A Review of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra Movie Adaption

G.I. Joe has become an iconic part of American society and a part of many children's lives for the past 45 years. First introduced in 1964, G.I. Joe began as a 12" tall heroic toy soldier that came with a wide assortment of uniforms and gear. As a response to Barbie and all of her accessories, Hasbro created the first "action figure" that would serve as the inspiration for countless imaginary backyard battlefields.

In 1982, Hasbro reinvented G.I. Joe as a 3 3/4" action figure that exploded in retail toy departments for nearly the next twelve years. G.I. Joe became more than the "generic" soldier that he was in his 12" glory days. G.I. Joe was now a team of highly trained specialists that were in combat against the evil forces of Cobra, a ruthless terrorist organization. G.I. Joe conquered comic books and television as well as the toy aisle. Marvel Comics produced a long running series and G.I. Joe also had several animated adventures in mini-series, a daily show, and a poorly received straight-to-video movie.

Now, on August 7th, 2009, "G.I. Joe:The Rise of Cobra" heads to the big screen. Much to the dismay of some G.I. Joe collectors, it does not follow the 1980's version of G.I. Joe. that would be foolish to think that it should. The new movie takes the concepts and characters of the 80's line and updates the story.

As with any film attempting to gain high ticket sales, a media blitz must accompany the film. "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" is no exception. Already boosted by a presence in the toy aisle, G.I. Joe aims to conquer other areas of your local retail establishment, including the book section.

The "G.I. Joe:The Rise of Cobra" paperback adaption has already been released, as well as its sequel, "G.I. Joe: Above and Beyond." The paperback adaption of "G.I. Joe:The Rise of Cobra" is probably similar to other film adaptions - by no means a great literary work, but still an entertaining read for a summer afternoon.

As a fan of the line, I enjoyed the adaptation and am eager to see the film. The book tells the tale of Conrad "Duke" Hauser, a career military man who becomes involved with the secretive G.I. Joe organization of military specialists and a shadowy threat of enhanced super soldiers and destructive cutting edge weapons. Duke comes in contact with members of the G.I. Joe team with code names such as Heavy Duty, Scarlett, Breaker, and the ninja Snake Eyes.

They face off against a high tech threat of super soldiers that experience no fear on the battlefield and are immune to pain. Allied with the super soldiers are the Baroness, the ninja Stormshadow and the mysterious Zartan. The story includes the commander of the G.I. Joe team, General Clayton "Hawk" Abernathy and his interaction with Scottish weapons manufacturer James McCullen.

Heroism prevails in the end, Washington DC and Moscow are saved and the G.I. Joe team is victorious over the super soldiers. The end of the book, as well as the movie, I'm sure, involves the creation of two iconic bad guys from the G.I. Joe toy line, Cobra Commander and Destro. Rather than spoiling anything, it is enough to say that the "origins" of these two villians is very different from what most G.I. Joe collectors or fans are familiar with, but their creation still works.

Overall, "G.I. Joe:The Rise of Cobra" is a fun book to read, with lots of over-the-top action and humor and I recommend it for both the hard core G.I. Joe fan and the occasional fan who wants to bring the kids to a fun movie on August 7th.

Personally, I'm thrilled! I am even more excited about seeing the G.I. Joe movie now. It's not the G.I. Joe that I grew up with, but that's just fine with me. It looks like it's going to be a lot of fun and that's what counts the most. And now you know - "and knowing is half the battle."