Yes, I know I’m a slowpoke, but last night I went and finally watched G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.
When I was a kid, I watched the cartoon but I’ve never read the comic book. I collected the toys back then also, but until the recent movie figures; the last Joe toy I bought was in the early 90’s. I don’t know everything there is to know about the brand, but I do know enough to get some of the “in jokes”.
I, like a lot of the hard core fans, was a little nervous about the early clips and news we read about on the internet. Acceleration suits, nano-mites, Cobra Commander’s clear mask, and a toppling Eiffel Tower made me feel trepidation that GI Joe was going the way of Transformers. Although, I did find Transformers an enjoyable time, after the movie was over, and you give what happened a little thought, you find that it’s a little lacking in the common sense area. (Not that a movie about giant robots that turn into cars lives in that area anyway).
GI Joe surprised me though.
Sure there were a couple of hokey parts, and it seems like every conversation triggered a flashback, but all around it was a fun movie and a good homage. One of the things that surprised me most is just how much I enjoyed certain parts. The Paris pursuit scene was surprisingly well done. I’ve never even looked twice at the character of Breaker, now he’s one of my favorites. Especially him demanding bubble gum from Duke, which was a nice touch. I was also glad to see the Hasbro staple, from both cartoon and comic book, of seeing not only your favorite characters but also vehicles that you could go to your toy store and buy after exiting the theatre.
I wonder if some of the success of this movie is not only due to the “care” the producers have for the franchise, especially when compared to Transformers. But also there were more than a few very strong Star Wars references. Not that they were copying Star Wars, but there were definitely some blatant homage’s that I think added to the movie and GI Joe brand. Hey, if you’re going to use a franchise as an example, you could do worse than Star Wars.
If you’re a GI Joe fan, and you haven’t seen this movie yet, I strongly suggest that you do so. Sure, you could wait for the rental, but I’m a firm believer in the different experiences that going to a movie can give you over watching it alone. Some movies, that experience doesn’t matter. But others, and I feel GI Joe is one of them, let you immerse yourself in the bombardment of a sheer good time.
I liked it. Waaay better than both Transformers movies.
Other than the Vader Commander stuff what other Star Wars homages did you find?
The vipers gave off a really heavy stormtrooper vibe to me. The scene where Snake Eyes and Stormshadow are having their showdown reminded me of a couple different light saber battles, but specifically the one where Darth Maul dies. Also, the mini sub battle had that Death Star attack run from the sixth movie feeling.
None of these are bad things though, and the GI Joe versions seem improved compared to their Star Wars counterparts I think in certain places.
well the similarities of the maul fight compared to the SS/SE fight comes down to the fact Parks probably had a lot to do with the choreography of both.
I agree. It also didn’t help that SS combined his katanas into a double bladed weapon.
Or that it was in a laser/electricity pit?
Must be a Ray Park thing.
I don’t know if we talked about this after the con, but at the panel for ROC, they said they cut out a line where Storm Shadow said, “I did not kill our master” right before he fell.
I think they should have kept it.
We still need to go see that.
I’m not going to watch it. It’s not for me.
Well, at least you know…
There was just too many corny things in it. Like Duke going “my army” and the sub and all the Joes coming up behind him. I mean, yeah, yeah, it’s movie cool, but what it really means is that all of GI Joe was just sitting out of sight waiting for Duke to make his witty retort? Come on…
lol, I agree, but you have to admit, that is a very cartoon ending.
The movie was okay. I felt like I was watching a Joe movie, but I had to pretend the Joes were different characters and then it was all well and good.
I liked how MARS/Cobra was handled though.
Sounds like you had a good time. I hope to see it soon.
This movie isn’t the celebration of the military that I’d like it to have been, but I still enjoyed it.
Duke would never get by with that goatee of his in the real military though.