Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

G.I. Joe: The Movie Blu-ray Movie Review

Cobra-LaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLa!

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 22, 2010

Fighting for freedom wherever there's trouble over land and sea and air.

Maybe it's being a product of the 1980s and someone who's admittedly biased towards the toys of the decade, but walking down the toy aisles at Target or Wal*Mart in 2010 just doesn't get the juices flowing. Gone are the cool days of real Transformers and G.I. Joe figures, replaced by a bunch of movie tie-ins and random odds and ends that just don't get the blood pumping or shout "buy me!" Remember back when Children's Palace was the place to drool over that humongous G.I. Joe aircraft carrier or space shuttle? Remember when it was a rush to find a new wave of figures and vehicles, or to stumble on that elusive Snake Eyes figure? How about building a mix-n-match figure, taking the screw out of two figure's backs and assembling a couple of franken-joes from the pieces? OK, enough nostalgia, but for those people who were nine-year-old kids in 1987 but are now out in the workforce and lamenting the loss of their entire Joe collection at a garage sale, Hasbro has recently re-released a bunch of the classic 3.75" figures, targeted, it would seem, to people that played with the same toys 20 years ago. Not to miss out on the nostalgia, Shout! Factory has released the classic 1987 cartoon feature film G.I. Joe to a hungry 30-something populace. Boasting a 1080p transfer and some classic supplements, anyone and everyone with an affinity for the G.I. Joe of the 1980s, and especially those with an aversion towards the re-imaged live action movie, need plop down the bucks for this trip down memory lane.

Snakes on a Duke.

Another day, another Cobra defeat snatched from the jaws of victory. In-fighting amongst the terrorist organization's hierarchy has left Cobra Commander without any allies, while Cobra's Emperor, Serpentor, enjoys the undying allegiances of Destro, Dr. Mindbender, the Baroness, and other Cobra high-ups. Soon after the squabbling's come to a head, a mysterious and skilled hooded figure breaks into Cobra headquarters and reveals herself to be Pythona, a member of an ancient civilization known as "Cobra-La;" she convinces Serpentor that he must fulfill his destiny by assisting in the theft of the Broadcast Energy Transmitter, or B.E.T., from G.I. Joe. The B.E.T. is a billion-dollar taxpayer-funded device that delivers "pure energy pumped through the air." Cobra-La wishes to use its power as the final piece in a dastardly scheme meant to turn mankind into brainless automatons and restore themselves to the power and glory over the world they enjoyed millennia ago. Of course, standing in their way is G.I. Joe, an elite military unit with the smarts, technology, determination, and wherewithal to defeat evil and defend freedom around the world.

Yup, this is the real McCoy. 1987's G.I. Joe is where it's at, and even if the plot is a bit far-fetched (what wasn't in the world of 1980s cartoons?), this animated film stays more or less true to the franchise rather than playing as some accelerator suit-happy live action monstrosity that's admittedly a decent enough time killer of a summer movie in its own right, but a movie that's G.I. Joe pretty much in name only. That's not even to mention the best part: the animated version crams in almost every major and plenty of minor Joe characters in some way or another, even if they do only show up for a short time or even if the plot seems built around introducing and incorporating as many figures into the film as possible. From Duke to Dial Tone, from Chuckles to Cobra Commander, from Flint to Falcon, from Tomax to Tunnel Rat, most everyone makes an appearance and many even play some integral role in the plot. Even for those that don't, they show up long enough to at least deliver a few lines, fire their weapons, and satisfy fans. Indeed, the film manages to weave a cohesive, interesting story that's built around several subplots -- the rift between Cobra's leadership and Cobra Commander, Sergeant Slaughter's Renegades, the emergence of Cobra-La, the Rawhide recruits -- that all converge into an extravaganza of a conclusion that nicely ties up most of the loose ends and, more importantly, allows for almost seamless integration of all the characters into the story. It's not a smart film, but it's well-conceived and infinitely entertaining; what more could anyone want from an animated G.I. Joe feature film?

Though first and foremost a showcase for product and characters new and old, G.I. Joe also works as a pretty competent and exciting movie from a stand-alone perspective. The film assumes some familiarity with the characters, but even non-fans should be able to pick up on not only the basics of the Joe universe but get into some of the nitty-gritty character arcs by film's end. At a fast-paced 93 minutes, the movie manages to deliver plenty of big action sequences intermixed with some quieter character moments and plenty of fine-tuned humor that's always good for a laugh but never at the expense of the story or the action. That's not to say that G.I. Joe is a classic Action picture; it's pretty silly when it gets right down to it, with its major story arc playing out like something from a bad 1950s Science Fiction movie, but like everything else about the movie, it works well considering the history the story establishes for its Cobra-La antagonists, not to mention that most of it is but a backdrop for characters running around and vehicles moving about, all shooting a nonstop barrage of red and blue beams at one another. Is it as fun as a regular old 30-minute G.I. Joe cartoon? For the most part, yes. Although the Cobra-La angle seems a bit goofy in hindsight, could a feature-length movie just get away with more of the same-old, same-old? Probably not, even though G.I. Joe pretty much is the same-old, same-old (Cobra trying to get its hands on some technology that will allow them to dominate the world), this time only with a different group of bad guys leading the charge. Still, it's 93 minutes of G.I. Joe action; it's cool, it's easy to watch, it's nostalgia through and through, and most importantly, it's fun, still today even more than twenty years after its debut.

G.I. Joe: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Yo Joe! G.I. Joe makes its Blu-ray debut with a good-looking 1080p transfer presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio. There are some rough elements here to be sure; pops, speckles, and random vertical lines often appear over the image, alongside some obviously wobbling elements and stuttering animation. Nevertheless, none prove a major distraction, and fans will appreciate the quality of Shout! Factory's transfer, particularly when viewed on larger displays. The transfer sports stable detailing; lines are mostly sharp and smooth, and the increased resolution brings out the smallest nuances of the animation, noticeable on vehicles, uniforms, weapons, and some of the slimier and more grotesque Cobra-La creatures and locales seen throughout the movie. Colors, too, impress; G.I. Joe never wants for a more diverse palette, and everything from Serpentor's yellow-and-mustard costume to Cobra Commander's blue uniform appears stable and true to the proper hue. Compared to the included DVD, the Blu-ray proves a very healthy upgrade; colors are far more stable and vibrant, ringing is greatly reduced, and details and lines sharper. G.I. Joe might not be a showcase for pristinely-realized animation on Blu-ray, but fans of vintage 1980s cartoons and, certainly, fans of the film will appreciate Shout! Factory's Blu-ray presentation.

G.I. Joe: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Shout! Factory brings G.I. Joe to Blu-ray with a midlevel PCM 2.0 soundtrack. Despite the absence of a 5.1 presentation, this one's suitably rich and somewhat full sounding. The track's best moment comes at the beginning of the film as the classic G.I. Joe theme blares through the front speakers, sounding better than ever and enjoying fine clarity and a good sense of spacing across the front half of the soundstage, all elements -- music, dialogue, and sound effects -- included. However, many of these same elements later in the film don't fare quite as well. The track falls flat in places; music in particular lacks dynamism, while sound effects such as laser blasts and explosions fall somewhere between satisfactorily punchy to downright dull, with the latter, not the former, the norm. Nevertheless, they do manage to traverse over to the front right and left speakers with regularity. One downside to the track is a fairly constant hissing and an occasionally distracting crackle and pop. Fortunately, dialogue is consistently discernible and never lacking in volume or disappearing behind effects or music. The absence of a 5.1 presentation and more aggressive sound effects is a disappointment, but otherwise, this track gets the job done without any mood- or movie-killing elements.

G.I. Joe: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of G.I. Joe delivers several worthwhile extras, beginning with an audio commentary track with Story Consultant Buzz Dixon. Dixon calls it like he sees it; he's obviously not pleased with parts of the movie, but he delivers an engaging and insightful track, speaking on the quality of the voice actors, ideas for the film, clichés that found their way into the script, the integration of vehicles and characters from the product line, Hasbro's cooperation with the filmmakers, how the world of G.I. Joe weapons and vehicles don't mesh with how real military equipment would operate, differing tactics between real life and the fictional world of G.I. Joe, the introduction of new characters in the film and their toy counterparts, and plenty more. Longtime G.I. Joe fans will love this track. The Blu-ray disc also includes a collection of eight retro "Knowing is Half the Battle" Public Service Announcements (480p, 0:30 each) and an art gallery (1080p, 1:02). Finally, trailers for other Shout! Factory titles -- G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, The Transformers, Oban Star-Racers, and The Middleman are included. Disc two features a DVD copy of the film (16x9 & P&S versions, DD 2.0) alongside all of the extras from the Blu-ray (sans the Shout! Factory trailers) plus a copy of the script, accessible through DVD-ROM computer drives.

G.I. Joe: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

G.I. Joe represents pure nostalgia. The movie isn't a classic by any means, and it's little more than a historically insignificant marketing campaign-turned 93 minute movie. Still, it does its thing very well, intermixing plenty of characters, locations, and story arcs into the plot and finding a way for it all to make sense and tie together by film's end. It's nicely animated for a 1980s cartoon and delivers plenty of military-style action that's sure to appeal to 30-somethings longing to relive their childhood memories. Thanks to Shout! Factory, those inkling for a blast from the past can relive their childhoods thanks to this competent Blu-ray release. Although not perfect in any area -- the transfer has some blemishes, the soundtrack could use some added juice, and the supplements are a bit on the thin side -- G.I. Joe is a disc that fans and children of the 1980s will definitely want to add to their collections. Recommended.