G.I. Joe: Resolute (DVD)

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I am a child of the 80´s and growing up, G.I. Joe was my obsession. I had tons of the action figures and vehicles. I watched the cartoon every chance I got and I almost burst into tears when Duke got impaled by Serpentor´s snake in "G.I. Joe: The Movie." I know there are more old school fans and collectors who prefer the original 12 inch G.I. Joes back when ´Kung Fu Grip´ was a remarkable achievement in the toy industry. But, I was all about the Joes vs. Cobra version. The concept was originally developed as a Nick Fury pitch by comic book writer (and Vietnam veteran) Larry Hama. The idea was reworked when Marvel Comics was approached by Hasbro to reinvent the G.I. Joe toy line into the 3 ¾ inch figures made popular by the "Star Wars" figures. Joe fans really owe a lot to Hama as he not only wrote the entire run of the G.I. Joe comic for Marvel, but he also wrote all the file cards on the back of the toy packages.

Paramount´s big-budget, live-action adaptation, "G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra" met with lukewarm response from diehard Joe fans. The film wasn´t even screened for critics, but it still managed to pull in over $300 million worldwide and received a greenlight for a sequel. For many, however, this wasn´t their "G.I. Joe." All is not lost as Hasbro teamed up with Cartoon Network and Titmouse, Inc. (the same animation studio behind "Afro Samurai") for "G.I. Joe: Resolute." This re-imagining updates the Joes vs. Cobra mythology for modern eyes. Much like they did in the 80´s with Larry Hama, Hasbro turned to another comic book writer to revitalize their franchise. This time around, it´s British comic book scribe Warren Ellis (author of The Authority, Planetary, Transmetropolitan) who is handed the reins to the "G.I. Joe" kingdom. Hard to believe a Brit could nail down the Real American Hero so brilliantly, but he does. Aside from an acerbic wit, Ellis is one of the best science-fiction writers working today in any medium thanks to an intense knowledge of technology. His extensive research is firmly on display here with much of the weapons and tech used in "Resolute," giving it a fantastic 21st century feel.

"Resolute" lets the audience know that nothing is sacred immediately as the film starts with authorities discovering the corpse of a well-known Joe villain. Another beloved Joe character is also found dead shortly afterwards. Before the G.I. Joe team can even get their bearings, a renewed and even more ruthless Cobra Commander initiates a multi-tiered assault on the free world. He launches several satellites into the stratosphere shutting down communications networks then blows up the entire city of Moscow with a particle cannon. The Joes´ commander, Duke, teams with Scarlett to parachute into a decommissioned Russian bunker and where Cobra has built their weapon of mass destruction. A second Joe team consisting of Stalker, Gung Ho, and Roadblock stage an assault on a science lab where the aristocratic assassins Destro and Baroness have taken the staff hostage.

Of course, how can we have "G.I. Joe" with any ninjas? Cobra´s elite warrior, Storm Shadow, is able to sneak aboard the Joe´s aircraft carrier, the USS Flagg, planting several bombs that destroy their jets and weapons cache. The Joes dispatch their resident ninja commando, Snake-Eyes, to confront his arch-nemesis. Snake-Eyes tracks Storm Shadow to the ancient temple in Japan where they trained under the Hard Master. Through a series of flashbacks, we see the growing jealousy of Storm Shadow and his eventual betrayal that leads to their inevitable confrontation to the death. Arguably the most popular Joe character, Snake-Eyes is the personification of badass here. His section of the story is the most fun and filled with plenty of cool sword fights and martial arts action.

Though Ellis admitted knowing nothing about "G.I. Joe," he manages to remain faithful to past continuity while revamping them for today´s world. And he did it without sticking everyone into black latex outfits or goofy accelerator suits. The main characters remain faithful to their more familiar versions with a few personality quirks accentuated. Cobra Commander isn´t nearly as goofy as he once was, but he´s every bit as bat-poop insane. Destro and the Baroness have a Mickey and Mallory vibe to them. There´s definite sexual arousal between them when it comes to death and violence. By the way, kudos to whoever decided to give Destro a Sean Connery-esque voice. People seem to forget the dude is descended from Scottish aristocracy. He shouldn´t talk like he´s James Earl Jones. Speaking of which, the voice acting is fairly decent. I didn´t particularly care for Steve Blum´s voice-over work as Duke since he sounded like almost every other male lead in a dubbed anime series. Due to budgetary limits, it appears they only had a small group of actors to provide multiple voices for the cast of characters.