Special Edition Podcast

Special Edition – G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

Show Notes

The mining of 80’s cartoons and toys into movies continues with G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, which opened in theaters this weekend. Josh Flanagan and Ron Richards braved the film and had some surprising opinions and revelations about it.

Running Time: 00:30:45

Here’s our video episode on G.I. Joe comics!

Music:
“Army”
Ben Folds Five


 

*DEEP BREATH*

I’ve talked about it many times here on iFanboy but what the hell, let’s do it again. I’m a child of the 80s, and G.I. Joe was hugely important to me growing up. Everyone — EVERYONE — I knew had the toys and ran home after school to watch the cartoon, and most everyone read the comic books. It was those G.I. Joe comic books that were as much of a reason as anything else for why I so love comics and why we’re here today.

*DEEP BREATH*

Back when I was a kid we used to talk about how great it would be to see a live action G.I. Joe action movie. I remember that at one point there as even a rumor flying around that one was in development and we were in a tizzy. But it took another 20 years and a wave of 80s nostalgia for it to finally happen and…

And…

Well, here we are. I’m holding out hope that this won’t be as bad as the much of the trailers have indicated. Actually, the worst thing about the trailers have been the acceleration suits — some of the other stuff we’ve seen as had a very strong G.I. Joe vibe. It’s just that those damn acceleration suits absolutely dominate the trailers.

Could it be that this movie won’t be all that bad? There have been rumblings from advanced screenings that it isn’t as bad as people expect it’s going to be, so I’m holding out some hope.

*DEEP BREATH*

Are you going to see it? Of course you are! So let’s talk about it!

If you haven’t seen the movie yet be forewarned — there be SPOILERS ahoy! So don’t scroll down any further if you are sensitive to that kind of thing.

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Comments

  1. It wasnt that bad at all verry enjoyable and the suits did not take up much time

  2. I’ll be waiting to see what the general feeling here is before I put money down to see this.

  3. Haven’t seen it yet but I heard it was surprisingly good.  May go see it today.

  4. Cool. I was sceptical because from the trailer it really looks like they made a movie called "Exo-Skeleton" and when that didn’t test well, they added ninjas and slapped the "Gi-Joe" name on it.

  5. There were a few chuckles, Rachel Nichols is nice to look at and I’m glad to see Jonathan Pryce in anything, but this was pretty terrible. Even the action and special effects which usually redeem storyless, dumb nonsense such as this were fairly low-rent and uninspired…

    And even worse, it was too self-serious. Perhaps if it realised how silly it all was, it could have been a fun romp, but no, just an hour and a half of tedium.

  6. While I can’t say I’m a GI Joe fan, I absolutely loved GI Joe: Absolute. If you haven’t seen it yet, watch that instead.

  7. I plan on seeing it tonight. I am not all that excited, but feel I owe it to my 12 year old self.

  8. @MacAoidh: you mean GI Joe: Resolute, right?^^

  9. saw it last night and enjoyed it.  My wife LOVED it.  I’m a bit more critical of these things, and even so, I enjoyed it.  I had one gripe and it was the flashbacks.  There were too many.  I realize why there were so many (for the uninitiated who have no history with the property) but it got to the point where I actually felt the need to say, out loud, "Another flashback," and there were still two more to go.  Other than that, it was fun. 

    @MacAoidh, I didn’t think it was so self-serious.  It was what it was.  I mean, when you watch a cartoon and see a character named Dr. Mindbender, it’s silly, but you accept it.  In a movie, with real people playing these roles, it’s still silly, but harder to accept.  I’ll give you that.  But it had the same seriousness as the comic or cartoon, and it was cool to see them (the actors) give it that same amount of…I guess respect is the word I’m looking for.  It was a fine summer movie.  I think everyone can agree with that.

  10. Neat!  Something to hear during my drive up north this Sunday.  Thanks, guys!

  11. Going to see it tonight.  Fingers crossed for a PSA at the end, we’ll see.

  12. Oh God, I want this to be good, but I have doubts.  I expected to see Roadblock, not Heavy Duty.  Breaker is now Arabic.  The Baroness doesn’t have an accent.  Where is Shipwreck??  Where is Stalker or Rock and Roll??  Nobody in GI Joe needs an accelerator suit.  Why does Snake Eyes have a mouth in his mask???  These are the questions that keep me awake at night….

  13. I made a Promise to myself I wouldn’t fall for another  "Live action 80s Cartoon" movie after Transformers II was so bad(even though I said the same after I saw Transformers I).

    But if I hear enough good things about this and that this movie isn’t so much an Action Movie as a spy movie(because I’ve always thought of the Joes as Spies/Operatives rather than a bunch of Marines or something) then I may see this. But this summer has had too many expolosions and I’m sick and tired of seeing things blow up over and over.

  14. Where can you find GI Joe: Resolute? is it available on DVD?

  15. I think it’s still up on Adult swim’s site. Maybe they’re selling it in their store.

  16. *is on the ground curled up in a ball*

    I don’t wanna! I don’t wanna see it!! Please don’t force me too!!!

    To make matters worse there is no funny or very insightful Roger Ebert review to help out souls. Cause apparently most of the major critics of major newspapers weren’t allow to go see it. I hate this fucking stupid trend with bad films. But that doesn’t stop Rottentomatoes.com; which has over fifty reviews for the thing and let’s say it’s less then favorable right now:

    http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gi_joe/

  17. @Darthduck-That would be great!

    I also want to hear the original theme song during the credit roll.

     

  18. Going in my expectations were really low, but it wasn’t horrible. It wasn’t the best movie ever, but it was definately summer popcorn fun that didn’t make me regret seeing it afterward. I’m looking at you Transformers 2!

  19. Kenzaburo – Yup. 😉 

    @Vito – Yeah maybe it’s just because the cartoons or comics were never a big thing for me when I was small, and have no investment in these characters, or what to expect. But I just thought it was kinda amateurish…

  20. It’s weird how IGN.com, JoBlo.com and AintItCool.com (all site that have been harping on this movie since the trailers were released) are giving this positive reviews. And not just saying it was average, but saying how it was really good! Is it possible that we were all bamboozled?

  21. The movie was very entertaining.  It’s not a cinema masterpiece, but it’s a fun popcorn movie.  Lots of action and great gadgets.

    Also, Sienna Miller is smokin’ hot.  

    That is all. 

  22. Was really good.  The acting was not that good though.  This could have been a great movie if they did it like the silent issue and had no one talk.  the talking of the crappy actors was the only thing holding this back.

    Sienna Miller was waaaay hotttt.  So was Scarlett.

     

    Oh and the snake eyes mouth in the costume wsa wierding me out.

    Lots of fun though. 

  23. For some reason I wasn’t into G.I. Joe at all as a kid. It just seemed extraordinarily cheesy to me even back then, and I didn’t like the military aspect of it. I was much more into Transformers (because that wasn’t nearly as cheesy…;-) Please don’t take this as me knocking on G.I. Joe, I’m simply remembering what I thought of it as a kid. I’m pretty ambivalent these days.

  24. Until there is a Snorks movie, I shall not be appeased.

  25. @akamuu – then hope the Smurfs movie is a hit.  After that you may get your wish.

  26. I totally thought Cobra comander was Dr. Mind Bender for like half the movie.  I was generally suprised when I figuried it out.

  27. pushing spoilers off the front page…

  28. @Darthduck: I’m not certain which live action movie, Smurfs or Snorks, would be creepier.  The mushrooms?  The underwater world?  The lone Smurfette? Or Franklin who toots through his blowhole and doesn’t otherwise talk?

  29. I don’t understand the concern over the acceleration suit. Cobra’s entire arsenal was completely removed from reality. Remember the Trouble Bubble, the Cobra SNAKE and Terror Drome?

  30. except for the ending I totoaly was nerding out on this movie

  31. just came from seeing it. And honestly all my misgiving were denied. I wouldn’t say all complaints were resolved but honeslty,it was all fun all the time. Felt like a kid again. I mean i just had fun.

     

    @doddzilla-i also thought that Cobra Commander was Dr MindBender until he told me he was the bossman.

     

    Also,did anyone do a role call when they saw people they knew,I kept seeing ppl and getting hyped to see them. Only thing,is it bad i don’t remember Ripchord. I will have to reseach that.

  32. I enjoyed it I hated how cobra commander looked but besides that it pretty much rocked

  33. Okay so it seems the consensus with this site, so far, is:

    ‘Good but not great’

    So maybe for once fans on the internet rushed to judgment? Say it isn’t so!!

  34. I consider this movie this decades Starship Troopers.  I knew Starship Troopers was cheezey, the acting subpar, the story, ok, but as a whole the movie was great.  That is how I feel about GI Joe.  It’s just fun.  I really felt like a kid again watching it.  Would I watch it again in the theater? No.  Am I glad I saw it in the theaters? Yes.  Will I watch it again on DVD/Blu-Ray? You bet!

  35. I fucking loved Starship Troopers.

    That is all.

  36. Also, if you ever wondered what the other half of the battle was: http://www.nerduo.com/thebattle/

  37. Yess!!! Roger Ebert review. I can go to bed happy! 🙂

    http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090807/REVIEWS/908079997

    To quote: "Yet I say this movie is certainly better then Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. How So? Admittedly, it doesn’t have as much cleavage."

  38. Well, the guy at the Post just makes me want to see it now, saying "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is as polished and entertaining as war-mongering toy commercials get."

    @TNC – That answers what I wanted to know – is it worse then Transformers?? If I had to give money to one or the other (and I still haven’t seen TF2:ROTF), I’d prefer to support the lesser monstrocity. 

    Or I could always, you know, not see either one of them. I should probably do that, even though I won’t.

     

     

  39. Tommy from 3rd Rock From the Sun looks ridiculous in that poster.

  40. He wasn’t that bad actully.  He was probably one of the better acting people in the movie.

  41. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    Joseph Gordon Levitt is one of the better actors out there these days. 

  42. I like how a Cobra "red shirt" made the poster over Destro.

  43. @TheNextChampion I noticed that Ebert missed a couple plot points and misrepresented a couple
    of the points he brought up… Is
    he losing it or was that his point?

    As for the movie, I thought it was enjoyable summer fare but not great cinema by any stretch of the imagination. Still fun, though.

  44. I notice that happening a lot with Ebert.  Last year, he thought the story about Joker’s father was the actual origin for the character in The Dark Knight. 

  45. @jorel3459- that’s because when you last saw Ripcord, he was white.  He had a decent length storyline in the Marvel series, replacing Zartan and getting replaced by Zartan.  Hijinks ensued!

  46. @fingaz: I consider this movie this decades Starship Troopers.  I knew Starship Troopers was cheezey, the acting subpar, the story, ok, but as a whole the movie was great.  That is how I feel about GI Joe.  It’s just fun.  I really felt like a kid again watching it.  Would I watch it again in the theater? No.  Am I glad I saw it in the theaters? Yes.  Will I watch it again on DVD/Blu-Ray? You bet!

    I pretty much totally agree with that assessment. It wasn’t nearly as bad as I was afraid it would be. I’m no GI JOE fan from way back, so none of the characters were really familiar or anything, it was just (mostly) a fun movie.

  47. The only thing I will remember about this movie 3 months from now is that they put an extremely superfluous mouth on Snake Eyes mask.  I found it very distracting. I don’t recall any of his previous incarnations having the mouth (I could be wrong, though).  They didn’t even use it.  It didn’t move, so it certainly didn’t make the character more emotive.  I know the mask is a small point, but it is also symbolic of how I felt about the movie.  Most of it was fine, but a lot of small, yet noticably odd things (like the mouth) kept it from moving from average to good.

    My wife liked it.

  48. It made me want to kiss Snake Eyes.

  49. @josh – Does that mean they worked for you or that you always wanted to kiss him and just didn’t know where until now?

  50. Ebert has been losing it for a few years now.  He got lots of plot mixed up in his reviews for Terminator Salvation, Transformers 2, Star Trek, and now GI Joe.  He should stick with the indie stuff if he’s not going to pay attention watching the blockbuster films. It’s unprofessional and disrespectful.

  51. I think he showed GI Joe and Transformers all the respect they deserved. I felt like sending him extra money for having to watch them and take notes.

  52. My son and I both had a great deal of fun with this movie – it was NOT great cinema, but what reasonable person would expect that from G.I. Joe?  What it was, was two hours of great entertainment!  I had fun, and that’s all that I ask from my movies most times.  Also, it had more action that Transformers 2, which made it more entertaining by far in my book.

  53. To anyone questioning Roger Ebert (I guess I am the uber fanboy for him):

    He has always been like that when it comes to comic book/fantasy films. He never seems to remember a character’s name or a minor plot point probably because it’s not that important. But it’s probably more obvious now because most of action films today are pretty terrible. It must be mind numbing to watch these many cliches going through your skull week in and out.

    If you read or watch older reviews by him, and of his old partner Gene Siskel, it happens from time to time. I don’t worry about it cause 9 times out of 10 he is usually right. Besides when it’s a bad film, in his mind, it’s a much funnier review.

    I’m fine with his review, but maybe I will disagree with it when I do see it….I doubt it though.

  54. Also, sorry if I went off topic. Seemed like it was veering towards this conversation once I posted his review.

  55. The creators of this movie were apparently fans of Star Wars, as this movie lifts a lot of stuff from that series. The final "battle" definitely had some parallels with the death star fight in SW. I swore I wanted to see a wookie get a medal at the end of this movie…or a Wayans.

  56. Since I was never really too aware of GI Joe as a cartoon, I knew of it, but I tended to focus completely  on Transformers, TMNT, X-men, He-Man, Voltron, Astroboy, I pretty much expected what I got.

    Sure things were silly, I could tell the special effects weren’t great as soon as they began, there was altogether a lot of glass shattering everywhere, it was still cool.

    My only worry is that it is remarkably close to a live version "Team America: World Police" minus comedy plus Star Wars like battle scenes.

    It seems clear that there is a Wolverine Vs. Sabretooth type rivalry going on between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow, not to mention both are respectively the coolest characters on both sides.

    Plus the mandatory Baroness vs. Scarlett, female fights.  I wonder if all of the female US military are forced to wear uniforms with maximum cleavage present…  It seems to be the criteria of selection at the GI Joe base.

    Once again with the token black guy being slow and talking differently to everbody else as if he’s from another country, Mr. Wayans – please play a token black guy with that hip black talk to make whitie feel good that there is equality in GI Joe.  For a moment I thought they might pursue a romantic encounter between Scarlett and Ripchord, alas just heaps of sexual tension and then the major romantic kiss goes to Duke and The Baroness who have no chemistry whatsoever.

    It seems I’m complaining and asking too much from this film, I’m sure it fills a hole in all GI Joe fans hearts rather than stabbing it repeatedly like Transformers did for me.

  57. Excelleration suits aside, I’m surprised by how much a GI Joe movie this was.  My wife in the middle of it told me that it was silly and I replied "Ya but its totally possible for GI Joe."  This was good but now the sequel with be ten times longer and ten times stupider on the plot.  Zing.

  58. I loved it.

    And I hated Transformers (haven’t seen the sequel). Unlike Transformers, the action sequences in GI Joe were engaging and well filmed – with longer continous shots. Some really cool chase scenes (I loved the Paris chase scenes – crazy suits and all).

    Now I should also explain that I did not grow up on the cartoons – didn’t have a TV growing up, caught them rarely at friends or a babysister’s houses but didn’t grow up on them. That said, I had a vague understanding of the GI Joe universe, but wasn’t deeply engaged into it.

    The movie I found quite enjoyable – cartoony but in a good way. I didn’t hate the acting (which others seem to dislike), nor did I mind the flashbacks. I thought the filmmaking was of a very high level – great fluidity, interesting images, great cool tech and clearly a lot of fun being had by all. I also thought that the characters were more interesting and well rounded than Transformers (by far) and that race in particular was better handed (not perfect – this is Hollywood) but there was clearly an interracial romance brewing (and acknowledged) and overall the GI Joe’s being the ‘best of every country" take was interesting and a welcome change from an American only view. 

    Lots of somewhat silly elements to be sure but no more so than any comic – and I’m looking forward to the start of a fun franchise. Perhaps I’m easily pleased but I also enjoyed the special effects here – especially in stuff like the chase scenes where many seemed to be physical not just CGI effects (but clearly combined with CGI) – perfect probably not but I think more fluid and in many ways more real than many other films of late – far far less of the rapid tight focus cut scenes which I hated in films such as Transformers. 

  59. Who’s ready for some vitriol?

    i didn’t like this at all. I walked out and for a second seriously considered quiting comics and other similar forms of pop-cultural nonscience. it was terrible. I was counting the minutes until the movie ended from the first slow pan of Sienna Miller. I was given free tickets though work but i was still pissed that i wasted time looking at the bright colours and hearing loud bangs.

    The actors were wooden and lame. Certain story points made no sense (why not let off the neno-bot warhead whereever instead of racing to The Effiel Tower?) Icecaps flout! so when the icecap above the cobra hideout blew up NOTHING SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED! Snake-eye’s isn’t  a bad-arse, he looks like he has downe syndrome.

     there was one scene that i really liked. Duke riding a harley to a funeral! What kind of an arsehole shows up to his girlfriend’s brother’s funeral on a harley? Where they cut back to Duke it just looked like he was remembering how awesome that bike was

  60. you’re welcome

  61. 4/10 flick

  62. This movie was total and utter crap. The only thing worse this summer was X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

     The plot was horrible: Get NATO to build a bomb, steal it from NATO, and them blame the loss on NATO…. just so you can replace the President?

     

    Denis Quaid as General Hawk: Worst acting ever.

     

    Snakes-Eyes suit: For the 1st half of the movie, I thought he was being played by a black actor… until I figured out that whole "mouth is part of the body suit" thing

     

    And don’t even get me started on the craptacular CGI: Scarlett on the bike in Paris?? Horribly rendered and totally unbelievable. Same goes for the acceleration suits.

     

    This was supposed to be "G.I. Joe: The "REAL" American Hero". I’m sad to say there was nothing real about the movie.

    I give this movie 2/10 

     

    PS: I started collecting/reading comics with G.I. Joe in ’82.

  63. If there is one thing to hope for with this film it’s that either:

    A) The guys who do the PSA parodies on Youtube could do this whole film if they wanted too.

    B) Rifftrax will have a field day.

    Actually I hope both happens in the near future.

  64. The podcast will be available later today, but one thing I regret that I forgot to mention was the robot surveillance tuna.

    Carry on.

  65. My friend told me coming out of the movie that the bad CG didn’t bother him so much because he’s use to watching GI Joe in 80’s cartoon style….in a weird way it makes sense.

  66. @Josh – As the inventor of the "robot surveillance tuna" (which I refer to as RUST (the "U" stands for underwater), I take offense.

  67. Josh defending the movie?  That’s just weird…

  68. Damn, conor isn’t on this? That sucks….I know he’s out of town and I don’t wanna sound whiny. But this could’ve been up there with Ron on X3 and Wanted as the funniest podcast ever. Oh well.

    Plus josh sorta indifferent on this….this shit has hit bananas.

  69. You will never hear people shouting "onetwothreeNOTIT" louder and faster than everyone did when it came time to record this. Conor did not have a trip planned; he left town to get out of seeing this movie.

  70. wow…josh actually gave it a pass. But I am with Josh…i kept mentioning to my friends,how in the world is she still amking all that come out of her car?….then Scarlet getting her but whooped by Baroness….and how did Stormshadow and Baroness survive the crash….ok now I’m done.

  71. I laughed a lot…A LOT! Best comedy since THE HOUSE BUNNY!

  72. Fingaz nailed it. This movie is like Starship Troopers, but without the satire and Verhoeven’s subversive politics.  If you went to this movie and didn’t like it, then what the hell is wrong with you? The whole movie was in the trailer, so what did you expect?

    Scarlett played the green Orion cadet in Star Trek.  That’s awesome. 

     

  73. Never would of guessed Joseph Gordon-Levitt to be in this movie, but I guess he’s gotta eat. Or roll around naked in his bed filled with dollar bills, laughing maniacally.

     

    But very funny podcast!

  74. If you guys can, go to gametrailers.com and see a review of the GI Joe game adaptation. It’s so funny to see Levitt scream ‘COOOOOBRRRRAAAAA!’ during the credits. Is that how he talked during the film? Just screaming like a man on cocaine?

  75. It’s okay, Ron. We got a great "Star Trek" film. That’s all that matters.

    -J.

    PS: Doctor Mindbender rocks!

  76. There’s no Shipwreck in this!? Or Snowjob!?

    What is wrong with these guys!?

  77. I loved it. Found it to be great fun with some great action. I’ve been a Joe fan since the beginning (’82 not ’64) and found this a very exciting and entertaining take on those characters. Was it just like the comic? No, of course not, but what really is these days? But I enjoyed it a ton and am looking forward to seeing it again. 

  78. @Ron, Destro’s company in the Comic was MARS as well. ARBCO was strictly Cobra Commander’s cover business run by the twins. Sorry dude, you were way off on this one. 

  79. Haven’t seen it, not really interested–it looked bad, and I didn’t grow up with the property. Looks like it could be a fun movie to get some like-minded friends and some adult substances, get smashed, and just rip the living hell out of it.

    One thing I did notice in the review–I believe Josh said that this wasn’t as bad as Transformers, because there’s no real, official canon for Joe. But, Transformers has had just as many different continuities, both in cartoons and multiple comics. How is Joe different from Transformers in that aspect?

  80. @Ron Dr. Mindbender was in the movie, just not the incarnation you wanted, for sure. I thought it was him and IMDB confirmed it. He was the the scientist that Rex gets stuck in the bunker with who is doing human experimentation.

  81. Brendon Freiser was a mix between Flint and Sgt. Stone

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lt._Stone_(G.I._Joe)

  82. Also in this movie GI JOE stands for Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity

  83. I didn’t say that was why this wasn’t as bad as Transformers.  I don’t care about Transformers continuity either. I just hate the way Michael Bay directs a movie.

    Barking=wrong tree.

  84. I’m actually a bit torn on who to agree with.

    On one hand; I totally side with Ron because of how he hated this film. GI Joe is such a simple product and how the hell could you fuck something like that up?

    On the other hand; Josh is totally right on how this is a new vision by the filmmakers for these characters. It doesn’t have to be like the toyline, or cartoons, or in the comics. Hell if anything I would care more of it adapting the cartoons more so then the comics. Ron seemed a bit to eager to say it’s nothing like the comics.

    I must stress that I have yet to see it but I do want to say one more thing. There seemed to be very little talk on how good/bad the direction was; or on the acting; or on the visual effects. It was just one big circle on how Ron said: "Wah it’s not like the comics" with Josh repeating: "Who the hell cares?" Maybe it’s just missing the antics of Conor (cause I’m sure he went apeshit seeing this) but still. In my eyes there was very little talk about the filmmaking in general and just on how they adapted the characters.

  85. Man, Josh was on a roll in this podcast.  Awesome!

    I have to say that I will likely never see Transformers 2 *or* this GI Joe movie to have an informed opinion about them, but I nonetheless get where Josh is coming from.  On the Transformers 2 podcast,  Josh (together with Paul) gave a really incisive critique about why they found Michael Bay’s filmmaking choices actually offensive — and it didn’t have anything to do with canon or continuity.  If GI Joe’s just kind of a big dumb action movie, it doesn’t have the same problems Transformers did.  Also, I watched the cartoon like everybody else my age, but it wasn’t exactly an untouchable work of genius.  

    I did miss Conor being on this podcast, just b/c it’s always so funny when the guys start riffing on GI JOE.  Still, excellent job with the volunteers who did show up.  Well done!

  86. This ought to convince the naysayers:

     

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8OwP_aultA

  87. I found the movie to be quite educational. I did not know that when you blast a polar ice cap, the ice sinks and crushes everything beneath it! 

    My ice has always floated, and now I want to invest in a novelty company that sells sinking ice arctic cubes.

  88. I haven’t listened to the podcast yet, but I have seen the movie, and I really enjoyed it!  It was a lot of fun!  Much better than either of the Transformers movies (which some will say isn’t hard to do), but I’d say for straight out popcorn fun, this summer.. its right up there with Star Trek!

  89. @Superyan, Well Said. I agree with you 100%. 

  90. Well let’s not go too far.  I’d never say this movie was up there with Star Trek.

    But to each their own.

  91. Here’s a video of the characters that everyone wanted as their respected 80’s look(starring the likes of Julianne Moore, Billy Cudrup, Vinnie Jones, and Alex Bledel) and it’s also a music video, so win-win: Ballad of GI Joe

  92. The GI joe movie was OK nothing spectacular, just hope the suits that Duke and the wayne bro use don’t return on the second movie.

  93. this movie wasn’t nearly as dumb and big as it needed to be…..

  94. If you look at the original Version 2 Snake Eyes toy (visor + Timber), it also had lips on the mask… The movie version of the toy has it as well. I’m guessing it was a nod to the original toy which they probably used to reference the costume.

  95. If anyone wants to unwind after seeing a bad GI Joe film. This should do the trick:

    http://www.adultswim.com/americaloveslists/rc_gijoe/index.html

  96. Just saw it, and I must say that it didn’t rape my mind as I though it was going to. There were some hilariously questionable scenes, though. For instance, it seemed for every scene that Channing Tatum under-acted, Dennis Quaid tried to balance it out by hilariously over-acting.

     

    And what was up with Brandon Fraser?? It seemed he only came on his quad to pick up his paycheck.

  97. I enjoyed this about as much as Van Hellsing ie not very much, for all the bad choices made in Transformers 2 of which there were many I still liked it more

  98. I’m thankful for the movie solely because it was a lot of fun recording the show.  That’s enough for me.

  99. @josh, it was a fun show to listen to. Hey, didn’t you say something of a link to an old video show you did about GI Joe?

     

  100. @josh The bit about Star Wars in the podcast made me laugh because I watched the movie with a friend and we kept whispering funny SW refrences that we saw throughout the movie and now I’m glad it wasn’t just us. It got so noticeable to me that I almost wanted to say "It’s A Trap" aloud when Gen. Hawk was barking orders during the sub/space battle.

  101. I linked the video in the post.  Good catch.  I’d download it if I were you, because the flash doesn’t look so great, because it’s before we were doing HD.

  102. Cool, thanks!

  103. BEST PODCAST OF ANYTHING EVER!

  104. psyguy411 beat me to it, but it’s worth a repost (it also features Henry Rollins, Zach Galifianakis, and Tony Hale): http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/076041c13b/the-ballad-of-g-i-joe

  105. Good show, guys. I really agree with Josh’s point about how we need to remember that movies like this are basically made for a younger audience (if not "kids"). They aren’t trying to hook the guy who liked G.I. Joe when he was ten years ago, because nothing they do in the movie is going to have too much impact on whether he sees the movie or not; guys like us, we decide to go based on whether we feel like indulging in nostalgia or not. Keeping in mind that these movies are for a younger demographic helps me be a little bit forgiving (I had a good enough time with the first Transformers) or causes me to stay away from the real stinkers (I didn’t see Transformers 2, because I’d had my 20-year nostalgia fix with the 2007 movie, which wasn’t really "for me" anyway).

  106. I just saw it last night.  Yes, I could nitpick like everyone else.  I hold these characters near and dear to my heart as well.  I could bitch about how one character point for Duke is that he is NOT an officer and he shouldn’t be wearing oak leafs.  I could bitch about Snake Eyes’ mask and the weird mouth.  Does that thing open??  I could also bitch about a lot of other things, but I agree with Josh.  There is no GI Joe canon as Larry Hama intended so you can do whatever you want.  Bottom line:  I think it was a good movie that at least keeps the spirit of GI Joe at heart.  There was something in it for everyone.  It was a fun ride and I enjoyed it much more than Transformers.  I actually liked Cobra Commander because they actually made it believeable that he is leading Cobra.  In the cartoon, he was always such an arrogant egomaniac, I couldn’t tell if him or Destor was in charge.  One beef, I could’ve done without Channing Tatum’s plastic portrayal.  Is that goatee Army issue??

  107. What I think is funny about Ron’s argument is he complains of the changes from the G.I. Joe "Bible" from Hasbro. However the Comic and the Cartoon are vastly different stories and don’t hold to any paticular bible, except for the fact that Larry Hama wrote the file cards and the comic. Other than character names and designs, the Sunbow Cartoon and Marvel Comic are so different from each other and the stories they tell.

    I’m curious to what Conor thought…

  108. I have to say to Josh also…."The episodes don’t hold up."????  WTF???  There was some serious dark stuff happening in those episodes.  Shipwreck waking up 20 years in the future in Springfield.  Joes having to fight brainwashed family members.  Lifeline with Daddy issues??  These were all much more compelling storylines than…well, let’s just say it, the feature movie.  yes, the PSA’s were lame, but I can honestly say that GI Joe was my first real intro to what it means to be faced with adversity and make hard decisions.  It made me want to puke 6-7 years later when kids turned 8-10 years old and were watching Pokemon…WTF did that ever teach anyone???  oh, there weren’t guns in that show so no parents protested.

  109. “I am the viper. I come to vipe the vindows.”

  110. @markshak75 – being nice to animals, how not to start a conversation with a hot girl, to stick things through, to help those in need, to stay levelheaded, to use your friends, to know that you always have more to learn and that you can learn from others, the crime doesn’t pay, that the bad guys aren’t always bad, to explore the outdoors, and maybe some other stuff 🙂

  111. That was a lot of fun. No complaints here. I’m usually all for military accuracy and whatnot, but you can’t really do that when you’re dealing with an agency that’s called "GI-Joe". I watched all of the cartoons on cartoon network reruns when I was younger, and I though that the movie was pretty much exactly like something that, if animated, could have been one of the mini series they did.

    That submarine fight was classic GI-Joe through and through. Yoooo Joe!

  112. Did Commander Cobraprovide the voice for the trailer of this movie.

  113. Is it just me or is the Theme from the 80’s movie better than any other?

  114. @marshak75  Duke was wearing oak leaves, but at least twice they say he’s a Captain. Oak leaves are for Majors not Captains right?

     

    Anyway, listening to the review of the movie, somehow I agree with both Ron and Josh. I don’t know how that works.  

  115. @ B, yes, oak leafs are for Majors/Lt. Cmdrs….it was all over the place.  I’m sure someone just said, "the oak leafs look better."  I think Ron was too heavy handed. 

     @ Caleb, yes, the theme from the 80’s movie was the best ever.  I just watched the intro on youtube the other day and the theme was in my head all day yesterday.  That theme song and "proud to be an American" bring tears to my eyes.

  116. Heh, yup.

    Also, I just relized why I feel like I’ve heard what Josh has been saying before. It’s the idea for Hypertime.

  117. That was one of the funniest podcasts in a very long time.  Conor wasn’t there to to threaten you guys or something but man that was funny.

  118. I took my kid brother to see it last night. Far and away, it was way better then I expected it to be. A fun, loud explodey toy commercial, and that’s all the cartoon was, anyway. Too many flashbacks and Snake Eyes’ mouth molded into his helmet were the its cons but still overall quite enjoyable.

    And if Duke were a better actor, I’d say we found our Steve Rodgers for 2011.

  119. If you follow me on Twitter you know that I finally got a chance to watch this over the weekend.

    I didn’t hate it. After listening to the show I was probably 90% with Josh, 10% with Ron. There was some stupid stuff that was done for no reason (i.e. Snake-Eyes’ mouth) but for the most part it was fun and really in keeping with the spirit of G.I Joe. Shockingly violent and bloody, too. Three stars.

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