Vic

This is a light-hearted film forum, so I don’t wanna waste my time explaining world politics and the realities of the last few years to someone who clearly knows little to nothing about it.

Having said that… I just want to point out that this talk of American ‘compromise’ and ‘pleasing others’ is a bit ludicrous, isn’t it? You are talking about the so-called ‘leader of the free world’ here – the all-powerful country that basically holds the entire planet in the palm of its hand. If America is gonna play world sheriff – forcing others to compromise and please them repeatedly – I don’t think a little sensitivity to those disenfranchised with the current state of things is too much to ask for.

Besides, I seriously think you’re all over-reacting big time. I doubt the changes will even be very noticable unless you care what the title stands for…

As for Captain America, I’m sure he will remain stereotypically ‘American’, though I’d expect this will play out through his outdated war-time ideals juxtaposing with the more open worldview of today. I actually think that’s what could make it interesting… not to mention the only way that costume could work.

I had a friend in middle school who lived in Germany on an army base for a while. He always said that over there it was GI Joe, a Real International Hero. So, I guess I’m already used to the idea. Besides, I’m real skeptical that the movie would be any good anyway.

I’m working with a Cinematographer named Adrian, that’s why I think I wrote that! ARGH! I’m all for multiracial/religions in the GI Joe infantry, but UN? Ugh…

What a lively discussion, indeed! We’re a bit more civil than other sites, I think.

beatb

Vic

Anyway… I don’t want to downplay the frustration everyone’s feeling about this, since I totally understand your point of view. I just don’t have a problem with it… personally.

Wow… that word (‘personally’) seems to need repeating an awful lot around here, doesn’t it? See the Catwoman posts as Exhibit A.

As for me and Australian icons… you know what? I can’t think of one. For starters, the only Australian comic-related character I can think of is Pyro and his Americanisation in the ‘X-Men’ franchise didn’t bother me one bit. As for others that are more well-known and particularly loved by Australians, Mad Max comes to mind and – again – I don’t look at him as necessarily having to be from my country.

Honestly, I’m just not that patriotic. Patriotism… to me… PERSONALLY… is a double-edged sword that sound great on paper and in a Presidential speech but, from where I sit, rarely does anything but divide people.

We can be pretty sure the core characters in G.I. Joe WILL be American… they WILL be heroes… and, unless they hand this over to Robert Zemeckis… the WILL be ‘real’.

I dare say this UN-style team WILL also be based on US soil.

Apart from a small technicality and a few presumably foreign characters, I just don’t see how the end result is going to be that noticeable.

As always… I could be wrong… but, for the moment, I just don’t see any of this as a big deal.

Thanks for finally chiming in on a topic!

Best regards,

Vic

Thanks Vic, I came upon this site via Obsessed With Film and have enjoyed reading the news here and listening to your blogs. Your views on Justice League Unlimited aside I tend to agree with a lot of what you say lol.

With regards to GI JOE I just hope they deliver a kickass movie with tons of action, great characters, hi-tec vehichles and weaponry and a genuine world threat in the form of Cobra. If it delivers on all these aspects then I would be very happy.

And as Merrick at AICN says, why can’t we have American heroes?

Perhaps it’s because I’m Australian. Perhaps it’s because I truly believe a popcorn film based on a children’s property with purely American soldiers really would fail on the international market. I dunno.

I can respect where you fans are coming from… but, personally, my only interest in G.I. Joe was in the late ’80s with the extremely multi-cultural action figures. In spite of the ‘Real American Hero’ tagline, I guess I just never thought of the property as central to any particular nationality. Perhaps there’s some beauty to be found in that.

If the UN-style group is based in the States, most characters are American and they fight for the great American ideal (hardy-har-har) of ‘truth’ and ‘justice’, it really won’t be such a huge alteration.

I just hope it’s nothing like ‘Street Fighter’.

G.I. Joe already had a very international appeal because of the multicultural characters. That right there would reach to a wide international audience. I understand the PC reason of trying to lighten the American theme, but that can be done without having to completely change the source material. All they have to do is make the movie so it’s not so in your face American and like some U.S. military recruiting ad.

I remember reading an op ed article online a few months back complaining that “Ratatouille” Should have featured female versions of Remy and Linguini instead of those characters. Why? Because Pixar doesn’t have enough female leads in their movies.

Whether it’s that, or that all things American these days are out of vogue because of the current opinion overseas, these are not artistic concerns. Indeed for fans of the animated GI Joe, (and I wasn’t really a fan of that one) this is going to be viewed as nothing more than political correctness run amok.

Making GI Joe part of an international force for audiences in the States makes about as much sense as casting Matt Damon as the next Dr. Who.

Negro, OUT!~
The tiger (((Roarrrrrs!)))

Thanks for finally chiming in on a topic!

Best regards,

Vic

heath

heath