Film: 'G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra'; Cast: Channing Tatum, Sienna Miller, Marlon Wayans, Rachel Nichols, Ray Park, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Christopher Eccleston, Dennis Quaid; Director: Stephen Sommers; Rating: ***1/2

Fights in the air, battles on the ground, chases unfolding under water, ninja fights and an American action director's ultimate fantasy -- destruction of the Eiffel Tower. There is variety galore in 'G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra' with 100 minutes of pure action in the two-hour film.

An adaptation of the 'G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero' toy franchise, this sci-fi action thriller turns out to be a solid entertainer. In the recent past, the closest parallel to 'G.I. Joe....' would perhaps be 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' which released just a few weeks back.

However, 'G.I. Joe....' is a far better and much more enjoyable affair for the sheer reason that it isn't as monotonous and predictable as 'Transformers...'.

The sequences unfold in a comic book manner, reiterating the fact that the film is targeted primarily at children. But the setting and treatment will entice adult audiences as well.

Of course not all twists in the tale really manage to jolt.

The duplicate of American president being placed in the office was something that even David Dhawan has experimented with many years back in 'Aankhen'. Also, a woman (Sienna Miller) being brainwashed by chemicals and electronic programming to turn against her boyfriend is passe.