There’s a point in “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” where the film’s true purpose becomes abundantly clear, and it’s in the first five minutes.

Duke (Channing Tatum) and Roadblock (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) have just helped a North Korean defector escape into the De-Militarized Zone. Then the screen goes dark. The next thing viewers see, Duke and Roadblock are sitting on a couch, playing video games and screaming at each other.

It’s a knee-jerk tonal shift, but it sums up “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” perfectly. The movie is one giant, glorious video game. Forget plot, writing and acting. This movie exists solely to deliver copious explosions and almost enough guns to rouse a fetish.

Sometimes movies like this work out of sheer spectacle. Is “G.I. Joe” one of those rarities?

Karsten Burgstahler: I want to say yes. I want to believe this movie could have been a fun popcorn flick, but there’s just so much wrong that not even a few nifty action scenes can save it. The writing is so distracting I wish all of the actors had been silent and the score cranked up. I also rolled my eyes every time Roadblock made a pop culture quip. For example, he lists things that should get done and caps everything off with “And get back in time to watch ‘Top Chef!’” I’m pretty sure the jokes were meant to cover up all of the actors’ insecurities about trying to lead a “blockbuster.” Don’t bother putting butter on your popcorn; you can just coat it with the testosterone that flies off the screen in 3D.

Austin Flynn: We’re talking about G.I. Joe here, man. I will agree the dialogue was nothing short of the cartoon, but the action delivered enough to impress even Michael Bay. What more can you expect than babes, bullets and a ninja fight on the side of a mountain when you combine “The Rock” and Channing Tatum? This movie’s viewers will love the action and despise the dialogue. Can we talk about Bruce Willis’ awkward role? The last “Die Hard” was bland at best, and now this? I quite frankly think he’s slipping in his old age, and I say this with love.

KB: We can certainly talk about Bruce Willis. I pity him. He pretty much gets a glorified cameo here, which is unfortunate because I think he would have been a lot more entertaining than “The Rock” as the lead. In fact, Jonathan Pryce’s role as the president who is actually a Cobra agent in disguise is the movie’s only enjoyable casting choice. Pryce obviously had a grand time going insane, but he seems to be the only one who enjoys how ludicrous everything is. However, even his plan grows tiresome and ridiculous. Were the producers too cheap to hire Joseph Gordon-Levitt back as Cobra Commander, or was he just too smart to come back? The mountain fight scene was probably the film’s most inspired sequence, so I wish the trailers didn’t spoil it. I’ll give the movie a tiny bit of credit: It’s not as stupid as the “Transformers 2” plan where the bad guy wanted to blow up the sun, but it does reach dizzying heights of absurdity. I could forgive that if the film would let go and truly embrace the crazy. However, it desperately grasps at seriousness, and the more it does so the worse it becomes.

AF: I will admit the movie continuously shoves obscure plot elements throughout that take away from the fast-paced action scenes, but this is a film about an ’80s cartoon about soldiers with names such as Roadblock and Snake Eyes, the latter being a ninja. I think most writers would be hard-pressed to create a cohesively interesting story line under such strict pretenses. This isn’t one of those rare films where crazy action scenes can make up for lackluster writing and acting, but it comes close. This is the flick for viewers who are looking for a film with action spewed out at break-neck speeds and a solid serving of ninja action. They should stray away if they’re looking for anything else. “G.I. Joe” did one thing right, though. It involves Channing Tatum and an explosion, and for that I salute it. Sorry, ladies.