Bad Movies I Love part 24

As a youth I had one cartoon I loved above all others and that was GI Joe. Most of my friends enjoyed Transformers, He-Man, and Thundercats and while I was a fan nothing compared to the Real American Hero. After school the local television station had the GI Joe/Transformers hour and it became the best part of my day.

Sadly I got older and when I revisited shows of my youth I realized how badly they sucked. GI Joe was no exception. I watched the animated movie and even though it's considered the best thing they produced it's still a ball of crap.

Note the intro to the GI Joe animated movie below:



Yes this was the high water mark of the series. Actually this segment is the best they have to offer.

When I walked into the screening of GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra last night I wasn't sure what to expect. Plagued by bad press and all sorts of fan boys crying fowl at costume design and what not, because I guess their precious childhood toy commercials that masqueraded as television programs are sacred, I didn't think I'd be all that thrilled with the execution of this film.

I was wrong. Oh so wrong.

GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra is not high brow entertainment by any means; but it is a wonderful tribute to the 80s cartoon as well as a nice piece of popcorn entertainment for those unfamiliar. The plot and cinematography played out exactly like the series, but not in a bad way. Unlike a certain director who shall not be named this movie's creative staff decided to make an action film that was fun and without a hint of being pretentious. It was at times genuinely clever.

Don't get me wrong this is a B level popcorn fare with a huge budget and it was primarily geared toward twelve year olds, but as someone who has had difficulty acting my age it brought out the child in me. I haven't had this much fun at an action film in years, probably mostly due to the fact that the film wasn't asking me to believe anything that was going on could actually happen. It is a fantasy picture and for that I loved it.

After the film my friend told me his parents wouldn't let him watch GI Joe as a kid. I think that's downright un-American.

Oh and the Baroness....yeah I don't think I need to say more.

"If I was 10 years old, GI Joe would be one of the best movies I had ever seen. As a grown up it's one of the better summer movies; a delightfully light, fun and action-packed kick in the ass." - Devin Faraci