In a somewhat surprising outcome the first batch of reviews for the film G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra are fairly good. Currently sitting at a healthy 79% worth of positive reviews on aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes and garnering an average rating of 6.6 out of 10 Joe appears to be doing the complete opposite to what was expected of it. When the trailer first premiered it was safe to say that the fan reaction didn't exactly hit fever pitch. Many believed, myself included, that the film looked too cartoony and just well a bit wank with the powersuits that turned the Joe's into mutant flipping gymnasts. Fan boards screamed that this would be the worst film of the year and one of the worst films ever as Paramount tried to make another popular toyline into a hit series. So far though the film has been doing well review wise with many reviewers saying it is a fun, action packed popcorn flick of old with plenty of well scripted battle sequences, a raft of cool looking gadgets and gizmos and just enough of a story, a guy trying to take over the world, to get it through. It's one to take your inner child along to and apparently the cartoonish style of it all actually works. Paramount though doesn't seem to care whether the reviews are good or bad, actually holding back many reviews till after the first weekend as they saw Transformers 2 have tremendous box office success despite the majority of reviews being bad believing that a film of this sort is not affected by critical reception. I'll be there to judge for myself tonight or tomorrow night when I check out G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra which is now playing in cinemas everywhere.



One film which is reviewing close to how it was expected is the hugely anticipated District 9. Bringing with it the industry clout of Peter Jackson this film by first time director Neill Blomkamp has been heralded for its revolutionary use of the documentary film style and for revitalising the sci fi genre. Currently sitting at 100% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 8.1 out 10 it's been regarded as one of the best films of 2009. It has only been reviewed by eight sources so far on Rotten Tomatoes so expect that figure to drop a little as it may not be everyones cup of tea but one thing for sure it is expected to propel Blomkamp and his special effects people into the Hollywood limelight. Made on a shoestring budget compared to other summer blockbusters it is being regarded as one of the best looking films, seemlessly blending CGI special effects with real life events blurring the line between what is real and what is not. The film is also being praised for it's dealing of serious political issues like Apartheid and racism with it's stranded aliens living in the slums of South Africa reflecting refugee situations around the world. One quote from Brad Miska somes it all up, "District 9 is hands down the best film of the summer and has made me love movies all over again." District 9 hits theatres next week.