Tag Archives: G.I. Joe: Retaliation

G.I. Joe Retaliation score album on iTunes now

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G.I. Joe Retaliation soundtrack score

 I’m a bit of a film score junkie and so the April 2, 2013 release date for the score to G.I. Joe Retaliation has been on my radar for some time now.  Last night, thanks to the magic of Twitter, I saw that die-hard film score junkies and Joe fans can download Henry Jackman’s album early via Apple’s iTunes store!  Hit it directly HERE!

Thankfully the track listing is relatively spoiler-free.  The album clocks in at 55:46.

Prologue (2:00)
Arashikage (1:38)
Get Me The GI Joes (2:34)
Friendly Fire (1:42)
Exile (3:34)
Presidential Facade (2:38)
Einsargen (2:44)
Making Things Go Boom (2:10)
Storm Shadow (2:12)
Bad Dojo (5:05)
Lady In Red (3:18)
Fighting Ugly (1:51)
Fort Sumter (2:37)
Scare Tactics (2:29)
I Want It All (0:51)
End Game (4:10)
Honor Restored (2:49)
Firefly (4:19)
Zartan (7:25)

While his name might not be immediately recognizable, Henry Jackman, part of Hans Zimmer’s group of composers, boasts a fairly impressive resume.  In particular his scores for Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter and X-Men First Class were dynamic and melodic and make for some great listening both during the film and as isolated music.  Sadly, this particular site admin isn’t an iTunes user (one of the remaining few) and so I’ll have to wait until Amazon.com picks it up for download– hopefully in the next few days.

March 28, 2013 — here we come!

The G.I. Joe Retaliation review that matters

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Larry Hama

Larry Hama

In the next week there will be a lot of critics who turn their eye toward G.I. Joe Retaliation and offer their thoughts on the film’s merits.  Some will be familiar with the property and others will not– and therefore these reviews have the potential to be a bit of a mixed bag.  Sure, the critic for the Springfield Herald might have enjoyed the film but he might not have any idea of who the charaters are, etc.

Yesterday, Larry Hama, the fan-dubbed “godfather of G.I. Joe” was treated to a screening of the film.  The author of the majority of the file cards and comics from the A Real American Hero as well as the current ARAH comic from IDW, no single individual has contributed more to the characters of G.I. Joe than Larry.  He posted his spoiler-free thoughts on the film last night on Facebook:

I liked RETALIATION a lot. Vast improvement over ROC. Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow are much more up front, and the whole thing is a lot more character-driven. Not only is there no sinking ice, but the big finale involves physical action with people rather than choreography of CGI vehicles. The Rock is perfect as Roadblock, and Bruce Willis’s take on Joe Colton is brill (he has some of the best lines.) There’s no sign of Scarlett, but the actress who plays Lady Jaye is quite good. Jinx is amazing. Flint is kind of meh. Overall, the direction is terrific and crisp. I can tell what is going on all the time, and everything LOOKS great. Ninja fight sequence in the mountains is amazing, in that you never lose track of what is happening, and there’s a ton of fast visual input. Is there stuff I didn’t like? That would be quibbling. The positive outweighs the negative here. And I walked out feeling that the characters had been treated with respect.

Larry’s background not only time in the US Army and extensive martial arts training but even work as a guild-sanctioned actor.  To hear that he felt the characters were treated well and that the film’s direction is solid may help reassure a lot of fans who were still on the fence about a live action sequel in the wake of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.

March 28 is rapidly approaching people!!!

10 days to G.I. Joe Retaliation – Cobra motorcycle

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Twitziller is taking us into the final 10 DAYS until the premiere of G.I. Joe Retaliation with today’s reason to be excited: the Cobra motorcycle!

day-10-cobra-motorcyle

To call this thing a motorcycle is a misnomer as it appears to be “a collection of missiles that Firefly just happens to ride.”  Seriously– this thing is off the hook insane!  Sporting a Cobra logo (which is more than can be said of almost anything in the first film) and a wicked pair of machine guns, you’d think that this two wheeled craft was finished and ready for the streets.  Nope, someone at Cobra decided that the guns weren’t lethal enough and side-mounted launchers were just too passe.  You’d think this bike was assembled by the Techno-Vipers of the Alexx Shorts series of reviews!

Retaliation drops in 10 days.  Seriously– after all of the initial waiting and then the 9 month delay we’re now looking at 10 days.  How can you not be excited about this?

Check out the rest of Twitziller’s “40 Reasons to Be Excited for G.I. Joe Retaliation” images below:

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day-39-minitank
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day-37-flint
day-36-concept-design
day-35-hiss-tank
day-7-roadblock
day-5-motion
day-6-cobra-commander-battle-helmet
day-4-lady-jaye
day-34-zartan
day-33-on-the-run
day-32-cobra-helicopter
day-31-rappelling-assault
day-30-practical-effects
day-29-assault-vtol
day-3-lighting
day-2-battle-kata-gear
day-1-gi-joe
day-28-storm-shadow

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Review: G.I. Joe Retaliation Battle Kata Roadblock

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G.I. Joe Retaliation Battle Kata Roadblock

G.I. Joe Retaliation reviews continue here at JBL!

He’s large and in charge and he just might be carrying the “people’s heavy machine gun!”  That’s right– I’m talking about an action figure based on Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s portrayal of Roadblock in G.I. Joe Retaliation!  In the second wave of figures Marvin S. Hinton is dubbed “Battle Kata Roadblock” based on his innovative modular weapon system.  He’s also sporting a full Arashikage tattoo on his forearm.  So, has Roadblock gone over to the “Ninja Side”?  Is this figure worth the $9.99 sticker price?

Check out  the G.I. Joe Retaliation Review Index and find out one Joe fan’s opinion!

11 days to G.I. Joe Retaliation – Snake Eyes and a bit of catching up.

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Twitziller continues his countdown to G.I. Joe Retaliation with today’s reason to be excited for the film’s release – Snake Eyes.

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In some ways, the Marvel Comics series of G.I. Joe very much became the story of Snake Eyes.  Initially the silent member of the original 13, the black-clad commando found himself to be the subject of more and more of the series mythos until finally for a brief period the title was dubbed “G.I. Joe – Starring Snake Eyes & Ninja Force.”  That level of over-exposure, however, did nothing to hamper his appeal because Snake Eyes was written as a character with substance.  From his tragic background with the death of his family to his time in Japan to his horrific disfigurement Snake Eyes was the Joe who never gave up and never surrendered.  He fought on against endless odds when lesser men would have quit, sat down, and wallowed in a sense of self-pity.  For that very reason, Larry Hama took what could have been a gimmicked character and instead turned him into someone who could serve as an inspiration to anyone who has ever found themselves facing a seemingly impossible situation.

During the past few days, the countdown updates haven’t posted at JBL.  Without going into details, there was a bit of a medical emergency which kept me from updating the site as often as I would have liked.  So, to bring those folks who haven’t see the rest of the reason up to date they will be presented below without comment.  (Especially the “14 days” image which even Twitziller felt needed to explanation.

Reason #12 – London Attack

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Reason #13 – Costume Design

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Reason #14 – Cobra Commander

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You can view the entire countdown series below as March 28, 2013 draws closer and closer.

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day-39-minitank
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day-37-flint
day-36-concept-design
day-35-hiss-tank
day-7-roadblock
day-5-motion
day-6-cobra-commander-battle-helmet
day-4-lady-jaye
day-34-zartan
day-33-on-the-run
day-32-cobra-helicopter
day-31-rappelling-assault
day-30-practical-effects
day-29-assault-vtol
day-3-lighting
day-2-battle-kata-gear
day-1-gi-joe
day-28-storm-shadow

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JBL Review: G.I. Joe Retaliation Cyber Ninja!

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G.I. Joe Retaliation Cyber Ninjas

Reviews are back!  This time JBL takes a look at the G.I. Joe Retaliation Cyber Ninja action figure from wave 2.5.  A fusion of modern technology and traditional techniques, this figure is a stealth warrior in a stealth suit that makes me wish we were still getting actual file cards with the figures!  He’s a mix of existing tooling that creates a brand new character for Cobra!

However, is this figure worth picking up?  Hit the G.I. Joe Retaliation Review Index and check him out!

After last week’s unexpected set back reviews should continue now all the way up to the film’s release on March 28!

G.I. Joe Retaliation set visit details emerge across the internet

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G.I. Joe Retaliation March 28

Up until now the press for G.I. Joe Retaliation has been limited mostly to videos  released through Paramount Pictures and interviews conducted with some of the cast and crew.  Last year a number of websites were treated to set visits although the details of those excursions were held back when the film’s release date was pushed back.

Well, now the flood gates have opened!  Check out the following links for a plethora of great information!

15 days until G.I. Joe Retaliation – ninja duel!

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The ever creative Twitziller continues his countdown to the US premiere of G.I. Joe Retaliation with “the ninja duel!”

day-15-ninja-duel

With the exception of the Sunbow animated series, nearly every incarnation of G.I. Joe has featured the Snake Eyes/Storm Shadow conflict.  This pair of characters evolved into a classic Yin-Yang pairing– right down to their color schemes!  From the epic battle in G.I. Joe Resolute to the famed encounter in the Silent Castle in G.I. Joe vol 1 #21, the inevitable duel of these characters is something that fans clamor for.  Their encounters in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra were lackluster at best but the clips revealed thus far promise some truly epic action from the ninja sword brothers.  (This time Snake Eyes won’t be stuck hanging onto the bottom of an SUV while Accelerator Suits hog the action.)  Regardless of the outcome, any conflict between these two is bound to be rife with tension– and that makes for good viewing!

Check out the rest of Twitziller’s countdown images below:

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day-39-minitank
day-38-desert-ambush
day-37-flint
day-36-concept-design
day-35-hiss-tank
day-7-roadblock
day-5-motion
day-6-cobra-commander-battle-helmet
day-4-lady-jaye
day-34-zartan
day-33-on-the-run
day-32-cobra-helicopter
day-31-rappelling-assault
day-30-practical-effects
day-29-assault-vtol
day-3-lighting
day-2-battle-kata-gear
day-1-gi-joe
day-28-storm-shadow

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Two weeks from today, many Joe fans should have already seen the film at midnight showings!  The 28th cannot get here soon enough!

Here’s a sneak peek at the battle, courtesy of Paramount International’s YouTube channel:

 

34 Days until G.I. Joe Retaliation – Zartan

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Twitter user Twitziller continues his “40 Reasons to Be Excited About G.I. Joe Retaliation” series with today’s image: Zartan!

day-34-zartan

Sequels are tricky things.  Sometimes they emulate the source material too much with a sense of “been there, done that” and other times they divulge wildly from the original, with mixed results.  With G.I. Joe Retaliation, director Jon M. Chu was faced with a difficult task as the original film G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra left many plot threads dangling at the end.  Zartan, altered by nano-mites, had successfully replaced the President of the United States.  (This was the entire point of the first film.)  Would the sequel acknowledge this rather big thread or go its own way.

It would seem that former approach was chosen as the trailers make no bones about the fact that Zartan is still impersonating POTUS– in a big way.  In fact, all of the events shown in the trailers seem to be a continuation of the plot lines that were begun in the first film.  Zartan appears front and center and we even get a glimpse of Arnold Vosloo (even if it is just a quick CGI morph) that shows audiences that the fact of Cobra’s “Master of Disguise” will be dealt with in the film.  Now, if only he keeps on whistling “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow…”

33 more days until this film EXPLODES on the big screen!

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day-7-roadblock
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day-4-lady-jaye
day-34-zartan
day-33-on-the-run
day-32-cobra-helicopter
day-31-rappelling-assault
day-30-practical-effects
day-29-assault-vtol
day-3-lighting
day-2-battle-kata-gear
day-1-gi-joe
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35 days until G.I. Joe Retaliation – the HISS Tank!

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Twitter user Twitziller continues his “40 Reasons to Be Excited About G.I. Joe Retaliation” series with today’s image: the HISS tank!

day-35-hiss-tank

If Cobra has a signature vehicle, this is it!  Forget the CLAW, SNAKE armor, FANG, etc.  As a kid, the HISS tank grabbed my attention with his combination of perceived speed and firepower!  When you combine those details with the fact that I never owned one as a kid and you’ll fully understand my obsession with the vehicle.  In the first Joe film, audiences were treated to a modified Night Raven that was part of the M.A.R.S. arsenal.  This time around– we’re getting the full-blown Cobra treatment and it looks fantastic!  Just look at the shot– a series of HISS Tanks rolling on the U.S. Capital building.  Oh yeah, that’s not upping the stakes at all, he said sarcastically!

34 more days until this film EXPLODES on the big screen!

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day-39-minitank
day-38-desert-ambush
day-37-flint
day-36-concept-design
day-35-hiss-tank
day-7-roadblock
day-5-motion
day-6-cobra-commander-battle-helmet
day-4-lady-jaye
day-34-zartan
day-33-on-the-run
day-32-cobra-helicopter
day-31-rappelling-assault
day-30-practical-effects
day-29-assault-vtol
day-3-lighting
day-2-battle-kata-gear
day-1-gi-joe
day-28-storm-shadow

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