G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra vs. G.I. Joe: Retaliation- A Cast Comparison

   In the new installment of the G.I. Joe movies, we get almost a complete wipe of the cast.  Including one persistent character now being played by a new actor!  There a few spoilers in this post, but nothing that you won’t figure out after 15 minutes of each movie. 

Duke (Channing Tatum) vs. Roadblock (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson): Team Leader
   Tie-  Both are great team leaders and inspire loyalty in their men.  They also both likable on screen.  While Duke has a youthful draw, Roadblock is a kid at heart.  Some of the best scenes in Retaliation are these two together.  Then some things change and Roadblock gets a “field promotion” to lead the team. 



Cobra Commander (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) vs. Cobra Commander (Luke Bracey): Lead Villain
   Joseph Gordon-Levitt-  In telling his back story we get a sense of association with The Doctor.  We also are able to get a sense of his motives and direction.  Luke Bracey, just seems to be a faceless name.  Although his costume better matches the cartoon and comics, that is where his character ends.  After that he simply gives some orders in a low voice and that’s about it.  He is very one dimensional, and very forgettable.

Rip Cord (Marlon Wayans) vs. Flint (D.J. Cotrona): Lighthearted Sidekick
   D.J. Cotrona-  Flint is a bit of a wild card with a mind of his own and pulls off some stunt that bring some levity, but it is believable.  Marlon was just too much slapstick to take as an elite commando.


Scarlett (Rachel Nichols) vs. Lady Jaye (Adrianne Palicki): Equal Opportunity Teammate
   Scarlett-  Only based on her likeness to the cartoon character I was raised with.  Other than that they were both pretty similar.  I actually thought they were the same at first.  They both play on the military movie trope of a girl proving herself in a man’s world.  Although Lady Jaye has a little daddy issue monologue while her thong underwear in visible in a reflection that was just too much cliché for me.

General Hawk (Dennis Quaid) vs. General Joe Colton (Bruce Willis): Commanding Officer
General Colton- Both were also great in their roles.  I likes the honorable Boy Scout image portrayed by General Hawk, but General Colton was just much more entertaining on screen.  But Bruce Willis is a terrific actor, and he has the old, coming out of retirement, gruff, no nonsense, get things done sort of character down pat!  From Red, to Whole Nine Yards, to Die Hard(s), to Fifth Element, to Lucky Number Sleven.  They could have just cut in footage from all these movies and Bruce could have been home napping.

   What did you think of all the character changes in G.I. Joe Retaliation?  Were they for the better for for the worst?  Also check back soon for our full review of the movie, coming out next week!