The Hangover and G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra represent two of cinema's tried-and-true clichés. The Hangover follows four guys after their wild night in Vegas; whereas, G.I. Joe is the stereotypical summer blockbuster where a bunch of beautiful people blowup the world's most recognizable landmarks in an attempt to save the world.
The difference between the premises is that The Hangover embraces its common concept and makes it original while G.I. Joe flies on autopilot. The Hangover begins as four friends wake up in their trashed Vegas villa the morning after the century's wildest bachelor party: the groom is missing, there's a tiger in the bathroom, and a baby in the closet. The cast is hilarious, particularly Ed Helms as Stu, a tightly-would, girlfriend-whipped guy waiting to break out of his shell, and Zach Galifianakis as Alan, the groom's oddball brother-in-law-to-be. The beauty of The Hangover is that it's not about four Hollywood playboys behaving badly, but a quartet of joe shomes trying to have a good time.
G.I. Joe is not nearly as fun. The film is what you'd expect -- a group of "black ops" soldiers chasing the bad guys before they destroy the world. Instead of making an action film grounded in reality and depth (see: The Dark Knight, Iron Man), director Stephen Summers presents a film full of unnecessary flashbacks and unfunny one-liners. The performances are scattered at best. Some cast members are over-the-top and campy (Sienna Miller, Joesph Gordon-Levitt), others are there for the paycheck and to show of their toned physiques (Channing Tatum, Rachel Nichols), while a select few are downright awful (Dennis Quaid, Christopher Eccleston).
Given the choice between these two flicks, I'd rather be waking up in Vegas.
The Hangover, Grade: A-
G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra, Grade: C
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