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Interview with Stephen Sommers and Co.


Devilbat

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I bought the August 2009 issue of Sci Fi Magazine while I was in Florida on vacation last month, and it had Star Trek, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, all kinds of good stuff. But the most interesting article in it to me was the interview with Stephen Sommers, along with Lorenzo Di Bonaventura and some select actors, concerning G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. I just wanted to share it with you guys. I figured you all would find it as interesting as I did. And I believe it may confirm some assumptions, good and bad, that many of us here on the boards have made about this film. Oh, and pay special attention to the near-disasterous decision concerning Snake Eyes that Larry Hama averted, *sheesh* and what Joseph Gordon-Levitt, along with Lorenzo Di Bonaventura, had to say about Cobra Commander. It's very interesting, but I will warn you...it's a looong read:

 

 

WAR IS HELL

 

DIRECTOR STEPHEN SOMMERS BRINGS CLASSIC G.I. JOE CHARACTERS TO LIFE IN AN ACTION-PACKED ORIGIN FILM.

 

BY DAVID GROVE

 

The battle between G.I. Joe and the mysterious Cobra organization is taking place just southeast of Los Angeles. The whole area is littered with armored vehicles, caverns, explosions, rocket launchers, secret laboratories, and even a couple of manned submarines. What's strange is that the entire scene is completely bloodless. There are no dead bodies and all of the people who are walking around the scene seem to be having a good time.

 

This isn't a real war, but rather the stage for G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, the live-action feature film adaptation of the long-running franchise previously immortalized through cartoons, comics, and iconic toy figurines. For the cast and crew, especially director Stephen Sommers, the filming of G.I. Joe: the Rise of Cobra is more like wargames, as evidenced by the plethora of green-screens that are visible everywhere.

 

In fact, talk of G.I. Joe: the Rise of Cobra being a war movie is verboten on the set. "The film is closer in tone to a James Bond film than a war movie," says Sommers. "It's also like the first X-Men film in that this is an origin story. People who don't know anything about G.I. Joe will be able to enjoy the film and understand the story, but the film will also satisfy the fans who love G.I. Joe."

 

The origin story takes place about 10 years in the future and focuses on the rise of the diabolical Cobra organization and the fabled terrorist Cobra Commander, although weapons designer Destro also serves as a main villain in the early part of the story. Standing is Cobra's path to global domination is the iconic G.I. Joe (Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity) unit that uses its high-tech skills and eclectic team of skilled operatives to battle Cobra all around the world. Complicating matters is the appearance of the elusive and enigmatic Ninja master Snake Eyes, along with Snake Eyes' arch-nemesis, Cobra Ninja Assassin, Storm Shadow.

 

The G.I. Joe universe comprises a cast of thousands, and for the makers of G.I. Joe: the Rise of Cobra, who are using the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Marvel Comic Book Series---a 155-issue series that ran between 1982 and 1994---as the template for this origin film, the biggest challenge is how to capture the massive G.I. Joe mythology in one film. "It's a big challenge to try and incorporate so many great characters into one movie, and that's why it took so long to come up with the right script," says producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura. "The challenge is to introduce so many interesting characters, and do them justice, and I think we're going to deliver with the characters in terms of establishing their back-stories."

 

The genesis of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra goes back to 2003 when Hasbro executive Brian Goldner suggested that Di Bonaventura think about developing a film based on Hasbro's long-running G.I. Joe toy line. The next several years would see the development of various scripts and storylines, not to mention real-life events. "When the the Iraq war was on, people wanted to shy away from the subject matter, not wanting to make a film that would glorify war," recalls Di Bonaventura. "That's when we started to think of G.I. Joe, and what G.I. Joe stands for, in the context of what a worldwide audience would be interested in seeing."

 

In August 2007, the G.I. Joe film project took a major leap forward when Paramount Pictures tapped Stephen Sommers to direct the new film. Sommers was drawn to the project because the G.I. Joe concept contained elements that reminded Sommers of the classic James Bond films. "There's a great underwater battle in the film, and when I read that in the script, I immediately thought of Thunderball, one of my favorite Bond films, and I knew that scene could be a tribute to that," says Sommers. "the new Bond movies seem to be following the Bourne movies, and I'm drawn more to the Sean Connery Bond films, and G.I. Joe is inspired by those movies. I was also drawn to the rich back-story that's present in the franchise, and the challenge of trying to get all of the story that was in the comic books into one film."

 

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra represents, with the possible exception of the sea-monster horror film Deep Rising, Sommer's first real contemporary film, after a long career directing and writing historically based films such as The Adventures of Huck Finn, The Mummy, Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, and Van Helsing. "This is an action-adventure film, just like The Mummy was an action-adventure film," says Sommers. "Because this is an origin film, it's all about the histories of these characters that G.I. Joe fans have read about in comics for years, so there is a historical aspect to it. We're trying to bring back the 1980s G.I. Joe from the Marvel Comics series into the present."

 

Since G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra takes its inspiration largely from the G.I. Joe comic book series, the filmmakers recruited writer Larry Hama as a creative consultant. Hama wrote all 155 issues of the comic book series and is credited with being the architect and creator of the modern G.I. Joe mythology. "Larry worked with us on the script, and told us what the fans would like, and what we should put in this film that would make the fans happy, and what wouldn't make the fans happy," say Di Bonaventura. "The only demand Larry made was that we not let Snake Eyes speak at all. We'd planned a scene at the end of the film, something cute, where Snake Eyes says something, but Larry convinced us that it would be a really bad idea."

 

A massive project like G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra---and a global battle like the one between G.I. Joe and Cobra---certainly requires a global stage. For this purpose, Paramount Pictures chose the massive Downey Studios in Downey, California, near Los Angeles, to serve as the main filming location, with later filming to take place in Prague, Czechoslovakia. It's at the Downey location that most of the headquarters, along with the arctic base that houses the villainous Destro's M.A.R.S. (Military Armaments Research Syndicate) base. "We built parts of the Pit at the Downey studio, and the rest of it was done with effects because you could never build all of the Pit," explains Di Bonaventura. "We also built Destro's Arctic M.A.R.S. base there, and on another set we built the ice cavern entrance to Destro's headquarters. We needed a large soundstage for this film, the biggest we could find, because the story moves all around the world."

 

With additional second-unit filming done in the Arctic, Egypt, Paris, and Tokyo, not to mention some intense underwater filming, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is truly a global action-adventure film that looks more akin to G.I. Joe: A Real United Nations Hero as opposed to the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero tag that appeared on all of the comic books on which the film is based. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra received alot of publicity, as well as controversy, when it was revealed that the film would be downplaying G.I. Joe's American lineage, as well as downplaying the franchise's war themes, in order to placate the overseas marketplace.

 

The makers of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra assert that this is just following in the footsteps of other global espionage franchises such as the Bourne films and the Mission: Impossible film series which featute globe-trotting protagonists. Although G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra was filmed entirely in California and then Prague, the story's various locations include the Arctic, Australia, Paris, Moscow, Washington, D.C., and even the Sahara. "Duke, the young hero of our story, is clearly an American soldier," says Di Bonaventura. "People think we're trying to downplay the American angle in order to appeal to a worldwide audience, but the reality is that the G.I. Joe unit has always traveled around the world on missions. Clearly, the American military will be a key element in this film, and in future films, but there's alot of international elements to G.I. Joe as well."

 

To say that G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is an ensemble piece is a major understatement since the film contains no less than 10 featured characters. If there is a lead in the film, in terms of the G.I. joe outfit, it might be Duke, played by Channing Tatum, who's G.I. Joe's lead soldier. "I'd just done an antiwar film called Stop-Loss, and I wasn't interested in G.I. Joe at first because I thought it would glorify war," says Tatum. "When I read the script, I realized this was more of a fantasy film, like Star Wars and X-Men, instead of being a war movie. the hardest part of doing a film like this is that you don't know what you're doing because of all of the digital effects. Movies like this are largely created in postproduction, all in the computer. I'll do a scene where I'm staring at a green-screen and imagining that I'm flying around the Arctic and then being told about explosions happening all around me. Then they tell me I'm being shot at. Movies like this force you to completely rely on your imagination as an actor."

 

The obligatory veteran presence in the film, amid a universally young cast, is provided in the form of G.I. Joe's team leader, Hawk, who's played by Dennis Quaid. "Hawk's kind of a Sgt. Rock type of character in the sense that he's fought many battles in his career and he's seen it all before," says Quaid, who's signed on for two G.I. Joe sequels. "My son is a big fan of G.I. Joe and he convinced me to take this part, and I'm glad I did. Originally, my character only had a few scenes, but after I joined the film, they wrote more scenes and it's turned out to be a really interesting character."

 

For die-hard G.I. Joe fans, the most anticipated element of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra's development was the casting, and conceptualization, of iconic G.I. Joe figures Cobra Commander and Snake Eyes. Snake Eyes, a black-clad, mute ninja, is played by Ray Park, an actor and martial arts expert best known to genre fans for his portrayal of Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I---The Phantom Menace. "I've always studied martial arts and so I felt I could do a good job of playing the character," says Park. "I read the comic books and studied Snake Eyes' movements, and incorporated those movements into my performance. The toughest thing was putting on the mask, because that's when the enormity of playing such an iconic character really hit me. I had to take it home and practice wearing it before I got comfortable with it. The entire costume, with the mask and the visor, is a challenge to wear because it's very heavy."

 

In terms of the origin of the G.I. Joe mythology, nothing is more intriguing than the complicated relationship between Snake Eyes and Cobra's Ninja assassin, Storm Shadow, former comrades in the Arashikage ninja clan turned enemies. "The film will go deeper into their relationship than the comic books did," says Di Bonaventura. "if you've read all of the comics, you think you know everything about their relationship, but we're going to explain the history between them that's never been told. The film will show how they met and how they fell apart, and there's also a big battle scene in the film. Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow are really gray characters in that you're never sure if they're entirely good or evil. Ultimately, the main focus of this first film is about Cobra Commander, and how he rises to power, and we're looking at this film as just the first chapter in a long journey. If we do a second film, I think we'll explore the relationship between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow even more."

 

Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Cobra Commander, whose mask was re-imagined from the comics for the film, and is augmented by prosthetic makeup that Levitt wears underneath the mask in the film. "I loved the concept art for the character and loved being able to look like that in a film," says Levitt. "The biggest challenge is with the voice of Cobra Commander, and I sort of took my inspiration from a number of different places. I combined my own voice with my own take of the character's voice, and mixed that with the voice from the 1980s cartoon series."

 

The makers of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, and even Levitt himself, view Cobra Commander in the context of what The Joker, as played by actor Heath Ledger, meant to The Dark Knight. "In the cartoon, Cobra was somewhat whimsical, but our movie is inspired by the comic books and in the comics, Cobra was a twisted villain," says Di Bonaventura. "The film details Cobra Commander's origin, and his horrible past, and we discover what made him such an absolute terrorist. The Dark Knight was great because The Joker kept talking about himself, his life, and it was really horrifying, and that's what happens with Cobra Commander in our film. The only similarity with the cartoon character is the voice. The mask will be the Cobra mask, but it will be different from either the cartoon or the comics."

 

Since G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is an origin film, the door is obviously left open, box office gods willing, for more installments. The makers of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra feel that this film is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of exploring the rich G.I. Joe mythology. "This film is focused on the rise of Cobra Commander, and the second film could be about Snake Eyes, or some other character, but Snake Eyes would be good," says Di Bonaventura. "There's so many great characters and one of the biggest challenges was just to establish them all in this film, so there's a lot more room to go deeper with all of these characters in future films. Cobra Commander's just the beginning."

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ok why this will be bad

 

In fact, talk of G.I. Joe: the Rise of Cobra being a war movie is verboten on the set. "The film is closer in tone to a James Bond film than a war movie," says Sommers. "It's also like the first X-Men film in that this is an origin story. People who don't know anything about G.I. Joe will be able to enjoy the film and understand the story, but the film will also satisfy the fans who love G.I. Joe."

 

let see no you changed way to much and ITS NOT A BOND FILM!!!!!!

 

The G.I. Joe universe comprises a cast of thousands, and for the makers of G.I. Joe: the Rise of Cobra, who are using the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Marvel Comic Book Series---a 155-issue series that ran between 1982 and 1994---as the template for this origin film, the biggest challenge is how to capture the massive G.I. Joe mythology in one film. "It's a big challenge to try and incorporate so many great characters into one movie, and that's why it took so long to come up with the right script," says producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura. "The challenge is to introduce so many interesting characters, and do them justice, and I think we're going to deliver with the characters in terms of establishing their back-stories."

 

you didnt do a good job as you changed so much.

 

In August 2007, the G.I. Joe film project took a major leap forward when Paramount Pictures tapped Stephen Sommers to direct the new film. Sommers was drawn to the project because the G.I. Joe concept contained elements that reminded Sommers of the classic James Bond films. "There's a great underwater battle in the film, and when I read that in the script, I immediately thought of Thunderball, one of my favorite Bond films, and I knew that scene could be a tribute to that," says Sommers. "the new Bond movies seem to be following the Bourne movies, and I'm drawn more to the Sean Connery Bond films, and G.I. Joe is inspired by those movies. I was also drawn to the rich back-story that's present in the franchise, and the challenge of trying to get all of the story that was in the comic books into one film."

 

AGIN NOT A BOND FILM!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

Since G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra takes its inspiration largely from the G.I. Joe comic book series, the filmmakers recruited writer Larry Hama as a creative consultant. Hama wrote all 155 issues of the comic book series and is credited with being the architect and creator of the modern G.I. Joe mythology. "Larry worked with us on the script, and told us what the fans would like, and what we should put in this film that would make the fans happy, and what wouldn't make the fans happy," say Di Bonaventura. "The only demand Larry made was that we not let Snake Eyes speak at all. We'd planned a scene at the end of the film, something cute, where Snake Eyes says something, but Larry convinced us that it would be a really bad idea."

 

WELL THEY DIDNT LISTEN TO HIM TO MUCH.

 

The makers of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra assert that this is just following in the footsteps of other global espionage franchises such as the Bourne films and the Mission: Impossible film series which featute globe-trotting protagonists. Although G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra was filmed entirely in California and then Prague, the story's various locations include the Arctic, Australia, Paris, Moscow, Washington, D.C., and even the Sahara. "Duke, the young hero of our story, is clearly an American soldier," says Di Bonaventura. "People think we're trying to downplay the American angle in order to appeal to a worldwide audience, but the reality is that the G.I. Joe unit has always traveled around the world on missions. Clearly, the American military will be a key element in this film, and in future films, but there's alot of international elements to G.I. Joe as well."

 

G I JOE IS A STAND ALONE THING YOU CANT COMPARE THEM OR TRY TO DO WHAT THEY DID.

 

 

To say that G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is an ensemble piece is a major understatement since the film contains no less than 10 featured characters. If there is a lead in the film, in terms of the G.I. joe outfit, it might be Duke, played by Channing Tatum, who's G.I. Joe's lead soldier. "I'd just done an antiwar film called Stop-Loss, and I wasn't interested in G.I. Joe at first because I thought it would glorify war," says Tatum. "When I read the script, I realized this was more of a fantasy film, like Star Wars and X-Men, instead of being a war movie. the hardest part of doing a film like this is that you don't know what you're doing because of all of the digital effects. Movies like this are largely created in postproduction, all in the computer. I'll do a scene where I'm staring at a green-screen and imagining that I'm flying around the Arctic and then being told about explosions happening all around me. Then they tell me I'm being shot at. Movies like this force you to completely rely on your imagination as an actor."

 

THIS IS NOT SW WOW. READ SOMETHING ON THE 80S JOES.

 

 

For die-hard G.I. Joe fans, the most anticipated element of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra's development was the casting, and conceptualization, of iconic G.I. Joe figures Cobra Commander and Snake Eyes. Snake Eyes, a black-clad, mute ninja, is played by Ray Park, an actor and martial arts expert best known to genre fans for his portrayal of Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I---The Phantom Menace. "I've always studied martial arts and so I felt I could do a good job of playing the character," says Park. "I read the comic books and studied Snake Eyes' movements, and incorporated those movements into my performance. The toughest thing was putting on the mask, because that's when the enormity of playing such an iconic character really hit me. I had to take it home and practice wearing it before I got comfortable with it. The entire costume, with the mask and the visor, is a challenge to wear because it's very heavy."

 

DO YOU KNOW WHAT A DIE HARD FANS MEANS??????????

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Now personally I'm all for this movie. I have said all along that I was gonna keep an open mind when it came to all of the changes, and I'm still giving it the benefit of the doubt to the bitter end. (Hopefully there won't be a bitter end, but anyway...) (lol) Having said that, and to be completely honest, I found a few contradictions in what Sommers and Di Bonaventura were saying in the article. First of all, Sommers claims that the Bond franchise seems to be emulating the look, pace, and tone of the Bourne films, and that he personally perferred the old Sean Connery Bond films, and that ROC was meant to hearken back to those kinds of films. But the Di Bonaventura said ROC was, to paraphrase him, following the footsteps of films like the Bourne series and the Mission: Impossible movies, that it was supposed to be a "globe-trotting" adventure. They seem to contradict each other, but maybe Di Bonaventura just meant they would be similar in terms of the global espionage themes they shared, not that ROC was meant to emulate the Bourne movies or anything...

 

Another possible contradiction was that in one part of the article, they claim ROC was filmed entirely in California and Prague, but earlier in the article they claimed some second-unit filming was done in the Arctic, Paris, Egypt, and Tokyo. Perhaps that was just erroneous reporting on the writer of the article's part.

 

I can't help it though; I'm still excited about this movie. This article has not diminished my anticipation or feelings concerning the film. If anything, it's only made me more excited to see it.

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Not expecting anything but special effects, explosions, and having a bit of fun in the theater, so I'm probably the target audience for this. I can imagine that 75% of this board will be frothing at the mouth and doing a bit of the WHAAAARGARRRBBBLLEEEE the entire time, though they're not smart enough to just leave or not even bother to see it if they've already convinced themselves they'll hate it.

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I have basically given in to the idea of the movie being what it is, an action flick. It hopefully will be good. I'm a little more optimistic after reading the first issue of the movie adaptation.

 

This isn't our JOE from the 80s, I accept that, just like I did with TFs.

 

Basically I am hoping for a success at least half as much as ROTF. It means that JOE will get more publicity and more money to produce more toys.

 

Remember, ROTF is being touted as the worst reviewed film ever to make $400 million dollars or more. So story aside, if it's popular, it's popular.

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The interview doesn't really say anything we haven't already heard before somewhere else an much like z0mbie I'm looking forward to the movie and accepting it for what it is. I'm also pretty sure that they could have made a movie that was 99% accurate to the comics or tv show and we would still have people complaining about that 1% that's not "faithful" to whatever medium. I mean that could have ""gt Savage or Extreme-d it by making it something completely new with no reconizable characters or themes and called it G.I.Joe.

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(lol) Yeah, I guess that's why they decided to loosely base it more on the comic series...and I mean LOOSELY since there's been alot of changes. For example, several of the original Joes were Vietnam vets, like Snake Eyes and Stalker, among others, and the film's set vaguely ten years into the future. So I'm guessing, for another example, Gen. Hawk is a veteran of more recent conflicts, like Afghanistan and the Gulf Wars, and perhaps whatever other conflicts that might arise within the next decade...

 

I truly don't mind the changes. Would it have been cool to see a period piece set in the '80s, with 100% faithfulness to the vintage Joes? Of course it would have, as long as it wasn't campy. But I also like seeing this cool modern take on it that's slightly slick and futuristic in nature. I just like how it's been updated and retooled for the 21st Century. To me it's the best of both worlds, to have the source material that's near and dear to my heart, and now we have this cool, high-tech modern version.

 

And I even like the new international feel they're going for. Now I'm as patriotic as they come; I have a hard time separating G.I. Joe and the American Flag. To me they're synonymous, and both are American symbols of freedom for me. But at the same time, just like the article stated, G.I. Joe has always had an international feel to it, with team members from all around the world. As a matter of fact, when I read this article, I immediately thought of Action Force and G.I. Joe: Special Missions. Now I do think America was at the core of G.I. Joe, and the team was originally mostly comprised of American team members. But to me there's nothing wrong with globalizing the team and having a united front to combat terrorism all over the world.

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Thanks for the heads up. I've not been avoiding spoilers of the film and while i didn't read the article linked on Hawks page yet, i'm pretty sure I know what that spoiler is and i might even like it!

 

I'm just not digging this movie or the direction they went with a lot of it, but that aside, I am liking several of the Action figures. Since i'm not a fan of what IDW is doing with the main series (cobra is another story, that is amazing work) and there haven't been aspects in the past i've not liked, i'm kinda used to it. My attitude lately has been increasingly that i just don't care about the film, and Hope Hasbro notices what figures are pegwarmers and which aren't (and that the ones i like aren't !)

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So Channing Tatum was in that really horrible Liberal Anti-War movie from MTV's liberal cry baby studios, and became Anti war?, and Didnt want to do G.I.joe because he thought it would glorify War?

 

Seriously they should have just given the part to someone else then, there's more then enough blond haired, blue eyes actors who dont sound like whiny bitches in Hollywood.

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they toys are connected with the film but the toys are kind of separate from the movie as they dont talk lol. also hasbro dosent care how the movie does its all about the toys sales thats it. hasbro said some where i on the net i cant find it now. That when they saw the screening the said ( what did we do that is crap). but now they have to say pos things about it as they already put so much time and cash in to the joe line.

 

what i hate is them tring to rewrite the joe history. after 20+ yrs they had to change it . also what sommers said about he knows what the hard core joe fans want in a joe movie.

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So Channing Tatum was in that really horrible Liberal Anti-War movie from MTV's liberal cry baby studios, and became Anti war?, and Didnt want to do G.I.joe because he thought it would glorify War?

 

Seriously they should have just given the part to someone else then, there's more then enough blond haired, blue eyes actors who dont sound like whiny bitches in Hollywood.

 

Is it really necessary to bring right-wing garbage into this? Acting like that while complaining about "liberal cry babies" doesn't really help your cause any, and this is a damn toy board, not Glennbeck.com. I realize that this is pretty much all you guys (I say "you guys", though I'm far, far from a liberal myself) have left to do right now, aside from doing unspeakable things to yourselves while Google Image Searching "Sarah Palin", but come on. At least spew it in the right places.

 

Off-topic, though, there is a problem with the military and the way war is portrayed in the media and on celluloid. If you can't see that, make sure your American flag bandanna isn't covering your eyes.

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(lol) Yeah, I guess that's why they decided to loosely base it more on the comic series...and I mean LOOSELY since there's been alot of changes. For example, several of the original Joes were Vietnam vets, like Snake Eyes and Stalker, among others, and the film's set vaguely ten years into the future. So I'm guessing, for another example, Gen. Hawk is a veteran of more recent conflicts, like Afghanistan and the Gulf Wars, and perhaps whatever other conflicts that might arise within the next decade...

 

I truly don't mind the changes. Would it have been cool to see a period piece set in the '80s, with 100% faithfulness to the vintage Joes? Of course it would have, as long as it wasn't campy. But I also like seeing this cool modern take on it that's slightly slick and futuristic in nature. I just like how it's been updated and retooled for the 21st Century. To me it's the best of both worlds, to have the source material that's near and dear to my heart, and now we have this cool, high-tech modern version.

 

And I even like the new international feel they're going for. Now I'm as patriotic as they come; I have a hard time separating G.I. Joe and the American Flag. To me they're synonymous, and both are American symbols of freedom for me. But at the same time, just like the article stated, G.I. Joe has always had an international feel to it, with team members from all around the world. As a matter of fact, when I read this article, I immediately thought of Action Force and G.I. Joe: Special Missions. Now I do think America was at the core of G.I. Joe, and the team was originally mostly comprised of American team members. But to me there's nothing wrong with globalizing the team and having a united front to combat terrorism all over the world.

 

Agreed.

 

I just thought of something, and a big 'ole light bulb went off over my head. If anyone wants to see a literal, almost direct translation of G.I. Joe on the big screen, go watch Street Fighter with Van Damme. Then come back here and tell me if you still feel like Hasbro's changes are unnecessary.

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xhairs, I gotta disagree with you. I've always maintained that the best approach for a GI Joe movie would be to combine classic James Bond with X-Men, along with the requisite military aspect.

 

You look at the classic big battles from the original two Sunbow miniseries (among other episodes), and they've got so much in common with the big assault at the end of You Only Live Twice (a classic scene, btw), not to mention all the James Bond-like gadgets and technology both Cobra and GI Joe uses. Take X-Men for the team aspect, and combine the two with the military. That's all you need to do.

 

The problem I have with the movie is mainly the look, which seems to be about half right (Baroness, Snake Eyes, Destro, Storm Shadow and to a lesser extent Duke) and half completely wrong (Cobra Commander, Neo-Vipers, etc), and potentially the execution. The writing/directing may turn out to be horrible, I don't know - but the overall approach is sound.

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(lol) Yeah, I guess that's why they decided to loosely base it more on the comic series...and I mean LOOSELY since there's been alot of changes. For example, several of the original Joes were Vietnam vets, like Snake Eyes and Stalker, among others, and the film's set vaguely ten years into the future. So I'm guessing, for another example, Gen. Hawk is a veteran of more recent conflicts, like Afghanistan and the Gulf Wars, and perhaps whatever other conflicts that might arise within the next decade...

 

I truly don't mind the changes. Would it have been cool to see a period piece set in the '80s, with 100% faithfulness to the vintage Joes? Of course it would have, as long as it wasn't campy. But I also like seeing this cool modern take on it that's slightly slick and futuristic in nature. I just like how it's been updated and retooled for the 21st Century. To me it's the best of both worlds, to have the source material that's near and dear to my heart, and now we have this cool, high-tech modern version.

 

And I even like the new international feel they're going for. Now I'm as patriotic as they come; I have a hard time separating G.I. Joe and the American Flag. To me they're synonymous, and both are American symbols of freedom for me. But at the same time, just like the article stated, G.I. Joe has always had an international feel to it, with team members from all around the world. As a matter of fact, when I read this article, I immediately thought of Action Force and G.I. Joe: Special Missions. Now I do think America was at the core of G.I. Joe, and the team was originally mostly comprised of American team members. But to me there's nothing wrong with globalizing the team and having a united front to combat terrorism all over the world.

 

Agreed.

 

I just thought of something, and a big 'ole light bulb went off over my head. If anyone wants to see a literal, almost direct translation of G.I. Joe on the big screen, go watch Street Fighter with Van Damme. Then come back here and tell me if you still feel like Hasbro's changes are unnecessary.

 

 

man this might be as bad as that. Man look at resolute if it was longer it would been the perfect way to show g i joe now. it had a updated look with a touch of both the comics & toon. that is what i would of liked to seen them do with the movie. not re write the history of joe. also not to make a bond/ action man film.

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whats so damn wrong about playing tribute to james bond?! guess what?! cobra commander mentions james bond as well qoute : The character was created by Marvel Comics writer Larry Hama and was loosely based on a James Bond villain :unqoute so stop your bitching! sommer is awesome better than that hack peice of garbage bay! >.> sommers loves to pay tribute to old movies. i like that as i have a fondness for old films ya know-- back in the 20's and 30's when films weere about art of acting? anyways, james bond tribute is alright with me. sigma 6 lt. stone reminds me of bond. i think this film is just gonna be pure fun. no gore always makes a film better. that and no dirty jokes. GIJOE isn't gonna be like trans (dirty jokes) formers.

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sommer is awesome better than that hack peice of garbage bay! GIJOE isn't gonna be like trans (dirty jokes) formers.

 

Well, if it can manage to cut back on the swearing, drug use, sexual inuendo, racial stereotyping, and gaping plot holes, then yes....you are probably right :) Here's hoping!

 

 

#US1#

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sommer is awesome better than that hack peice of garbage bay! GIJOE isn't gonna be like trans (dirty jokes) formers.

 

Well, if it can manage to cut back on the swearing, drug use, sexual inuendo, racial stereotyping, and gaping plot holes, then yes....you are probably right :) Here's hoping!

 

 

#US1#

 

 

 

i'm hoping as well. and beside the guy loves old horror films and such. i have seen his films. he clearly is a man with better taste.

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I wouldn't want a Resolute live-action movie. I mean sure, if you wanted a snuff film, it would be perfect, but as the beginning of a franchise...please, no.

 

 

well in a few weeks we will see how bad or good it will be. i just can get over sommers saying he knows what hard core joe fans want, while he had to go to a copic shop to find out about joe. also he has had the script since 2000.

 

with res so they had a few deaths i dont see how it can be a snuff film ??? have you watched Sw clone wars they are about the same. With res at least they combined the cartoon & comics in a updated look . also it stayed true to what joe was. i think alot of hard core fans liked it. I bet it would of been even better if it was just a hr long movie.

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Since when has Snake Eyes ever been grey...... wondering if he is good or bad..... we have never wondered that! Storm Shadow sure but not Snake Eyes.... I pretty much expected what I read but that kinda irks me a little....

Draven

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I wouldn't want a Resolute live-action movie. I mean sure, if you wanted a snuff film, it would be perfect, but as the beginning of a franchise...please, no.

 

 

well in a few weeks we will see how bad or good it will be. i just can get over sommers saying he knows what hard core joe fans want, while he had to go to a copic shop to find out about joe. also he has had the script since 2000.

 

with res so they had a few deaths i dont see how it can be a snuff film ??? have you watched Sw clone wars they are about the same. With res at least they combined the cartoon & comics in a updated look . also it stayed true to what joe was. i think alot of hard core fans liked it. I bet it would of been even better if it was just a hr long movie.

 

I hate Star Wars.

 

Resolute was fine as a stand-alone story, I have no problem with it in that aspect. I just wouldn't want to see a movie in that style...far too dark and grim for me. It's like the G.I. Joe: Cobra comic mini-series that recently ended. A hell of a good series, but I wouldn't ever want to see anything else out of it.

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Since when has Snake Eyes ever been grey...... wondering if he is good or bad..... we have never wondered that! Storm Shadow sure but not Snake Eyes.... I pretty much expected what I read but that kinda irks me a little....

Draven

 

Yeah...that was another almost-problem I had with the article. However, I like the dichotomy of their relationship; you have the villain all in white, and the good guy all in black. Snake-Eyes does have a sinister look to him, there's no doubt about it; if I were a Viper, all he would have to do is unsheathe his sword and I'd wet my pants. (lol)

 

I guess coming from the G.I. Joe team's point of view, I think Snake-Eyes, based on what's implied in the article, is the mysterious loner that maybe they're not sure of. In this film, my speculation is that he's not initially a member of the team. I think in his hunt for Storm Shadow, he gets intertwined with the G.I. Joe team and ends up officially joining them. But that's just a theory of mine...

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