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Rating:  -
"They will fight for freedom whenever there's trouble, G.I. Joe is there. G.I. Joe!! Great American Hero. G.I. Joe is there".
With the beginning of these simple lyrics my Saturday mornings were never the same. I would rush to the television with my box of Frosted Flakes and pensively wait until I would see the blue of Cobra's shirts. Excitement would build, and I would be ready for the most engaging, most entertaining, most spectacular cartoon of the 80s. While some would follow as being "great" shows as well, G.I. Joe was the one that took the cake for young me. I would sing the songs, play with my figurines, and imagine that Cobra was crawling through my backyard ready to be attacked at any moment by my band of American rebels.
Ahhh, that was the life. Years later and I dare say "years" later, I found this series on Amazon, and I had to immediately purchase the set. To begin with, it came with an action figure, and my inner-child was already screaming on the floor begging my wife to buy it for me. When I got it home, I nervously opened the box, unsure as to what other memories of my childhood may escape the vault, I prepared for a cheap version of my childhood delight. To my surprise, it was outstanding. This is a great buy for anyone that remembers this program as well as I did growing up.
To begin, the transfer is outstanding. The sound is beautiful and it nearly felt as if those pesky gun-lasers were firing out of my television. It even includes (which some may find annoying) the original commercial breaks, which I only found more nostalgic. The two five-part "films" represented some of my favorite moments of G.I. Joe history. For those of you unfamiliar with the essentials of G.I. Joe, I have compiled a small list that will not only help you as you gather more about this program, but also as you buy this series.
1) There is a G.I. Joe named "Snowjob".
2) Cobra's weaponry never pierces the Joe's machines, yet only one shot from the G.I. Joes can send a Cobra vehicle into a million pieces.
3) More weaponry is used in one episode than the entire Iraq conflict
4) Destro's head will not rust, even in the rain.
5) Cobra is one of the most brilliant terrorist organizations around. Their knowledge of science is impeccable and should be studied more often in the college setting. The G.I. Joes do not have such smarts, but they can surely beat up the Cobra plan in a heartbeat.
6) Cobra infantry do not know how to aim.
7) No laser-bullet is wasted by a G.I. Joe.
8) Yes, there is a three way going on between Destro, Major Blood, and the Baroness (and later possibly Dr. Mindbender).
9) Every time (without question) the G.I. Joes do something good, they have to shout "YOOO JOE" no matter how many good things they hear in a matter of minutes.
10) I repeat, there is a G.I. Joe named "Snowjob" (Is anyone else laughing hysterically?)
Overall, this was a beautiful series that finally got the respect that it deserved. Thank you RINO for releasing this amazing package and for the products that you continually revitalize. G.I. Joe was a life-altering series, and I cannot wait to get my hands on more!
Grade: ***** out of *****
Rating: -
This was a cool cartoon, especially considering that it was competing against the widely popular comic book, which had an on-going storyline, the characters were pretty true to the comics, most of the time, the 1983 cartoon itself was pretty colorful & fast paced, as was the following 1984 one, the series that started in 1985 lost its origin & focused on less important characters, but the 1983 & 1984 mini-series was great with all the great characters we love, now my question is this>>> where is the live motion picture, below are my pick of actors that I think should or could be casted in a live action film, they are as follows>>
Rutger Hauer(Ladyhawke) as Duke
Scarlett Johansson as Scarlett
Wesley Snipes as Stalker
Ray Park (Darth Maul) as Snake Eyes
Ving Rhames as Roadblock
Scott Glenn as Gung-Ho
Jude Law as Hawk
Jim Cavisel (Passoin of Christ) as Flash
Eric Bana (Troy) as Clutch
Hugh Jackman as Flint
Diane Lane or Angelina Jolie as Lady J
Rodney Grant(Dances with Wolves) as Spirit
Anyone as Cobra Commander since he has no identity
The Rock as Destro
Catherine Zeta Jones as Baroness
Jet Li as Storm Shadow
Anyone as Firefly
Willem Dafoe as Major Bludd
Rating: -
Nearly every American male who was between 5 and 12 years old in 1983 and 1984 remembers the first two miniseries based on the popular G.I. Joe toy line. What is most striking about the shows 20 years later is how relentless the action is. It simply doesn't let up. Writing in that way must have been a chore! One of the coolest things about G.I. Joe at the time of its release was the care that went into developing the characters. While this feature does not seem out of the ordinary these days, back then most cartoons were still 10 minute Hanna-Barbera vignettes or really lame adaptations of video games that were limited by the medium they borrowed from. The motivations of the characters were never questioned or discussed. G.I. Joe, on the other hand, as well as the toy based Transformers and to a lesser extent He-Man, spent more time on exploring broader themes. It is for this reason that many of us still remember many of the characters, while we do not have a clue who was in Mr. T's posse.
Also noteworthy are the interviews with two G.I. Joe creators. Marv Wolfman accompanies the first series and discusses a number of important aspects of the show. First, he answers critics in the 80s who derided the show as a 30 minute commercial for the toy line. While defending the creative license Hasbro gave to the creators, he also recognizes that the show was designed to give the action figures personalities. He also goes into the difficulties of presenting a mature theme, war, to young children. In this discussion, he mentions how the zeitgeist of the American public during the Reagan era allowed the presentation of these themes once again after a long latent period following the Vietnam War. Of particular interest is how the writers dealt with the cost of combat, essentially, they ducked it. The guns were actually laser rifles, and pilots of shot down COBRA planes were always shown parachuting to safety.
All in all, this is an enjoyable jaunt back to the early 80s.
Rating: -
The only thing I don't understand is why it's called "Revenge of Cobra" when it techincally starts or rather introduces the terrorist organization, Cobra. Eh, it doesn't matter either way. It's a great cartoon. Hint: Parents, if you want your children to be patriotic without boring them, get them this. They'll love it.
Rating:  -
The G.I.Joe miniseries were fond memories of my childhood, the ongoing series not so fond, but the miniseries were sheer gold. I guess what appealled to me was the cliffhanger aspect of the miniseries, they always left me wanting more. The animation was very good and holds up over the test of time, for the most part. The storylines of both miniseries are virtually identical, COBRA an EVIL terorist group creats a powerful device (Teleporter/Weather Control) something important to the device is scattered in three locations and GI.Joe and Cobra battle it out to recover it. Each episode ended in a shocking cliffhanger. One of the reasons the show was so cool was the characters, Lady J, Flint, Scarlett, Duke and the others were some of the coolest characters around. Not everything was perfect, I was amazed that the Baroness looked so hot in the first miniseries and so not hot in the second. Also some of the dialog is pretty corny. But for the most part the action sequences are exciting and well done. I don't know if its the nostalgia talking but i would definetly recommend this DVD to animation fans. EPOh one last thing why would you send a man who is MUTE into a tunnel with a WALKIE-TALKIE and say things like "Snakeyes do you read me?" , Um he's MUTE!!
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