A couple of weeks ago, my younger brother called me to talk about an idea he had for a G.I. Joe movie he thought would be good. When I told him that G.I. Joe was already being made, he seemed both excited and disappointed at the same time. He told me some of the ideas anyways, including a character profile for Cobra Commander. As he talked, I realized that it was exactly what was given with the old 80s Cartoon (which didn't make any sense), except that he had happy childhood.

My brother and I were young when G.I. Joe was popular with it's campy dialogue, silly villians, and laser weapons that always were green for the good guys and red for the bad guys. And yes, we shouted "Yyyeeoooo Joe!" every chance we got. I guess I'm curious as to what this new movie, directed by The Mummy's Stephen Sommers, is going to give it's audience. Will they, like Transformers, try to not only update the material but also legitimize it (e.g. making Cobra more like today extremist terrorism) or will they play to the nostalgia of it's audience ("I'll get you, G.I. Joe, if it's the last thing I do!!!)?

I will be the first to admit that I was wrong about Transformers. Just a little, but enough. I didn't see the potential with robots that transform into cars. But G.I. Joe is going to face a whole other monster altogether. Before 9/11, a terrorist was an elaborate extortionist (see any James Bond movie). Afterwards, it was anyone who would kill for the slightest cause without warning. COBRA, in the Joe universe, is a rather pathetic military terrorist organization that more played towards Dr. Evil than al Queda. If they decide to play towards nostalgia, it might downplay a real threat. If they decide to be more realistic, it might turn away those, like my brother, who will feel that it doesn't hold the spirit of what G.I. Joe was for it's target fanbase.

But then, G.I. Joe has been around since World War II, honoring the brave soldiers who fought against America's enemies. While 80s Joe kept some elements, never in the original creator's mind were there characters like Snake Eyes (pictured above) or Destro. Hasbro decided that it needed to market allies and villians for Duke that were flamboyant and appealing to the modern boy of the time. And then there were the vehicles, which were highly implausible, but fun to play with. If the filmmakers can merge these two extremes of Joe's history together and forge it into today's troubled times, the wake of such a creation could be revolutionary.

There is less room for error with this project than Transformers. But they would also reap a bigger reward. Not only will they see a larger box-office return, but it will also pay tribute to the fighting men of our armed forces and intelligence communities who have to take on real terrorism. I don't know if Sommers and his team are capable of pulling this off. But then I was kind of wrong about Michael Bay and Transformers. Kind of.