DVD recommendations: G.I. Joe: Retaliation

This is definitely a case of "The Extras Make The DVD".

While the sequel was a half-baked effort at combining action and plot twists, the extras provided the redeeming factor.

Honestly, I didn't like G.I. Joe: Retaliation.

The script was weak AND they killed Channing Tatum off in the first 20 minutes.

What a load of rubbish! Who does that?

With Duke Hauser, Tatum's character and the leader of the Joes, gone, Roadblock (Dwayne Johnson) takes over and now has to deal with the return of evil mastermind Cobra Commander.

A lot of the movie was confusing - it was set across continents and the cast was extensive. The plot twists, while not too predictable, had plenty of loopholes, which made following the story quite hard.

Humour was also rare - the running jokes were mostly duds.

It says heaps about the poor dialogue when the best scene in the movie is 10 minutes long and completely free of dialogue.

That said, the set design and action choreography was good, but I expected no less from director Jon M. Chu, who also helmed two instalments in the Step Up dance franchise.

Also, most of the baddies were ninjas - some of whom battle it out on a mountainside and fall to a gruesome death. Loved it!

The extra features come with clips on the movie's conceptualisation and its translation from the comic to the silver screen.

I particularly enjoyed the one on Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow's backstory, and how they ended up as enemies in the film.

Commentary from Chu and producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura also give viewers interesting tidbits on the technicalities of filming a high-intensity action flick.

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