If you’re going to make a movie designed to sell toys, you may as well show how much fun it is to play with them.  Although almost none of the original characters remain, G.I. Joe: Retaliation continues the spirit of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra by happily embracing big vehicles and weapons to deliver set pieces on steroids that never feel overbearing.  It’s not a particularly smart movie or one with compelling characters, but without any irony it takes one of the villain’s lines to heart: “America likes the guy who blows stuff up.”

Paramount has released a hefty reel of behind-the-scenes footage from director Jon M. Chu’s sequel G.I. Joe: Retaliation.  The follow-up’s story finds the Joes disbanded and outnumbered as they must square off against not only the Cobras, but also threats within their own government.  Dwayne Johnson is front and center as Roadblock, and he’s flanked by newcomers Adrianne Palicki as Lady Jaye, D.J. Cotrona as Flint, and Bruce Willis as the OG Joe.

Hit the jump to watch the footage, and if you missed any of Steve’s set visit coverage be sure to check out 25 things to know & video blog recap, along with his interviews with Dwayne Johnson, Byung-hun Lee, Ray Park, Elodie Yung, D.J. Cotrona, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, and Jon M. Chu.  G.I. Joe: Retaliation opens in 3D on March 28th.

A new clip from G.I. Joe: Retaliation has been released.  In the upcoming sequel, the Joes are at war with the Cobra as well as the U.S. government, which is being led by an imposter President.  It’s a slight embellishment to say that Jinx (Elodie Yung) and Snake Eyes (Ray Park) “fight” in this clip unless “fight” means Jinx swinging swords wildly at Snake Eyes and hoping to hit something.  The blindfold doesn’t seem to be doing much good as a teaching tool.

Hit the jump to check out the clip.  The film also stars Dwayne Johnson, D.J. Cotrona, Byung-hun Lee, Adrianne Palicki, Jonathan Pryce, RZA, Ray Stevenson, Channing Tatum, and Bruce Willis.  G.I. Joe: Retaliation opens in 3D on March 28th.

Paramount Pictures has released a batch of new high-resolution images from director Jon M. Chu’s upcoming sequel G.I. Joe: Retaliation.  The follow-up’s story finds the Joes disbanded and outnumbered as they must square off against not only the Cobras, but also threats within their own government.  These images highlight the ensemble cast sporting an array of weapons, as well as lots and lots of ninjas.

Hit the jump to view the images, and if you missed any of Steve’s set visit coverage be sure to check out 25 things to know & video blog recap, along with his interviews with Dwayne Johnson, Byung-hun Lee, Ray Park, Elodie Yung, D.J. Cotrona, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, and Chu.  G.I. Joe: Retaliation opens in 3D on March 28th.

Paramount has released a new four-minute extended clip and featurette for Jon M. Chu’s upcoming sequel G.I. Joe: Retaliation.  The clip showcases the an action sequence with a shit ton of ninjas that takes place on the side of a mountain, while the featurette focuses on the numerous vehicles and weapons that are used in the film.  The sequel’s story finds the Joes disbanded and outnumbered as they must square off against not only the Cobras, but also threats within their own government.

Hit the jump to watch the clip and featurette, and if you missed any of Steve’s set visit coverage be sure to check out 25 things to know & video blog recap, along with his interviews with Dwayne Johnson, Byung-hun Lee, Ray Park, Elodie Yung, D.J. Cotrona, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, and Chu.  G.I. Joe: Retaliation opens in 3D on March 28th.

I’ve patiently waited for the opportunity to include Veronica Mars in the Top 5. As one of my favorite pop culture artifacts, I’m thrilled that this past week has finally afforded me the chance. That said, I’ll reserve any and all debate regarding the impact and merit of its now famed Kickstarter campaign for after the jump. For now, I’ll just say that, as much as I loved the show, I didn’t feel shortchanged by its somewhat abrupt finale. Moreover, I never felt like I needed a movie to bring some sort of closure to that world and its characters. Don’t get me wrong, by series end I wanted more VM in my life. But maybe that’s a good thing. Looking back I’d much prefer a series leave me wanting more than continually ask me back every week when it can barely muster even a shadow of its former self (cough…The Office…cough).

In addition to more Mars talk, this week’s collection also includes our G.I. Joe: Retaliation set visit, the first red-band trailer for Kick-Ass 2, Jurassic Park 4 naming its director, and all of our SXSW 2013 coverage to date. Keep reading for a brief recap and link to each.

If you saw the first G.I. Joe movie, you might have noticed Jinx in the background of two scenes (she was training in the P.I.T.T. and in the background of General Hawk’s speech).  However, in G.I. Joe: Retaliation, not only is Jinx being played by a new actress (Elodie Yung), her character has been given a lot more screentime including some major action sequences with Snake Eyes.  If you’re familiar with the G.I. Joe cartoons and comics, you’re definitely going to see a few things you recognize.

During a group interview with Elodie Yung on the New Orleans set, we talked about how she got cast, the action scenes, working with RZA as Blind Master and director Jon M. Chu, and a lot more.  Hit the jump for what she had to say.

A new international trailer and TV spot for director Jon M. Chu’s delayed sequel G.I. Joe: Retaliation have made their way online.  The spots feature bits of new footage, and they’re both pretty focused on showcasing the film’s wall-to-wall action and stunts—now in 3D!  Hit the jump to check out the new spots, and click here to read Steve’s set visit preview.  The film stars Dwayne Johnson, Bruce Willis, Adrianne Palicki, Walton Goggins, Ray Park, Byung-hun Lee, Elodie Yung, RZA, Ray Stevenson, and D.J. Cotrona.  G.I. Joe: Retaliation  opens in 3D on March 27th.

A new trailer for director Jon Chu’s sequel G.I. Joe: Retaliation has been released.  As you’ll see, not much has changed other than the addition of more of Channing Tatum, which was one of the reasons for the film’s reshoots.  The other reason was for a 3D post-conversion, but we won’t know how that worked out until the trailer plays in theaters.  Ultimately, I can’t help but wonder if audiences will be scratching their heads as they ask, “Wasn’t this supposed to come out in last summer?”  Paramount is tasked with selling the movie all over again, and I do not envy them.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film stars Dwayne Johnson, Bruce Willis, Adrianne Palicki, Walton Goggins, Ray Park, Byung-hun Lee, Elodie Yung, RZA, Ray Stevenson, and D.J. Cotrona.  G.I. Joe: Retaliation opens in 3D on March 27, 2013. [Note: the trailer auto-plays so adjust your speakers accordingly]

A new international trailer for G.I. Joe: Retaliation has gone online.  You may recognize some of the footage from earlier trailers.  That’s mostly due in part to the film being pushed back from a June 29th, 2012 opening to a March 29th, 2013 release.  Call it time to work on the 3D post-conversion, or time to do reshoots to include more Channing Tatum, but at the end of the day the film still looks like a lot of fun.  Plus, you can’t really go wrong with Dwayne Johnson and Bruce Willis leading the way.

Jon Chu’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation also stars Adrianne Palicki, Walton Goggins, Ray Park, Byung-hun Lee, Elodie Yung, RZA, Ray Stevenson, and D.J. Cotrona.  G.I. Joe: Retaliation opens on March 29, 2013.

Two new posters have been released for G.I. Joe: Retaliation.  The only movie this summer with a ninja avalanche, the second G.I. Joe film looks like all kinds of fun.  The story has the Joes striking back after almost being wiped out by Cobra forces under the direction of Cobra Commander and Presidential impersonator, Zartan (the President is played by Jonathan Pryce).  However, I’m not sure the Joes will succeed if they can’t even notice the giant Cobra Commander head behind them.

Hit the jump to check out the posters.  The film also stars Dwayne Johnson, Adrianne Palicki, Channing Tatum, Walton Goggins, Ray Park, Byung-hun Lee, Elodie Yung, RZA, Ray Stevenson, D.J. Cotrona, and Bruce Willis.  G.I. Joe: Retaliation opens June 29th.

Though we’ve already posted a bounty of G.I. Joe: Retaliation material over the past few days, there’s one more Joe-related story to add to the pile: an international trailer.  The new trailer for the sequel premiered yesterday, and this international trailer differs from that one in two ways: more global focus, and more ninjas.  The first trailer for the film pleasantly surprised me, but yesterday’s clip left me a little disheartened.  I want to see a movie that’s not simply a CGI-heavy Transformers rehash, and I’m hoping director Jon M. Chu has a fun take up his sleeve that’s more hand-to-hand combat oriented.  Ninjas automatically make a movie at least 45% cooler, and Dwayne Johnson is the king of charisma.

Hit the jump to check out the international trailer and for a quick rundown on all our recent G.I. Joe: Retaliation coverage.  The film opens on June 29th and also stars Adrianne Palicki, Channing Tatum, Walton Goggins, Ray Park, Byung-hun Lee, Elodie Yung, RZA, Ray Stevenson, and D.J. Cotrona.

Paramount has released a new trailer for G.I. Joe: Retaliation that reveals more of the story and showcases some really cool action that’s been amplified by some great looking CGI.  While I was in the minority for liking the first G.I. Joe movie, I’ll admit the new trailer looks like a huge step forward for the franchise and the casting of Dwayne Johnson as Roadblock and Bruce Willis as the original Joe seems like it’s going to pay off in a big way at the box office.  Hit the jump to check out the new trailer which features London getting hit by a Cobra missle.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation opens June 29 and also stars Adrianne Palicki, Channing Tatum, Walton Goggins, Ray Park, Byung-hun Lee, Elodie Yung, RZA, Ray Stevenson, and D.J. Cotrona.

Paramount will be debuting eight character posters for G.I. Joe: Retaliation throughout the day.  Every hour, a new character poster will go online at a different site, and we’ll update this article when that happens.  The first poster has gone live, and you can check it out after the jump.  Keep checking back for the latest poster.  We’ll be debuting our character at 3pm (PST). [Update: International sites refused to acknowledge the embargoes of Collider and other movie websites, so Paramount has given all of us the go-ahead to release our posters.  Click here to check out ours, and hit the jump to check out all the ones that have hit the web thus far.]

G.I. Joe: Retaliation stars Dwayne Johnson, Adrianne Palicki, Channing Tatum, Walton Goggins, Ray Park, Byung-hun Lee, Elodie Yung, RZA, Ray Stevenson, and D.J. Cotrona. The film opens June 29th.

It’s easy to get overshadowed with The Avengers, The Amazing Spider-Man and The Dark Knight Rises crowding the spotlight, but G.I. Joe: Retaliation has more than enough might to muscle their way in.  In these new character images, we get a look at our favorite Joes in action, including the original Joe (Bruce Willis).  In this sequel directed by Jon M. Chu (Step Up 3D), the Joes are decimated by a Cobra attack that leaves only a few of the good guys standing. The remaining Joes must band together to take down the evil organization. G.I. Joe: Retaliation also stars Dwayne Johnson, Adrianne Palicki, Channing Tatum, Walton Goggins, Ray Park, Byung-hun Lee, Elodie Yung, RZA, Ray Stevenson and D.J. Cotrona. Hit the jump to check out the new images.