I haven’t done as many movie reviews over the last while, for various reasons, but I wanted to say a couple things about GI Joe.
GI Joe was my favorite toy as a kid. I had the toys, watched the cartoon, and collected the comic book.
I loved Star Wars, and the Star Wars toys were okay, but GI Joe not only had cool characters and figures, but they were “fully posable”, eventually with “kung fu grip!” In other words, I loved the GI Joe toys because you could be very expressive with them, more than any of the other action figures.
I loved the GI Joe comics, too. Larry Hama wrote almost every one of the 155 issues, of which I have 90% of still. Larry Hama also came up with characters and wrote the file cards, so he was instrumental in the creation of the GI Joe universe.
His best character (back story and all) was Snake Eyes. and the resulting ninja background with Storm Shadow. Those issues were all my favorites. Still are.
The cartoon was fairly forgettable. It holds a more nostalgic feel for me, but upon a slightly more mature second look, it was pretty bad.
So now they’ve made a live action movie. As I saw previews and read blurbs on the process, I had fairly low expectations. Probably safer that way, right?
I saw it opening weekend, and as soon as Snake Eyes comes busting in and kicking butt, I was all in. Well done.
As a movie, it is slightly better than average, an objective assessment for a modern action flick. It is on par with the Transformers movies.
If you were a big Joe fan, you’ll definitely enjoy it. They did a really good job overall.
My one complaint is that they didn’t stick more to the Larry Hama “canon.” I don’t care as much about the new “International” GI Joe instead of an “American hero.” But some of the back stories and interactions would have been better if they stuck to what Hama envisioned. For the masses, they won’t care, and the movie makers are allowed a fresh take if they desire.
In conclusion, you’ll really enjoy the movie if you grew up with the toys and cartoons. If not a big fan, it’s still a fun action movie.
Peace.