Two blockbuster seasons ago Polari reviewed G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, and concluded, “G.I. Joe is great fun. It has its flaws, it has its clichés, but one cannot dine, metaphorically speaking, on caviar alone. Sometimes a pizza and a coke is all that is needed. And that is what the Hollywood blockbuster is there for.” Yes, that was cheeky. But there was also much talk of Channing Tatum. Of course.

GI Joe is back in GI Joe: Retaliation, to be released in June next year. The first trailer has just been put out. The supporting casting is the first obvious upgrade. In Rise of Cobra, Dennis Quaid as the leader of the Joes, and Christopher Eccleston as the villain, were not a success. With Retaliation the villains have serious kudos. Arnold Vosloo is, as everyone knows, first-rate, and Jonathan Pryce is one of the best villain-actors out there. His role as a conniving US President, as it’s telegraphed in the trailer, looks to be marvellous.

And then there’s Bruce Willis.

From the flames of the ever-continuing and ironically titled Die Hard series, Bruce Willis has risen with a machismo that is so exaggerated that it borders on camp. That’s why Red worked. And now it looks like he’s back to save the world. Or America at least.

It’s big villains, big heroes, and big explosions. Hurray for Hollywood!