Growing up in the UK I had a very different relationship with G.I Joe in comparison to people in the USA. Yes, we got G.I Joe here in the UK, but it was called Action Force and we did not get the TV show! However, we did get the G.I Joe Movie, called Action Force The Movie as well as some VHS releases (also under the Action Force banner) of episodes of the TV show.
How to Download G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra was released on August 7, 2009. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. Check out also Snake Eyes – a reboot of the series.
The Movie Review
I had a few of the Action Force action figures and I had one of the VHS tapes and I did rent the movie. Still, I am far from what you would call a G.I Joe expert. I was all about Transformers and M.A.S.K. You have no idea what I would do for a M.A.S.K reboot, that show was actually pretty big here in the UK and I loved it.
Anyway, when it was announced that Paramount was going to make a G.I Joe live action movie I was excited. Transformers had translated very well to live action and I thought that G.I Joe could do the same. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra was released in 2009 and many hardcore G.I. Joe fans were not happy! To be honest, I liked it, but even I a casual at best Joe fan could see that they played hard and loose with the lore and characters here.
The Rise of Cobra: A New Take on Iconic Characters
We have two soldiers called Duke and Ripcord who end up on a dangerous mission that sees them trying to get these warheads that use nanotechnology. These warheads can rip apart anything ranging from a tank to a nuclear warhead, any nation that had these would be unstoppable.
Well, things go wrong and Duke and Ripcord end up being saved by the Joes and they join the team. The subtitle here, The Rise of Cobra is very fitting, we have The Baroness and she is played by the very attractive Sienna Miller. However, the movie sees the formation of the group that would be known as Cobra as well as the core group of Joes.
Character Portrayals and Lore Adaptations
The thing is while we have many iconic characters such as Duke (played by Channing Tatum) Baroness, Scarlett, Heavy Duty, and of course Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow. They have kind of done their own thing with the characters here. I liked the stuff with Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow to be fair, but I can see why big time Joe fans were not happy with the way some of the characters were portrayed.
Transformers which came out a few years earlier changed some of the characters, but it was done in a better way. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra feels like you could have called the characters other names and changed the title and the movie would not have lost anything for it. I do think the creation of Cobra Commander and Destro is pretty cool, but there is just something missing with the characters and plot.
Action-Packed Entertainment
What G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra does do well is action! If you want an over-the-top popcorn action movie, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is great! It has some epic action scenes, the one in Paris with the Eiffel Tower getting destroyed is amazing and probably worth watching the movie for!
You know, I think the less you know about G.I Joe the more fun you will have with this movie. At its core, it is just a big dumb action movie and it does that very well. However, as someone who is still mad as hell over what Paramount did to Hot Rod in Transformers The Last Knight, I fully understand why so many Joe fans were upset with some of the character portrayals here!
