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[5150 Lego]

...Or anything G.I. Joe related. I heard about the movie around a year ago, and even started seeing some still shots. Then the first trailer aired during the super bowl. I wasn't all that enthused. Then i saw the new 2 minute trailer. I'm a little bit more amped, but still not all that thrilled. Not like i was for the first transformers movie,or even the 2nd for that matter. When i watch it, it just doesn't scream "G.I. Joe!" for me.

G.I. Joe (next to Lego) was probably my most favorite of my toys. More so than Transformers. And who wouldn't like them? A mix of all kinds of custom military type vehicles, awesome playsets and great figures with their own little "stories" and back grounds. Its funny; my mom used to have to bitterly drag me out of bed at 7am for school, but i had no problem getting up at 6am on Saturday mornings to watch my favorite cartoon! Yes, like Transformers, it was nothing more than a half hour toy commercial. But i wasok with that. I still remember rolling my Cobra "Hiss" Tank around while it was on screen. Same with my Battle Wagon and Y-22.

here's the web site for the movie..
http://www.gijoemovie.com/

Now I'm not going to be unrealistic. I don't expect to see a fleet of Cobra rattler planes, dog fighting GI Joe X-30 fighter planes. I don't expect a live action G1 G.I. Joe movie remake. I'm not a hard core fan by any means, but do have fond memories of what i remember G.I. being. I'm notsure if i see that in this new movie. But either way, it does look like a good action flick. I'm going to go into it with an open mind likei did Transformers. Hopefully i won't be disappointed. The Character designs are pretty good and though i have no idea of the plot, it seems its carrying on the general theme of the original cartoon and comics. Cobra is hell bent to rule the world, and the Joe's have to stop them. If they can at least get that part right, then this movie just might be OK.

[SWMAN]

I have never watched GI Joe, and never watched Transformers. I was afraid that Transformers would suck because it was based on a Hasbro toy. Luckily, I was pleasantly surprised, and it was really good. I have seen the previews for GI Joe, and I think that it will be like Transformers, and be pretty good.

[Tyrant]

I was a big fan of the cartoon and toys back in the 80s. I eventually became a fan of the comic book. The story in the comics was considerably better and closer to something resembling realistic. They actually used bullets and people actually died for good. Eventually Devil's Due restarted the comics as a follow on to the Marvel run. Their run was even grittier. Lots of deaths. The upside was Cobra Commander was finally made into a character to be feared and not an incompotent fool. My personal favorite moment of that run was when he killed Serpentor. Real recently on Cartoon Network they ran GIJoe Resolute. It was an animated movie (I guess it was a movie, there were several deaths but it was open ended) that was a lot more like the DD run of the comic book. The opening bit was Cobra using their new super weapon to nuke Moscow and kill several million people to prove they aren't screwing around. That's the kind of thing I have wanted to see out of GIJoe for a while.

Now there's the movie. I have my doubts it will be any of that. I do think it will be a good action movie. I do think some characters will turn out okay. I also think some characters will be unrecognisable. I am particularly worried about Destro and Cobra Commander (and Zartan to a lesser extent). I am assuming they are trying to keep a lid on CC for as long as possible because he hasn't been in the previews. The same goes for Destro with the helmet. The accelerator suits are different. At least now there will be a good reason why 50 guys can fire full auto in an open area at 2 guys and not hit them at all. I'll go watch it but I have no expectations for the storyline or the characters. I'm making Terminator my future potential disappointment by actually hoping it's good.

[5150 Lego]

Tyrant, on May 6 2009, 04:29 AM, said:

I was a big fan of the cartoon and toys back in the 80s. I eventually became a fan of the comic book. The story in the comics was considerably better and closer to something resembling realistic. They actually used bullets and people actually died for good. Eventually Devil's Due restarted the comics as a follow on to the Marvel run. Their run was even grittier. Lots of deaths. The upside was Cobra Commander was finally made into a character to be feared and not an incompotent fool. My personal favorite moment of that run was when he killed Serpentor. Real recently on Cartoon Network they ran GIJoe Resolute. It was an animated movie (I guess it was a movie, there were several deaths but it was open ended) that was a lot more like the DD run of the comic book. The opening bit was Cobra using their new super weapon to nuke Moscow and kill several million people to prove they aren't screwing around. That's the kind of thing I have wanted to see out of GIJoe for a while.

Now there's the movie. I have my doubts it will be any of that. I do think it will be a good action movie. I do think some characters will turn out okay. I also think some characters will be unrecognisable. I am particularly worried about Destro and Cobra Commander (and Zartan to a lesser extent). I am assuming they are trying to keep a lid on CC for as long as possible because he hasn't been in the previews. The same goes for Destro with the helmet. The accelerator suits are different. At least now there will be a good reason why 50 guys can fire full auto in an open area at 2 guys and not hit them at all. I'll go watch it but I have no expectations for the storyline or the characters. I'm making Terminator my future potential disappointment by actually hoping it's good.

Nice. This pretty much sums up how i feel about the movie as well. I am looking forward to seeing this, but i have also come to grips that it won't be what i remember from my childhood. And i can't expect that from a modern day live action movie. As of right now, the only characters that are unmistakable at this point ar Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow, and Baroness. Other others at this point all look the same. Though i guess not everyone can have there trade mark uniforms. Then it mightend up looking like "Street Fighter" as have a cheesy feel to it.

I too caught G.I. Joe, Resolute. I liked it. Easily recognizable characters, good story and I agree that having real deaths helped add to the whole story.

A few weeks ago while shopping at target i came across some GI Joe toys. I was happy to see that they had re-released some of the original toys and figures just as they were built in the 80's. I was stopped in my tracks when i saw the 25th anniversary GI Joe "Tiger Rat" airplane. It is basically a repainted Cobra Rattler plane painted in yellow and black tiger stripes.
I remember when i was a kid seeing this in the catalog and doing every bit of homework and cleaning every orifice of my house for months to unsure that i would get this for my birthday. Only to find out that i was looking at an old catalog and it had been discontinued for some time. So needless to say, i snatched one up right away. Next week ithink i'll go pick up a Cobra Rattler and a GI Joe X-30 plane.

[Tyrant]

5150 Lego, on May 6 2009, 12:03 AM, said:

A few weeks ago while shopping at target i came across some GI Joe toys. I was happy to see that they had re-released some of the original toys and figures just as they were built in the 80's. I was stopped in my tracks when i saw the 25th anniversary GI Joe "Tiger Rat" airplane. It is basically a repainted Cobra Rattler plane painted in yellow and black tiger stripes. I remember when i was a kid seeing this in the catalog and doing every bit of homework and cleaning every orifice of my house for months to unsure that i would get this for my birthday. Only to find out that i was looking at an old catalog and it had been discontinued for some time. So needless to say, i snatched one up right away. Next week ithink i'll go pick up a Cobra Rattler and a GI Joe X-30 plane.

I have seen the 25th figures and vehicles. I have several of the figures and a couple of the vehicles. I do like that they have remade the older figures while updating the detail and articulation. I have heard of the Target vehicles. I used to have the Python Patrol Conquest. I have seriously considered getting the new one. I hope they plan on releasing the Viper that comes with it seperate because I always liked the Python Patrol figures (even though the colors are somewhat horrid and totally fail at being camofluage) for some reason. Even the Crimson Guard who has virtually no red on him. I am hoping they release the rest of them. My only concern is the movie toys stopping things up (though Hasbro swears they won't).

This post has been edited by Tyrant: 06 May 2009 - 07:51 PM

[5150 Lego]

Tyrant, on May 6 2009, 07:50 PM, said:

I have seen the 25th figures and vehicles. I have several of the figures and a couple of the vehicles. I do like that they have remade the older figures while updating the detail and articulation. I have heard of the Target vehicles. I used to have the Python Patrol Conquest. I have seriously considered getting the new one. I hope they plan on releasing the Viper that comes with it separate because I always liked the Python Patrol figures (even though the colors are somewhat horrid and totally fail at being camofluage) for some reason. Even the Crimson Guard who has virtually no red on him. I am hoping they release the rest of them. My only concern is the movie toys stopping things up (though Hasbro swears they won't).

ya,I'm thing of grabbing a Rattler while there still on the shelves. Even though its not a movie toy, i fear once the movie comes out, everything GI Joe related will be cleaned out. Much like when the transformers movie came out.

From what i understand there releasing things in waves. Its very possible that there's quite a few more figs and vehicles to be released before the movie toys come out. There's even rumors of the U.S.S. Flagg coming back.

[M'Kyuun]

Even as a kid, I always felt that the GI Joe cartoon was silly, but with all the cool technology on both sides, it had potential to be better. Beyond the ridiculous "no death" policy, what really irritated me was that Cobra would often pull off some caper with precision at the beginning of an episode, only to dissolve into bumbling idiots the moment GI Joe showed up. Suddenly they couldn't shoot straight, and well, pretty much could do nothing right. To make matters worse, the Joes themselves were cheesy and often lame, even by 80's standards. Then came Resolute, a more mature take on the series, and far closer to what I had wanted it to be in the 80's. I liked it, but thought it could have been a little better, perhaps closer to Justice League, which I really enjoyed for it's often slightly more mature writing.

Having seen the previews for the live-action, I'm not holding my breath. First, I'm not crazy about Stephen Sommers, writer/director of the Mummy movies and Van-Helsing. His "wouldn't it be fun if..." approach and tendency for cheesier than cheddar dialog fill me with dread. Secondly, Destro does not look or sound like Destro. With all the CG tech, his iconic chrome dome should have been a no-brainer. moreover, watching the trailer, I believe Baroness spoke a line, but without any trace of her characteristic accent. Furthermore, to amp up the superhuman-ness of the characters, the Joes will now wear power armor, thus negating the need for much of thee really cool vehicles and tech nology from the original show. The tech, at least for me, was the only thing that made GI Joe cool. The vehicles and equipment were amazing, so well made that they are being rereleased with little to no changes for the current figures, which themselves are excellent.

I often wonder why Hollywood producers feel an irresitable need to reimagine a property which is considered great, or at least great enough to warrant bankable live-action treatment. I would humbly suggest that the property in question achieved greatness by virtue of its own merits, and stands out in the minds of its fans because of those merits. So, for a fan, those merits are what we want to see in any incarnation. That makes more sense to me than reimagining everything until it is but a barely recognizeable caricature of what I remembered and liked about the property. Ahem, Transformers, anyone?

[AwesomeStar]

My dad just came back from Chicago and brought me home my favorite: a selection of American comics, that you can't get over here.

I got a Doctor Who, Batman, Captain America and GI Joe one.

I like the GI Joe one the most, as its a great story, and my IRL name is Joe, so thats pretty cool.

Its Issue #1, but I believe Issue #0 precedes it.

~A.S.

[5150 Lego]

M'Kyuun, on May 17 2009, 07:33 AM, said:

Having seen the previews for the live-action, I'm not holding my breath. First, I'm not crazy about Stephen Sommers, writer/director of the Mummy movies and Van-Helsing. His "wouldn't it be fun if..." approach and tendency for cheesier than cheddar dialog fill me with dread. Secondly, Destro does not look or sound like Destro. With all the CG tech, his iconic chrome dome should have been a no-brainer.

From my understanding, there's a reason that destro (in the previews) doesn't have his chrome helmet. Its basically going to be like Star Trek were there going to be introducing all the characters and giving you background on them. So for the first part of the movie, Destro will not have his Chrome helmet, but rest assured that he will adorn it in the film.

M'Kyuun, on May 17 2009, 07:33 AM, said:

moreover, watching the trailer, I believe Baroness spoke a line, but without any trace of her characteristic accent.

Though i don't remember her speaking in the trailer, if this is in fact true, it will be very disappointing. I always thought her accent was abit sexy.

M'Kyuun, on May 17 2009, 07:33 AM, said:

Furthermore, to amp up the superhuman-ness of the characters, the Joes will now wear power armor, thus negating the need for much of thee really cool vehicles and technology from the original show. The tech, at least for me, was the only thing that made GI Joe cool. The vehicles and equipment were amazing, so well made that they are being re released with little to no changes for the current figures, which themselves are excellent.

I have to agree. From what I've read they will have an assortment of new vehicles, but it would have been nice to have a few of the classics thrown in the mix. Heck, i would have been fine with even a few modern day "tweaks" of the original designs. Maybe they will. How cool would it be if they discovered a bunker that housed a bunch of old original vehicles that have been in hibernation for a couple decades?? I would forgive all if that was part of the plot!

M'Kyuun, on May 17 2009, 07:33 AM, said:

I often wonder why Hollywood producers feel an irresitable need to reimagine a property which is considered great, or at least great enough to warrant bankable live-action treatment. I would humbly suggest that the property in question achieved greatness by virtue of its own merits, and stands out in the minds of its fans because of those merits. So, for a fans, those merits are what we want to see in any incarnation.

There in what i highlighted is the problem. You need to remember that movie like these, while the idea is not to piss off, and dismantle the fan base of whaitch made such series such as G.I. Joe and Transformers so great,..... Can not be full talored to them alone. These are not B rate movies with B rate budjets. While the fans are an important part of any Series, unfortunutly, they do not make up the majority that will be seeing these movies.

M'Kyuun, on May 17 2009, 07:33 AM, said:

That makes more sense to me than reimagining everything until it is but a barely recognizeable caricature of what I remembered and liked about the property. Ahem, Transformers, anyone?

I could go on, but i think you know where my thoughts on the new movies and "Bayformers".

[KimT]

Oh my god.
I can't believe this is still around.
I played with G.I.Joe action figs when I was a kid, except they were called Action Force in Europe.
And now there's a movie coming
Yehaaa! I am thrilled as a little kid

[Tyrant]

KimT, on May 18 2009, 05:09 PM, said:

Oh my god.
I can't believe this is still around.
I played with G.I.Joe action figs when I was a kid, except they were called Action Force in Europe.
And now there's a movie coming
Yehaaa! I am thrilled as a little kid

Suprisingly here in the US they have produced figures for all but 3 years from 82 (or maybe it was 83, but I am fairly certain it was 82) to now. They stopped in the mid 90s shortly after Hasbro aquired Kenner. The popular rumor (that apparently actually has some basis in fact) is that the folks that came over from Kenner killed it out of spite because it was direct competition with Star Wars which they were about to restart (so they wanted no competition). In '97 they restarted as TRU exclusives and in either '99 or '00 they started wide distribution again. Around that time they restarted the comic book under Devil's Due (which as at that time part of Image) as a continuation of the Marvel series. It ended last year and they are now restarting the series.

For anyone who liked the basics of the cartoon, but wants more realistic action, the Marvel (and later DD) series is what you are looking for. They use bullets, not lasers. People bleed and die. Not everyone bails out of planes that are about to blow up or crash. One issue alone sees the entire Battle Force 2000 wiped out. A couple of issues later one lone Saw Viper guns down 7 or 8 named characters (like Doc). The body count was fairly high by the end of Marvel's run and it was through the roof by the end of the Devil's Due run. Probably most important of all, Cobra Commander is shown to be a terrifying individual and not a moron. Not to mention his background story is awesome (and no, he's not a snake ma from Cobra-La). He used to be a used car salesman. It all spirals out from that after his brother was killed in a car accident that also claimed Snake Eyes' family who were on their way to pick him up at the airport on his way back from Vietnam after being disfigured. The whole war is spawned out of that freak occurance. Unfortunately none of that will be in the movie.

[5150 Lego]

OK.
So I saw the movie yesterday. I have to say i was pleasantly surprised and was alot better than i thought it was going to be. I (like many) wasn't impressed by the previews, and they left a sour taste in my mouth. But after actually watching the movie most of what i saw panned out. That's not to say that it didn't have its problems. First I'll start with what i liked.

Character development: I felt they did a good job of relating the characters to the audience. Most of the actors had a relevant part in the movie and were portrayed well.

Story/plot: I think the story was staright forward, and not overly complex. Good for a movie like this.

Action: Action was good and well paced.

Female aspect: Yes, I'm sorry to say, the girls in G.I.Joe were hot. Baroness and Scarlet (especially Scarlet) were great eye candy!


Now what i didn't like:

Comedy: Was virtually non-existent. While G.I. Joe has always been serious, from the the 80's cartoon series, to comics to the recent "Resolute" movie, i felt the movie needed some comedy to break it up. While it did have some, it wasn't well placed and very cheesy. (more so than ROTF) A movie like this needs some comedy relief.

Accelerator suits: Lame. Just plain lame and stupid. While i get they were part of the Sigma 6 series, they were lame and that part could have been used to introduce a new vehicle. Which brings me to my next point...

Lack of cool vehicles: While there were a few jets, other than the Hummer with the snow plow (whitch was lame)and the snow mobiles, there weren't any cool tanks, trucks, Jeeps etc. One of G.I.Joe Main attributes have always been the cool vehicles. There was a serious lack of any. Very disapointed.

Marlon Wayne: He is a horrible actor,and much better comedian. He should have stayed with "In Living Color". His character as "Ripcord" was lame cheesy and his attempt at humor was insulting considering he his background in comedy. He brought the movie down for me.

The "love story": Man, and you thought Micheal Bay was bad at love stories? While i understand this is needed for the general public, Duke and the Baroness being in love was lame and Ripcord's lame attempt to get Scarlet was even worse.

Cobra Commander: I didn't like his appearance. He (like megatron to TF movie verse) was unrecognizable. I do understand that update in character designs are needed, but his overall design was lame. Reminded me more of Darth Vader than Cobra Commander.

Baroness: She didn't have her trade mark accent. But much like Soundwave, i got over it.

CGI: Sucked. Thats all there is to it. In this day in age, there was no excuse for this.

Despite all this.....

I still did enjoy the movie. It did just what a movie like this should. Entertain. But still, i just didn't scream G.I.Joe to me.

[salty tbone]

5150 Lego, on Aug 9 2009, 01:54 AM, said:

Despite all this.....

I still did enjoy the movie. It did just what a movie like this should. Entertain. But still, i just didn't scream G.I.Joe to me.

I'm glad you still liked it even though there were three things you listed as positive and eight negative. I haven't seen it yet, but I'm hoping I'll at least be entertained while I cringe as one of my favorite childhood toys gets milked. BTW, it's "Marlon Wayans."

[5150 Lego]

salty tbone, on Aug 9 2009, 01:12 PM, said:

I'm glad you still liked it even though there were three things you listed as positive and eight negative. I haven't seen it yet, but I'm hoping I'll at least be entertained while I cringe as one of my favorite childhood toys gets milked. BTW, it's "Marlon Wayans."

Ya, i can see where someone would start shaking there head to my reasoning's, but bottom line is i did enjoy it. The character development was big in this movie which i think helped it the most. Nearly every character has equal time on screen which is rare and you easily had depth into there purpose. The only two that you didn't get any back ground was

Spoiler

Zartan and Heavy Duty and the communications guy (sorry, i forgot his name)

Though Cobra Commander never really had an origin in the original series and most of the comics (other than him being part snake or something in that nature) i understand that it was needed to give back ground and development to his character for the general audience. I can accept that. I still don't care for his design though.
I really do wish they had more vehicles. I could have forgiven nearly all if the main action scene were comprised of trade mark Joe and Cobra vehicles instead of those Lame Accelerator suits and a Hummer that wants to be a transformer. This would have made the movie more recognizable to its origins. It didn't have to be a remake of the cartoon. In fact, I'm glad they didn't go that route. But while it was a very enjoyable action popcorn flick, it wasn't recognizable as G.I. Joe to me.
And the female aspect.... Ya,i'm a pig. While the movie had its problems, Rachel Nichols as Scarlet and Sienna Miller as Baroness were nice to look at. Alot more so than Megan fox was in Tf's.

[SWMAN]

While I have not seen the movie, I have heard and read that it is terrible, even for GI Joe fans. From what I have read, it is a big time action movie with no plot. Now, I will not judge it because I have not seen it, but because of what I have read, I will not be.