Twitter user Twitziller continues his “40 Reasons to Be Excited About G.I. Joe Retaliation” series with today’s image: On the run!
Story-telling is all about building tension– putting the heroes in a place/situation that they absolutely HAVE to escape from. It’s about getting the listener/viewer on the edge of their seats and making it all but impossible for them to miss “what happens next.” A classic technique to build that kind of tension is to completely turn the tables on the heroes, remove them from their support network, and make them the underdogs. IF everything that we’ve seen in the G.I. Joe Retaliation trailers is correct then this is EXACTLY what will be happening in the film. The Joes are turned into fugitives and put on the run with Cobra rising to a place of both respectability and power. The villain is in a position of strength and the heroes are left at a profound disadvantage. Oh yeah, that’s the meat and potatoes of a good action story right there!
Check out Twitziller’s previous entries in the series below. I for one cannot wait until I can post “0 days until G.I. Joe Retaliation”!
Twitter user Twitziller continues his “40 Reasons to Be Excited About G.I. Joe Retaliation” series with today’s image: 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!
Twitter user Twitziller continues his “40 Reasons to Be Excited About G.I. Joe Retaliation” series with today’s image: the 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!
Another day and another G.I. Joe Retaliation figure review! This time I’ll be taking a look at a figure based on the cinematic debut of the G.I. Joe team’s premiere warrant officer– Flint! Brought to life by actor D. J. Cotrona, Dashiell R. Fairborne will be hitting the big screen on March 29, 2012 and his action figure is hitting stores now. It’s not 100% screen accurate to the trailers and yet the figure has its merits. However, is it worth spending your hard-earned cash to add this figure to your collection? Read the review to find out one Joe fan’s opinion!
Twitter user Twitziller continues his “40 Reasons to Be Excited About G.I. Joe Retaliation” series with today’s image:
I can’t fault his logic– this sequence looks like it will be intense. (In the very way that the night attack scene in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra wasn’t.) Regardless, he’s right– this is going to be quite the sandbox indeed!
Counting down to G.I. Joe Retaliation? You’re not alone — Twitziller has updated his “40 Reasons to be excited about G.I. Joe: Retaliation” with today’s installment and it’s a good one! In fact, it’s extremely appropriate as I just snagged the Tread Ripper at Kmart yesterday in anticipation of a review! (Also, because my Retaliation HISS needed something to shoot at it!)
Check out today’s “kernel of wisdom”:
It’s going to be a loooong 39 days…
We now return to your regularly scheduled day. After all, “the world ain’t saving itself!”
You’ve heard of the 12 Days of Christmas but have you heard of the 40 Days of G.I. Joe Retaliation? Apparently Twitter user Twitziller has because he’s bringing us just that– 40 days worth of reasons why he (and the rest of us) are looking forward to the G.I. Joe movie set to debut in theaters on March 29. Every day he’ll be providing fans and non-fans alike to look forward to the next cinematic installment of our favorite Real American Heroes.
It’s a great and original idea– and one that is sure to give us all a lot to think about in the next two score days!
G.I. Joe Retaliation reviews continue here at JBL with Lady Jaye! Actress Adrianne Palicki brings Lady Jaye to life in the big budget film debuting March 29, 2012! Based on the incredibly poseable G.I. Joe Resolute Scarlet body, Hasbro gives fans the first figure female figure from the new movie line. Currently packed “one per case” she’s proving surprisingly elusive right now. So, is she worth the effort to find at retail? Read on and find out one Joe fan’s opinion!
When G.I. Joe Retaliation hits theatres in just shy of two months, fans will see the return of Duke, Snake Eyes, as well as the introduction of several new faces for the Joes in the form of Flint, Lady Jaye, and Roadblock. Cobra, on the other hand, only sees one familiar character make his cinematic debut: the mercenary Firefly! A long time favorite of fans, the Cobra Saboteur is brought to life by actor Ray Stevenson– recently seen in other genre films like Thor and Punisher: War Zone.
The good folks at Hasbro included Firefly, complete with actor likeness, in Wave 2 of the G.I. Joe Retaliation toy line which is just now hitting toy shelves. So, is this new incarnation of Firefly, complete with Blast Board, worth adding to any Joe collection? Check out the review at the G.I. Joe Retaliation Review Index and find out one Joe fan’s opinion!
On a side note, I’ve finally got most of my photo set-up put back together post-move so expect more reviews of Retaliation figures in the coming days!
This isn’t entirely related to G.I. Joe but I just had to point out that the 50th anniversary installment in the James Bond franchise drops on DVD and Blu-Ray today. Why is this important to fans of America’s first action figure? Simple– the Bond franchise is the longest-running film series in history and has set the bar for so many elements of modern action cinema! From the use of practical effects and world record-breaking stunts to exotic locations and dynamic villains, the Bond films have entertained millions for the past 5 decades! Plus, the 007 series has had more than a “passing influence” on many aspects of G.I. Joe.
Years ago, a young Joe fan who happens to be writing this article was introduced to the world of 007 by his father, thanks to ABC’s frequent airing of the films on Sunday nights. As a kid, I was floored by the similarities between the early appearances of Cobra in both the Marvel Comics and the first Sunbow mini-series and the use of SPECTRE in the Sean Connery films. From the incredible lairs that evoked memories of the design of Ken Adams to the elaborate plots to disrupt the western world, Cobra was the kid-friendly version of a Bond villain. Heck, look at the Sears exclusive Missile Command Headquarters and you’ll see an homage to the volcano base in You Only Live Twice.
Even the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club is utilizing a Bond vibe in this year’s AMAZING 12″ Joe Con set Secret Mission to Dragon Island. One has only to look at the villain Sebastian Gorman in the set to see the uniform worn by Ernst Stavro Blofeld in two of his three cinematic performances. (I don’t count the beginning of For Your Eyes Only.) Plus, many of the sets applicable to the Man of Action are right out of James Bond films.
Regardless, the Bond films left a strong impression upon me and really have shaped my view of what makes for a good spy/action movie. It’ll be this bar that will be measured against when I watch G.I. Joe Retaliation in just a few weeks. Yes, the Bond movies have evolved over time– from the secret organizations of the 60’s, the near-parody of the 70’s, and all the way to the grim realism of the new Daniel Craig era. Like G.I. Joe, Bond is a product of his time reflecting the realities of the world in which he finds himself. He just happens to do it with style and flair. This past Christmas, my father surprised me with what has become my favorite gift in years – the Bond 50 Blu-Ray set. For days afterwards, I poured over the special features and the films like a relapsed dieter at the last Twinkie warehouse. The marketing department behind the set was clever, however. They left one empty tray in the box for the latest film in the franchise– a spot that will finally be filled tonight!
So, if you’re so inclined, run out today and snag a copy of Skyfall. Sit back in your favorite chair, pop in the disc and be prepared to watch 007 prove that “nobody does it better.” It’s a great way to relax and prepare for the arrival of G.I. Joe: Retaliation in just a few short weeks.
I’ll step off my soap box now and let you resume your regularly schedule G.I. Joe website. However, if you’re so inclined, here’s the trailer for Skyfall followed by the “mother of all Bond compilations” to watch. Enjoy!
