Guillermo del Toro was never shy about being upfront about his interests, and he has shown that he wants to make dumb, trashy, popcorn-chomping movies on top of his more thought-out, artistic pieces. Saving the Pan’s Labyrinth section of the book for later ended up being a smart move as it’s given more context from the previous parts. I wouldn’t say Nathan’s style of writing is perfect, but it’s an ideal fit this kind of book.

With “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” – a sequel to 2010’s “The Rise of Cobra” –Reese, Wernick and director Jon M. Chu seem to resign themselves to the fact that the project is so over-the-top that a truly great movie would be impossible. So, they do the best with what they have. The result is a smash-bang action film that shoots first and thinks later. This doesn’t make “Retaliation” good, but it does make it moderately entertaining.