Now on DVD: GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra

When I was younger, I used to watch the cartoon version of GI Joe religiously. And, I can't even begin to estimate how much allowance money was spent on action figures and various accessories.

So, when I heard Hollywood was producing GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra, I had mixed emotions. On one hand, a live action GI Joe movie sounded interesting. On the other, I wasn't sure it would live up to my memories of the franchise.

It turns out it was a fantastic movie.

Before you watch this film for the first time let me start out by saying it isn't the 1980s cartoon. People die, the explosions are much louder and the characters, for the most part, look nothing like you remember them. In fact, I've never read the comic books, but I'm pretty sure the movie isn't anything like them either.

But, if you overlook that, you will find this is a great re-invention of the franchise.

OK, there are a few scenes in the movie (including the whole accelerator suit thing) that are a bit too science-fiction like. But, for the most part, this is a film that fits right in with this time period; where the enemy isn't another country but a terrorist organization able to strike anywhere in the world. To counteract it, there is a secret military group known as GI Joe, which uses the best soldiers from around the world and some cool weapons to fight the enemy.

Each of the main characters (good and evil) have their own back story, which is told in flashback form but the movie still manages to maintain a fast pace so you don't have time to get bored. And, when there's action, it's action that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Let's put it this way, whenever I got up to get something from our kitchen, this movie got paused because I didn't want to miss anything.

Another thing that impressed me was the number of well-known actors that were in this film. This included credited actors like Dennis Quad and Marlon Wayans and un-credited actors like Brendan Fraser. It's one of those films where you wouldn't expect to recognize anybody and I ended up recognizing quite a few.

Final opinion: I don't think it matters if you were obsessed with GI Joe as a kid. This is a movie that will entertain you.

Average Netflix Grade: 3.5 stars out of a possible 5

My Grade: 4 stars.