliation._ This was an absolute blast to demo in TrueHD and should become the next de facto standard for retailers in their demo rooms (do these still exist?) as _U-571_ and _Jurassic Park_ (both in DTS flavor) were in the heyday of DVD. 

Making _Retaliation_ smell even sweeter was a story and film far better than what we got with the cartoon-y, cheesy original – some of the same people reprise some roles here such as Channing Tatum’s “Duke,” Adrianne Palicki’s “Jaye,” Byung-hun Lee’s “Storm Shadow” and Jonathan Pryce’s American President character. New to the film are a couple of super-villains such as “Firefly” (Ray Stevenson) as well as a couple of new additions to the “Joe” team like Dwayne Johnson’s “Roadblock” and Bruce Willis’ “General Joe Colton.” As I mentioned earlier, it seems the trend now to throw together names like Johnson and Willis when constructing an action film of any kind not only for marquee benefits but to seemingly continue the path carved by projects such as _The Expendables_; regardless of factor, I have to admit I was pulled into the trailers by the mentioning of these two guys. And…can I say…is Adrianne Palicki one of the most scalding-hot actresses on the planet…or what? :bigsmile:

What director Chu goes for here is “right for the throat” – there isn’t a moment, really, in _Retaliation_ that slows down or gets sappy, romantic or otherwise boring…the action hits you in the face non-stop and continues to pummel your senses like a video game gone haywire. Still, in the midst of all this chaos, the effects, staging and stuntwork all come off leagues and yards better than they did in the first film – gone is all the hokey, video game-like CGI work we saw in that film, all of it replaced by pretty professional-looking action sequences that don’t exhibit much of any cheesiness. And, of course there is the aforementioned eye candy that is Palicki…especially in a red formal ensemble she steps into in order to infiltrate a presidential dinner event (a rather eye-opening moment). The fireworks go off from the very opening frame, in which Channing Tatum’s Duke character begins narrating the situation that’s at hand since the end of the last film. He is now a leader of the G.I. Joe team, and, remarkably, under him are Johnson’s muscular “Roadblock” and the gorgeous Jaye (Palicki). We don’t see Dennis Quaid make an appearance here, but I think it was for the best. The opening sequence has the Joes attempting to secure a nuclear weapon in an Asian country but when their mission is complete, Roadblock notices the Cobra flag fluttering in the breeze overhead…and he knows they’re going to be in for a fight of their lives.

Perhaps most questionable – at the least – about one of Chu’s decisions in working the plot was the one in which he chooses to kill of Tatum’s character not even halfway through the film; during a vicious attack by Cobra commanders on the G.I. Joe basecamp, Duke is wiped out, making Roadblock the leader Jaye and another Joe named “Flint” look to now. What they don’t yet know is that the President of the United States (Jonathan Pryce) is not really the President at all – but rather a calculated shape-shifting Cobra villain working for Cobra Commander (Robert Baker in voiceover) that has taken his identity in the White House to secretly plot a world domination scheme with his fellow Cobras. The real President, meanwhile, is being held captive in an underground bunker, subjected to the wild ravings and insults from the Cobra villain pretending to be him. What the Joes also don’t know yet is that this presidential imposter had the Joe basecamp attacked to make it look like the Joes bailed out on their country when they needed them the most, thus he was forced to attack them by way of this Cobra fleet (all this gets a bit thick and hokey but you have to just go with it if you know what’s good for you). The “President” explains all this in a press conference to the country – and the world – but that’s not the half of what’s about to happen.

Roadblock, Jaye and Flint retreat to Roadblock’s old stomping grounds – which turns out to be a rather crime-and-homeboys-on-the corner-riddled ‘hood – to kind of catch their breath from the attack they survived on the basecamp, taking shelter in an abandoned youth recreation center. Meanwhile, a bunch of subplots splinter at this point, one involving the whereabouts of both super ninjas from the first film, Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes – in a sequence depicting what appears to be Snake Eyes in his black armor getup being captured by Cobra operatives who take him to a secret prison of some kind, we learn that this wasn’t really Snake Eyes but rather his dire adversary, Storm Shadow. He “pretends” to be Snake Eyes, a captured Joe operative, to get into this facility only to break out of his cryostasis-like holding capsule and to aid in the escape of Cobra villains Zartan (Arnold Vosloo) and Cobra Commander as well (however, Zartan doesn’t last long, leaving Cobra Commander to rule the roost). Now with these maniacs back on the loose, the group leaves to reteam with the imposter posing as the U.S. President in order to carry out their plan of unleashing the powerful ZEUS weapon orbiting in space.

What bothered me here was the inclusion and eventual meeting of Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow – didn’t Snake ultimately wipe out Storm in their hand-to-hand fight at the end of the first film…or did I have that wrong? In any event, we catch up with Storm’s incredibly powerful adversary, Snake, who ends up going to meet with the “Blind Master” (RZA) at their “ninja headquarters” so to speak; the Master informs Snake he must find Storm and bring him back to this place to face justice for how he had disgraced and brutally killed their previous Master (events from the first film) and to stop him from further joining the antics of the evil Cobra organization. In one of the most exciting, excellently-choreographed sequences in the film, Snake and his new ninja partner “Jinx” engage Storm and a band of super-ninjas atop a mountain range in an outrageous martial-arts fight that will leave you somewhat breathless. First, Storm and his old adversary duke it out again in a one-on-one battle with swords, fists and ridiculously fast martial-arts antics, which spills to the mountains outside in which Storm and his ninja team battle Snake and Jinx with attached wires to fling from mountain to mountain; the sequence is kinetic and represents everything the first film should have been about but that ultimately failed. 

Roadblock and the surviving Joes, meanwhile, make their way to the home of General Joe Colton (Willis) in a sequence that reminded me all too much of the presence Willis exudes in _RED_ or perhaps those direct-to-video stinkers he’s been in lately; Colton was the military soldier of all military soldiers, declared MIA and never intending to step foot on another battlefield. His home is absolutely loaded with weapons everywhere the team looks – under sinks, beneath floorboards, inside kitchen cabinets…when Roadblock tells him their theory that the President may not be who he says he is, the General decides to accompany the team for one last mission. Thus begins the climax of _Retaliation_, in which the team must bust in on a nuclear summit the President is having with other world leaders before this rogue Cobra shape-shifter working for Cobra Commander can threaten launch of the hideous ZEUS weapon. In the midst of this summit comes Cobra Commander who, with his Darth Vader-esque presence and mask breathing, takes over the situation at the summit after the “President” creates a mock nuclear strike on all these countries. This quasi-final sequence was fun and campy, and you can see how Jonathan Pryce, playing his “evil alter ego,” had fun with the role. The Joes, ultimately, have to stop the launch of the ZEUS weapon before the Cobras can initiate the destruction of their targeted cities around the world, including Israel, France and Korea…and one of the only ways to do that is for Roadblock to hunt down Firefly who has the final command briefcase containing the launch protocols, which leads to the culminating confrontation between the two muscle-bound behemoths (I will get to that below). 

What bothered me most about _Retaliation_ was the lack of screen time Willis was given after all the hints regarding his involvement in the story the trailers provided. I realize I stated that he’s becoming an annoying caricature of himself in these action films, but it would have been cool if he had some more screen time with Johnson given the nature of the trailer suggestions. Further, speaking of Johnson, I would have liked more hand-to-hand combat scenes with him against one of the new Cobra adversaries introduced here, namely “Firefly” – given the nature of Johnson’s physique and his commanding physical presence in projects like this and the last couple of _Fast and Furious_ films, the fight sequences staged for him in _Retaliation_ weren’t all that satisfying. Sure, he kicks Firefly’s also-physically-brooding tail all over the place in the final fight scene between them at the very end, but their first confrontation earlier in the film has Firefly throwing Roadblock around like he’s a teddy bear, and this just didn’t make sense to me; in this sequence, which takes place in a city alleyway, Roadblock barely gets any punches in before Firefly injures him to the point he has difficulty walking. 

You know what, though? This was a cool action flick, even standing on its own and not part of this “franchise” – much better executed than Sommers’ first film, _G.I. Joe: Retaliation_ kept the action quota up, not really slowing down for any extended amount of time, and included much better attempts at special effect manipulation and action setpiece staging. And yes, I’ll say this again: Adrianne Palicki is gorgeous in this. Oh – and I almost forgot: We get a surprising twist in the way of the once-evil Storm Shadow turning sides and fighting with the Joes and adversary Snake Eyes after a change of heart about what Cobra stands for and what their plans are. Although he does mention that he’s “not really on the side of the Joes” but will fight with them for this “last mission”…so we’ll have to see where his character goes next if there’s another entry. 

This sequel – as I kind of suspected it would – injected new hope and interest for me in this series and made me anticipate the possibility of a third entry. While I’m not 100-percent certain if it’s a must-buy on Blu-ray yet, it was definitely an entertaining watch as a rental. 

[img]http://turntherightcorner.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/g-i-joe-retaliation-screenshot-19.jpg?w=1024[/img]*VIDEO QUALITY ANALYSIS: HOW DID THE DISC LOOK?*

While the audio on this Blu-ray release was absolutely jaw-dropping and ear-splitting, the 2.40:1 widescreen 1080p encode was nearly as stunning – from the opening frame to the concluding frame, _G.I. Joe: Retaliation_ exhibited wildly rich and saturated hues, eye-popping details and a blemish-free high definition presentation on par with any reference material out there currently. What I did notice were skin tones that were on the sunburned side, especially in Dwayne Johnson’s character which appeared almost Aztec gold-ish in appearance in certain scenes; the closer I inspected this throughout the film’s run time, the more I noticed other characters displaying this “sunburned” look with flesh tones that seemed too dark and saturated. However, there are a multitude of possibilities here: It could have been for effect, the actors could have definitely had some tan characteristics to them during filming or it could have been my display exhibiting darker-than-usual elements. I also noted during a sequence involving most of the Joes standing around looking at a computer screen that Palicki’s character was analyzing the President’s voice on that this “sunburned skin” effect kind of switched back and forth between very dark characteristics to more subtle tan overtones, sometimes touching on normal flesh color. I don’t know if this was an abnormality in the transfer or something my eyes “wanted” to see, but I did point it out during viewing. 

However, that aside, everything here is on vivid display to showcase what the Blu-ray format can do – Paramount, in conjunction with MGM Studios, really hit one out of the park with _Retaliation_, moving beyond the candy-coated CGI-endowed “cartoonish” look of the first film’s Blu-ray transfer to deliver a much more naturally pleasing video encode that will really blow you away visually. Closeups of characters’ faces are ripe with bursting, incredibly vivid detail such as facial stubble and pock marks while the searing hot landscapes of desert sequences explode with comparable color temperatures through this transfer that really make the viewer feel as though he or she is there enduring that climate. From the vivid yet dazzlingly accurate red of Palicki’s jaw-dropping gown in the presidential dinner sequence to the absolutely rock-solid, inky rich and noise-free blacks of the darker shadow-endowed scenes, this was a top-caliber transfer. 

[img]http://www.joblo.com/video/media/screenshot/g-i-joe-retalition-featurette-characters.jpg[/img]*AUDIO QUALITY ANALYSIS: HOW DID THE DISC SOUND?*

*WOW. WOW. WOW. INCREDIBLE. AWESOME. BEYOND REPROACH.* :hsd::hsd::hsd::hsd::hsd::hsd:

Did I express how I felt about this title's Dolby TrueHD 7.1 English mix on the Region A release well enough? Let’s start with the decision by Paramount and MGM to include this certain codec on this release: I was refreshed to see that _G.I. Joe: Retaliation_ didn’t come equipped with the pre-requisite DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack found on all releases in recent vintage; not because I dislike the format for any reason, but because they’ve all begun to kind of…well…I don’t know…”sound the same” as if they’re all mastered at the same levels (of course, this isn’t true for every title equipped with a DTS MA track like _Dark Knight Rises_ which was a real wall-shaker). But once I got beyond that, I was shocked to see this mix in a 7.1 configuration for a Dolby TrueHD track – actually, I can’t recall the last one I demoed. But all these “formalities” found their way to the "back of the importance pile" when the track began and the film started.

Though the mix was “dumbed down” to a 5.1 situation in my setup, from the very beginning opening Paramount and MGM logos I knew this TrueHD track was something special – the ferocity of the “flying stars” in the Paramount logo sequence ripped through my system with an aggressiveness I never experienced on any other Paramount-sanctioned Blu-ray and I was able to pick up on a sheer “heft” in this mix that had my walls rumbling from the very onset. Once the action picked up, this track went from aggressive to ridiculously and lavishly overcooked to the point it had me yelling over the audio at my wife _“NOW THIS IS WHAT HIGH RESOLUTION AUDIO SHOULD SOUND LIKE!”_ The bombastic weight of the bass that you could feel in your chest, the non-stop barrage of surround cues, the ultra-hyper and aggressive whipping of action support elements around the entire room and soundstage…it was all here and more, making for one of the most engaging, house-shaking tracks I’ve ever demoed. I’m NOT kidding or exaggerating.

Major action sepieces like the ninja fight atop the mountain were accompanied by explosive, bombastic audio that dragged me into the scene and just didn’t let go – directionality of effects was completely off the charts, with whipping surround elements flying this way and that through the surround channels as characters fought, swords clanged and things blew up. Dialogue remained constantly effective and clear all throughout this tumult, if sometimes getting a bit “stuffy” and “nasally” but the meat and potatoes of this track was the action and surround information – wow. Honestly, I really haven’t experienced a mix with such overt strength, weight and raw in-your-face presence as the TrueHD track found on _G.I. Joe: Retaliation_. Even major releases that carried excellent audio mixes such as _Dark Knight, Dark Knight Rises, The Incredible Hulk_ and _Iron Man 2_ couldn’t match the wild sonics and dynamic range on display here. This was one wild ride, and to me is the new sound standard by which all subsequent action releases should be judged against. 

[img]http://moviecarpet.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Adrianne-Palicki_G.I.-Joe-Retaliation.jpg[/img]*FINAL THOUGHTS:*

I enjoyed it better than the first one, but I kind of expected that. A good action flick that wasn’t boring, really that overtly cheesy or off-putting, _G.I. Joe: Retaliation_ keeps your attention until almost the very end. I am actually now looking forward to a third one if any plans to make one come to fruition.

As for the disc itself – this is pure demo material. The video, while awesome and eye-opening, takes a back seat to the audio which will bring down your house if the master volume is cranked loud enough. Take care how your system is calibrated and configured – something I warned of the DTS track on the DVD release of Spielberg’s bone-crunching _War of the Worlds_ when it came out – because this Dolby TrueHD track is mastered so hot, you may not realize the sheer power this track can deliver to “aggressively set” channel decibel parameters. While I’m not certain if this is a sure buy for me yet, the disc can stand alone as a demonstration piece when you want to show off your system to friends or family. 

Come on, fellow ‘Shacksters! Let’s talk _G.I. Joe: Retaliation_!


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## Osage_Winter (Apr 8, 2010)

Various nips and tucks made to review; thank you and hope you enjoy! :T


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## Osage_Winter (Apr 8, 2010)

Further edits made to review; thank you...


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## tripplej (Oct 23, 2011)

Good review. Always good to hear when a sequel does better then the original. 

I will have to put this down on my watch list. I do like the fact that the disc is very good for visual as well as for audio.. Good for home theater testing that is for sure!


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## robsong (Apr 3, 2010)

Will be watching this tonight. :hsd:


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## Osage_Winter (Apr 8, 2010)

tripplej said:


> Good review. Always good to hear when a sequel does better then the original.


Hi, JJJ...

Thanks for your input and for reading -- and, as always, for your kind words! Indeed, it's not always that sequels fare better than their originals -- in fact, it is almost always the distinct other way around. I actually mentioned to my wife that this was true about these two films after we finished watching this -- that it's not usually the case that a sequel is better than the first. However, this does happen from time to time: Take, for example, _Star Trek: The Motion Picture_ and _Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan_...no contest, the sequel walked all over the melodramatic, tension-less Robert Wise original _Motion Picture_. 



> I will have to put this down on my watch list. I do like the fact that the disc is very good for visual as well as for audio.. Good for home theater testing that is for sure!


Batten down your hatches when and if you crank this TrueHD track up in your home -- you're gonna be in for one wild, wall-shakin' ride. I can only imagine what folks that have dedicated rooms with thousands of watts of amplification experienced when they cranked this Blu-ray up in their systems...:unbelievable: :unbelievable: :gulp: :hsd: :hsd:

Did you see the first one? I don't recall if you participated in my thread regarding that Blu-ray review; at any rate, please give this a spin and come back and tell me what you thought about it! :T


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## Osage_Winter (Apr 8, 2010)

robsong said:


> Will be watching this tonight. :hsd:


Awesome, Rob -- hang on for a SERIOUS audio experience here...

Did you rent it or buy it?


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## Osage_Winter (Apr 8, 2010)

Some necessary additional tweaks/corrections made to body of review; thank you...


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## ericzim (Jun 24, 2012)

Glad you liked the movie Osage. Is this what you would consider a bombastic sound track? I sure do. I have seen it 3 times now since its initial release and I have had a lot of fun every time. Even with the violence, since there isn't much in the realm of bad language on this movie, one could probably get the wife and kids to sit and watch for family movie night.


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## Osage_Winter (Apr 8, 2010)

ericzim said:


> Glad you liked the movie Osage. Is this what you would consider a bombastic sound track? I sure do. I have seen it 3 times now since its initial release and I have had a lot of fun every time. Even with the violence, since there isn't much in the realm of bad language on this movie, one could probably get the wife and kids to sit and watch for family movie night.


Is this what I would call a "bombastic soundtrack"? Did you _read_ my gushings over the audio? :gulp::rubeyes::unbelievable::gulp::gulp:

How is it that you saw it three times since its release?


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## ericzim (Jun 24, 2012)

Osage_Winter said:


> Is this what I would call a "bombastic soundtrack"? Did you _read_ my gushings over the audio? :gulp::rubeyes::unbelievable::gulp::gulp:
> 
> How is it that you saw it three times since its release?


The first time I watched it was digital download and even that was pretty good. I watched it 2 more times immediately after I purchased it. I will probably end up getting the extended action edition eventually. "bombastic soundtrack"? I meant to say "Bombtastic"! :rofl2:


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## Osage_Winter (Apr 8, 2010)

ericzim said:


> The first time I watched it was digital download and even that was pretty good. I watched it 2 more times immediately after I purchased it. I will probably end up getting the extended action edition eventually. "bombastic soundtrack"? I meant to say "Bombtastic"! :rofl2:


Wow...you liked it that much? It was good, IMO, but not something I would have sought out for digital download and then two consecutive viewings for an eventual purchase...you sound like this really blew you away...

Me, on the other hand, I was smitten and blown away by the audio moreso than the story or acting -- but it was definitely better than the first one.

Whether we're saying Bombtastic or Bombastic, I definitely made my feelings known in that Audio Analysis section...:hsd: :hsd::unbelievable: :T


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## ericzim (Jun 24, 2012)

I thought I would gift this one to my son (he has six kids of his own) and I will get the extended action edition for myself. My wife even enjoyed this one. I heard her say WOW a few times during the ninja mountain fight scene. She wouldn't watch it the third time though.


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## Infrasonic (Sep 28, 2010)

Great review Osage. I had read your audio review of this flick and have been waiting (rather impatiently) for the Netflix release to arrive and I have to say you are 100% correct - this BD has truly demo worthy audio throughout and should be a must buy for anyone who enjoys showing off their system.

The surround channels were utilized expertly and the LFE was aggressive and seemed to get into sub 20hz territory quite often (down to 13hz according to one site). Also I didn't have to raise the MV during the movie to make the dialog understandable and lower it to prevent my ears from hurting when an action scene erupted. With other reference audio flicks like Looper the dynamic volume swings became annoying and the higher Hz is raised enough to become painful at times.

Now onto the quality of the movie itself - not so great. The acting is weak (although not as bad as The Last Stand) and the quality of writing is also lacking with most of the actors lines being very predictable and boring. 

While I have seen many worse movies (including the 1st GI Joe film) this is not one I would want to see again if it were not for the excellent audio track and even when I do pop it in again there will be a lot of fast forwarding between the nonaction scenes.


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## Osage_Winter (Apr 8, 2010)

ericzim said:


> I thought I would gift this one to my son (he has six kids of his own)


Oh wow...no kidding, huh? Good for you guys...



> and I will get the extended action edition for myself. My wife even enjoyed this one. I heard her say WOW a few times during the ninja mountain fight scene. She wouldn't watch it the third time though.


That ninja mountaintop sequence was exciting indeed; to me, that whole setpiece -- from when Storm and Snake get it on in another fight to when that fight spills outside on to the mountains with the other ninjas -- was the kind of centerpiece of the film.


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## Osage_Winter (Apr 8, 2010)

Infrasonic said:


> Great review Osage. I had read your audio review of this flick and have been waiting (rather impatiently) for the Netflix release to arrive and I have to say you are 100% correct - this BD has truly demo worthy audio throughout and should be a must buy for anyone who enjoys showing off their system.


As always, Infra, thanks so much for reading and for the kind words -- indeed, it seems as though no one is disputing this track's demo prowess...:T



> The surround channels were utilized expertly and the LFE was aggressive and seemed to get into sub 20hz territory quite often (down to 13hz according to one site). Also I didn't have to raise the MV during the movie to make the dialog understandable and lower it to prevent my ears from hurting when an action scene erupted. With other reference audio flicks like Looper the dynamic volume swings became annoying and the higher Hz is raised enough to become painful at times.


Absolutely 100-percent agree with your notes here; for the first time in a long time dialogue wasn't lost in the action chaos on this TrueHD track and the whole experience was uber-aggressive from beginning to end. I was actually able to sense the _weight_ of the LFE embedded within this mix, instead of the bass merely ratting my walls and decorations in the room; there were times the LFE felt as if it was pressurizing our listening space...much like that scene in _Live Free Or Die Hard_ in DTS-HD MA when Willis and Justin Long duck to avoid getting struck by a flipping car in that tunnel scene in Washington DC, and before the car crashes down around them there is a brooding, heavy sense of LFE that kind of hits you in the gut and can move your pant legs...THAT'S what I experience here and it was downright awesome. I haven't experienced a track like this, to be honest, since the advent of the format -- sure, we've had some great tracks, but this one was REALLY what an action film should sound like and how we should experience it in high resolution audio. :T :T



> Now onto the quality of the movie itself - not so great. The acting is weak (although not as bad as The Last Stand) and the quality of writing is also lacking with most of the actors lines being very predictable and boring.


There seems to be some mixed feelings on the film itself; indeed, I didn't find this to be a top caliber production at all, but Johnson and Willis brought some "action familiarity" to the story especially compared to the first bomb of a film. Still, at the end of the day, this is more worthy of its audio and video than its cohesive storytelling -- it WAS leaps and bounds better than the first one, I think we can both agree on that. :T 



> While I have seen many worse movies (including the 1st GI Joe film) this is not one I would want to see again if it were not for the excellent audio track and even when I do pop it in again there will be a lot of fast forwarding between the nonaction scenes.


Indeed; are you gonna buy it?


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## Infrasonic (Sep 28, 2010)

I know what you mean when you say you were able to feel the weight of the LFE, sometimes it could only be felt and not heard which can have a great effect on a scene.

It's still a purchase for me but I will wait until I can find it on sale :bigsmile:


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## Osage_Winter (Apr 8, 2010)

I am in total cohesive agreement with you...:T :bigsmile:


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