After a long wait for what was sure to be a “meh” movie, the sequel to the first G.I. Joe movie appeared. Enter the cartoon-come-to-life “G.I. Joe: Retaliation.” 

The movie takes place some amount of time long enough for the evil members leading Cobra, Cobra Commander and Destro, to be incarcerated. All the while the nefarious Zartan continues on as the president of the United States of America.

Man oh man, do I love those fantastical action movie plots.

I also really, really like when a story opens up by bumping off a main or well-loved character. As such, I was definitely cheering when — spoiler alert — Channing Tatum‘s character, Duke, was killed in an explosion during a desert raid by the U.S. government.

That left the audience with a new lineup of what seem to be the only living Joes: Roadblock, played by Dwayne Johnson; Flint, played by D.J. Cotrona; and Lady Jaye, played by Adrianne Palicki. 

Later on, we would be rejoined by Snake Eyes, reprised by Ray Park, and Jinx, played by Elodie Yung. And yes, the Jinx in question is the same poor attempt to give some more girl power to the Joe team as offered in the 1987 cartoon movie version of “G.I. Joe: The Movie” — which is good but doesn’t hold a candle to 1986’s “Transformers: The Movie.”

From there, there is a typical action story where the bad guys are thwarted by the good guys through the ever-so-typical notion that evil turns in upon itself.

The plot mechanism for the Joes’ salvation is the background of Stormshadow, as reprised by Byung-hun Lee, and his framing for the murder of his ninja master. 

RZA even makes a cameo as a blind ninja master — appropriate as a cameo given his love of all things Kung Fu — followed by Bruce Willis as Random Retired Joe, er, uhm, I mean Gen. Joe Colton.

Apart from a bunch of action scenes and a tenuous plot, both of which seem straight out of the old cartoon’s lackadaisical stories, there isn’t anything to the movie. But then, it doesn’t really need much more given the premise.

There is a rather comical nuclear standoff and launch and bullying scene that could be seen as an attempt for some kind of message, but really the whole film is a mindless couple hours of entertainment for people that like action.

Not a movie you need to see in theaters, or ever, but fine to watch later if you like G.I. Joe.