Gizmos, Gadgets, and G.I. Joe’s

Home \ Latest Entertainment \ Gizmos, Gadgets, and G.I. Joe’s

Gizmos, Gadgets, and G.I. Joe’s

Gizmos, Gadgets, and G.I. Joe’s
Elite Team Battles Nano-Technology in Rise of the Cobra

By Jim Akans

Move over Batman. When the elite G.I. Joe team suits up in this live action adaptation of their plastic Hasbro namesakes, they have more gizmos and gadgetry at their disposal than the caped crusader ever dreamed of…or could ever hope to compete with.

We’re talking awesome firepower, virtually indestructible defenses, technology that makes these guys run faster than a Humvee, able to leap over tall missile silos, get smacked by flying vehicles, and carry on with the chase.

In G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra, a weapons dealer, named James McCullen, has run amok after developing a very nasty strain of destructive “bugs” using nanotechnology. Once released, these things consume everything in their path until deactivated, capable of turning anything from a military tank to an entire city into dust in a very short period of time.

And like any respectable, yet definitely evil, power monger, McCullen has decided to demonstrate this unbridled destructive power in order to become ruler of the world. The elite G.I. Joe team, led by veteran actor Dennis Quaid (in the role of General Hawk), are called to duty to circumvent McCullen’s plan…and that’s where the real fun begins.

G.I. Joe has just about every element an action film can fit into a nearly two-hour running time. Battles take place in the air, on land, and at sea. There are car chases, foot chases, sword fights, hand-to-hand combat, shoot outs…there’s even a bit of a romantic tale thrown in the mix.

While this may sound over the top (oh, but it is), it’s also fun to watch. There isn’t much in the way of “down time” in this film, and even while it isn’t much of a stretch to see where it will be going next, it’s interesting to watch how the producers will take the audience to each unavoidable destination.

Now I owned a G.I. Joe or two when I was but a lad, and in my imagination those plastic toys with extremely durable wire joints took on more than a few successful “missions,” but never in my wildest dreams did I come up with a story like this.

The film is rated PG-13 for action sequences that portray violence, but this is a “war movie” after all, and actually the bleeding is very well contained.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra isn’t likely to show up on next year’s list of Oscar nominees, but it will probably do fairly well at the box office ($56 million on opening weekend) and in DVD rentals. And judging by the ending, a sequel is no doubt in the works.

Sometimes it’s good to just let a movie burn off a little adrenalin.

Exit Comments;

“It has a little something for everyone; action, adventure and romance,” Rodney - Alba
“Thought it was awesome, it’s fun rooting for the good guys,” Bob & Madison - Gaylord
“Not exactly my type of movie, but I liked it,” Steven - Lewiston
“Far fetched and marginal computer graphics,” Pierson - Fairview
“10 out of 10, great graphics and action,” Dan & Parker - Gaylord

Exit Poll – Which Did You Prefer?

Movie; 70%
Popcorn; 30%