'G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra' (PG-13): Ripped by critics last summer who clearly forgot that popcorn movies are made for average moviegoers to devour and enjoy, "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" is not as bad as some reviewers want you to believe.

Sure, it's not perfect: but if you still you dare to enlist your time and take director Stephen Sommers' action-adventure for what it is -- an out-and-out comic book escapist fantasy -- you likely discover that it's quite entertaining.

Based on the characters from the classic G.I. action figure line of the 1980s as well as the subsequent comic books and cartoon series, "The Rise of Cobra" is essentially an origins movie.

It finds Duke (Channing Tatum) and Ripcord (Marlon Wayans) enlisting with an elite military tactical unit dubbed G.I. Joe, which includes the ninja Snake Eyes (Ray Park), cross-bow wielding Scarlett (Rachel Nichols) and venerable Gen. Hawk (Dennis Quaid), whose mission is to stop a corrupt arms dealer named Destro (Christopher Eccelston), and a high-tech weapon with the ability for mass destruction from falling into the hands of the terrorist organization COBRA.

Like G.I. JOE, COBRA has its share of lethal specialists, including the ninja Storm Shadow (Byung-Hun Lee), the combative Baroness (Sienna Miller), and mysterious Doctor (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) -- all of whom have past ties to the core members of JOE.

While the story is your basic tale of good vs. evil and the characters mainly serve the action (the special effects are spectacular), for the most part, "The Rise of Cobra" is a promising beginning to what has the potential to be a multi-picture franchise.

Die-hard fans may take issue with the back-story development of the characters which challenges Joe mythology, but as an action movie it serves it duty well.

DVD/Blu-ray Details: While the quality of the film remains unparalleled to standard DVD quality, the two-disc Blu-ray version of "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" is surprisingly light. The special features are limited to two featurettes on the two-disc Blu-ray version of the release.

The 30-minute mini-documentary "The Big Bang Theory" is a comprehensive look at the G.I. Joe phenomenon through the eyes of Hasbro executives, comic book writer Larry Hama, several filmmakers including Sommers, and virtually every major castmember.

Starting with Sommers talking about his affinity for the original 12-inch Joe figure from the 1960s, the featurette touches on the comic book series, but mainly focuses on the production of the film, from character profiles, action sequences (including the accelerator suit, Eiffel Tower and under water battle sequences) and fight scenes between Baroness and Scarlett, and Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes.

Sommers' enthusiasm is omnipresent throughout the featurette, as Gordon-Levitt best sums it up: "Watching Stephen Sommers direct this movie, it reminds me of why kids play with action figures."

The second featurette in the release, "Next Gen Action," delves much further into the special effects process, and examines the pre-visualization of some of the key effects scenes.

The release also includes commentary by Sommers and producer Bob Ducsay, and a digital copy of the film for download on portable media devices.

Not included in "The Rise of the Cobra" release but also new on DVD is "G.I. Joe: Resolute," an animated Joe feature that includes previously missing footage, interviews with the filmmakers, storyboards and more. (Paramount Home Entertainment)