G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is the big summer tentpole of the week and of course, with the premiere of the film comes all the attention uninformed mainstream networks try to pile on at the eleventh hour.
In regards to G.I. Joe, it was an inevitable that we would eventually have to hear one particular voice of dissent speaking up: Those who think that G.I. Joe has been stripped of the ‘Americanness’ that once made it great. I wouldn’t call this news, per se, but it definitely made it onto a major news network (MSNBC), so if you haven’t seen it, take a look at the video before we get into the lengthy debate:
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The guy crying foul in the video is John Miller from the Conservative publication National Review. Now before you dogpile Mr. Miller and start tearing him down for expressing his opinion (as it is), let’s at least consider his point of view:
THE OLD DAWGS
If you’re over the age of 45, then you’re probably ancient old enough to remember the days when G.I. Joe was a 12″ “Action Man” figurine inspired by WWII soldiers (with some Korean War influences thrown in the mix). The original toy line -- launched by Hasbro in 1964 -- included four figures corresponding to the four branches of the U.S. Military (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines). Accessory packs (or “blades” for you old-timers) were sold separately, allowing kids to customize each “Joe” with the “blades” they purchased. If that sounds like Barbie for boys, that’s because it was.
This early incarnation of G.I. Joe was unapologetically an American icon and a proud military warrior crafted in homage of those who were out there in the world, fighting the good fight on behalf of the U.S. And that depiction is exactly what guys like John Miller remember: It is the core essence he feels has been lost from the G.I. Joe franchise with it’s new international scope and ‘Robocop-style’ outfits.
And while it might be easy to say “Let it go, dad,” just take a minute first and think about all the beloved staples of YOUR childhood that have been “ruined” by Hollywood in the last couple years (or will be ruined in the next few years to come). Suddenly it’s easy to sympathize with the cranky old-timers, isn’t it?
THE 80s BRIGADE
Yes G.I. Joe got his start as an over-sized, pro-military, knock-off Barbie doll, but what really turned the franchise into a permanent cultural fixture (and a cash-cow for Hasbro) is undoubtedly the G.I. Joe resurgence of the 80s, which turned a whole new generation (mine) onto the franchise and also coined the phrase “A Real American Hero.”
The 80s G.I. Joe came in the form of “modern” action figures (3.75″ short now), and a toy line that included vehicles, accessories and massive play sets. Hasbro also pioneered new strategies in merchandising with G.I. Joe, marketing the toy line while simultaneously launching other media ventures. These included an accompanying Marvel comic book series and, of course, two installments (1985-87, 1989-91) of an uber-popular cartoon series (and one legendary cartoon movie), which helped lure millions of young kids (me included) into the revamped world of G.I. Joe and their nemesis, an evil terrorist organization known as Cobra.
If you’re between the ages of 20-40, then G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is probably the G.I. Joe you’re familiar with. Names like Duke, Scarlett, Lady J, Hawk, Snake Eyes, Cobra Commander, Baroness, Destro, Zartan, Serpentor or (my fav) Sgt. Slaughter are ones you know and love -- and you certainly know all about epic gunfights using red and blue lasers.
That’s MY G.I. Joe.
Continue reading ‘G.I. Joe: The (Not) American Hero?’
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144 Comments
@OllieJ
“Remember, in the midst of all the terrible things that have been committed beneath our flag, we still managed to elect an African-American as President.”
Um, I’m sorry but your statement is reflective of EXACTLY what I’m talking about as far as current attitudes. *Despite* the fact the U.S. is so “bad” we still somehow managed to do something “good” (beyond all odds, it seems).
Vic
I’ll be rooting for the films failure as well. Not so much because of the lack of Americas heroes part and more for the fact that it’s just crap.
@Vic: I may have missed what you were referring to.
I’m simply stating that in spite of how easy it is to bash America, both domestically and abroad, we are still making progress in some areas. I also mentioned that America is still less than 300 years old and is an ever evolving society.
I am 50 a cold war vet, and a fan of the original larger figure, though I found the 80’s version fine. I liked the concept as it was, and it didn’t have anything to do with politics, just an honoring of those who served.
I don’t know if the new film is bad or not yet, but I find the over the top defensiveness about it’s basic theme, annoying and smelling of rationalization. Who are they trying to convince?
If they held enough American exceptionalism, kept American control, and the bulk of the unit purely American, it may do well. Nobody will care much if a Brit or a Japanese actor is in the team, as long as it’s an American military unit.
But frankly, if they were dumb enough to play it as a vehicle to bash red state Americans, or anything as a political message, they can kiss off any big success here at home.
I do understand why that gentleman was concerned, and I detested the last Batman film. Way too dark, fine you you like it, but I’ve seen enough people die to not want to see any more of it in other than a cartoonish way. For the record I loathe all the slasher horror flicks too for the same reason. Some screams you can’t unhear,.
I wouldn’t ban anything, my demons after all, but I can’t watch some films.
and BTW,..
ancient?
yeah, maybe so, feels like it sometimes.
@Keith Thomas
I don’t recall for sure, but I thought that turned out to be a false rumor.
@OllieJ
Sorry if I misinterpreted your comment, but it sounded like you were saying we’ve done more harm than good – and I don’t see America that way.
Vic
(IMO)
Ever evolving into a socialist state under obama, propelled by a corrupt news media foundation, fully complacent and under control behind the scenes ???
(IMO)
Sounds like the film is taking a new world order point of view. It will bomb.
uh.. i dunno if you guys have noticed but the movie is getting good reviews.
dude, msnbc is NOT a major news network.
@voloap
Yeah, I mentioned that elsewhere – and it’s from people whose opinions I trust. Then again it could be the result of it being better than the abysmally low expectations everyone had.
Some people are saying that this actually wasn’t screened for critics as payback for the lousy reviews given by the majority to Transformers 2.
Vic
This article was clearly written from the standpoint of someone who never read the Marvel comic book. I am a child of the 80’s and LOVED G.I. Joe – I still, in fact, have almost every issue of the original Marvel run. But to say that the newer comics were the ones that expanded Snake Eyes’ and Storm Shadows’ back story is wholly incorrect – this was firmly established in the original comics. Personally I loved the Devil’s Due line because the comic book version was always MY G.I. Joe – the cartoon got things “wrong” (like pairing Scarlett with Duke, I swear if that’s in the movie instead of having her with Snake Eyes I will hurl popcorn at the screen!)
Also, in the comics, G.I. Joe always had aspects of an international fighting force – sort of. Many of the countries they visited weren’t real (Sierra Gordo and Borovia, anyone?) but they also visited Russia, Afghanistan, England, Libya, Switzerland, and of course the mysterious Cobra Island.
Just a little warning: this is going to be more of a political comment than a cinematic one, but I think that’s what this situation calls for.
Lately, I find myself becoming more disillusioned with the United States as a whole. Don’t get me wrong, I am proud of where I live and the plethora of values and good ideas this country was built on, but I feel as a nation and a people we’re entering the years when nations forget their pasts and become too focused with preserving the status quo. In the past several years, the right side of the aisle has been riddled with neo-reaganist philosophy, as if, unlike lightening, manifest destiny does indeed strike twice, and now the United States has some god given right to be the big boy on the international block. On the left, we have “bleeding hearts” who labor on and on about injustices, never truly taking a strong stance on anything or embracing growth, development, nor reform. As a whole, we have lost ourselves within this storm of political rhetoric and as a result, we have become slow to change, bereft of innovation, and quick to attack each other for stupid, trivial things.
Which, FINALLY (sorry it took so long), brings me to the issue at hand. A “vanguard” of the right wing claims that the “liberal” film industry is shying away from true American values in GI Joe simply because they want to make money internationally. He seems to be implying that it is morally bankrupt and un-American to make a profit (the irony should not be spared on you as he is conservative where typically, money rules the day). I’m not going to comment on how he’s wrong or foolish because times change, neither am I going to comment on the current state of American politics. Rather, I will argue that this movie has the potential to embrace the greatest American values of the day, if not throughout our history.
The United States of America has been known since it’s very inception as the big guy protecting the little guy. Even from the great powers of Europe in the late 1700s and early 1800s, the United States protected fledgling South American democracies as they tried to establish themselves (see: Monroe Doctrine). Although many (if not most) of these actions have been supported monetarily, that does not change how when the chips are down, we have been known to show our willingness to sacrifice. Well, at least in the past we were willing to.
Think about it. Mexican War? Free Texas (which, then, was an independent democracy). Civil War? Arguably, to abolish slavery (although, arguably not about that at all, to be fair). WW1? Spanish Civil War (see: Abraham Lincoln Brigade)? WW2? The various conflicts from the Cold War? All were fought, at least in spirit, of defending against the big guy.
GI Joe (ignoring any cinematic value it may or may not have, that remains to be determined) embodies this spirit of fighting tyranny wherever it may be. Think about it! Who cares that they’re not fighting FOR the United States, but rather the world. THEY ARE AMERICAN VOLUNTEERS! Isn’t that an even greater value? Instead of only defending their home, they’re willing to defend their neighbor. Why can’t we always think like that?
Stop talking about ruining the Captain America movie. The United States has always has its problems, and frankly, it always will. It’s a government, it’s the nature of the beast. Do I think Captain America would be astonished if he suddenly were alive today? Absolutely. Same goes for Washington, Lincoln, and (my favorite) Teddy Roosevelt, though (I mean, airplanes? Holy shit.) Does that mean he wouldn’t be proud? I think he would, but hopefully if he’s the hero we all see him as, perhaps he (and those writers who create the movie), will see the United States honestly, as an ever-growing country, perhaps in need of a little exercise.
My apologies that was long winded and only slightly cinematically relevant, I felt we were tiptoe-ing around this, and I wanted to address the issue head on.
Seems to me most are missing the point…
The name G.I.Joe does not reflect the movie content which is more like a United Nations version of Control with agent Maxwell Smart… a collection of agents to combat the evil Khaos
The title was chosen to STEAL the memory of the past
@Brian
You don’t love your country. You love war. Do you even listen to your heros? The vets? The ones who will tell you war sucks?
From your comment I suppose you think they are hippy scum. War movies are upsetting because war is upsetting. It’s not a video game. It’s not glorious. You are not there to go “RAWRAWR bbbzzzzzztatatatatatat.” War is unpleasant and should be avoided at all costs.
@Billy
Isn’t one of the the post rules “no personal attacks”? Man where’d the hate come from?
I think a lot of the concerns being raised on this thread about the Captain America film are unwarranted (and perhaps misplaced since it’s not a Captain America article). Maybe Vic can check me on this, but I seem to recall reading in several stories that the Captain America film is intended to stay set in World War II throughout the story. He won’t appear in modern times until the Avengers film. At least, I think that is the impression being portrayed in most of the stories I’ve read. In some ways, I half expect the movie to be reminiscent of the recent Batman films, Watchmen and Saving Private Ryan.
Batman Begins/Dark Knight: If the story is going to be set in WWII, then they must be planning to bring out the Red Skull. It’s like Gordon’s comment about “escalation” at the end of Batman Begins, foreshadowing all that happens in the Dark Knight.
Watchmen: What would WWII have been like with a superhero and a supervillain in the mix? Even in the comic books, these two figures were very much portrayed as initially being propaganda tools that grew into something far greater than their original intent.
Saving Private Ryan: It’s about those that don’t make it home… what they sacrificed so the rest could make it home. In the comics, Steve Rogers makes that sacrifice, in a sense, in his fight to stop the Red Skull.
If they get Captain America right, then I suspect these elements are what we could expect from the film. None of this involves bashing the American Dream or America in general. It might bash the senseless terror of war, but I don’t see it bashing America. Nor do I think it requires the bashing of other nations.
And with that comment from Copernicus I’ll back out of this article comment section because I know what I’ll say if I stick in and I really don’t want to get in a political war on a movie site even though a small part of me does lol.
The reason why G.I.Joe is not “a real american hero” anymore is that America is not as well seen as it was 10 or 15 years ago. Bush turned America into a bullish empire (well, it was that way long before Bush, but he showed no shame bragging about it).
Yes, the movie companies need this movie to sell overseas. But it has nothing to do with “foreigners not knowing who Captain America is”. It has to do with the fact that the world sees America as the enemy. American banks screwed people all over the world. Irak became the new Vietnam. Iran may become the next Irak. Nobody sees Americans as “heroes”, let alone role models for economy or political stability anymore.
Oh, and one of the Wayans is in the movie. That can’t be good.
I don’t see much point getting too worked up over a film adaptation of a silly 80s cartoon that probably won’t be very good, but I do question the assumption that G.I. JOE’s pro-American aspects had to be watered down to appeal worldwide. As I recall, Nic Cage’s National Treasure movies (both explicitly patriotic) made major bank overseas, as did Michael Bay’s Transformers.
GI Joe always saved the world in the cartoons. Not just the U.S.A.
More to the point, GI Joe is gay.
It still seems pretty American, Hawk, Duke, Ripcord and Scarlet (ie the main goodies) are all American and they have like, 2 supporting characters who’re French and a Cockney. It still feels American watching. I don’t know what Snake Eyes is supposed to be, he’s just Snake Eyes and always has been.
As for the villains, villains don’t count in terms of nationality, the whole accent thing has been there for centuries because outsiders have always been feared at the heart of public concious.
The only thing more evil than an Englishman is an Englishman playing a German.
“You don’t love your country. You love war. Do you even listen to your heros? The vets? The ones who will tell you war sucks?”
Well duh…war sucks. No one likes war. It just so happens it must occur every now and then..war has been happening for over 3000 years and it won’t stop anytime soon. A job must be done so freedom will not be taken…stones be thrown at women just because and if they get raped its their fault…that type of stuff…who likes war not a single person i know…my dad, brother and uncles would go back in an instances if they could too old now, but they understood the fight and until most people unstand the fight and think peace talks will help then we’ll continue to be here for a long, long time..war camps ring a bell
I really hope they do it well since the trailers don’t look that way…granted i wouldn’t mind the blue and red from the guns
This could be a question for the administrations new “Ministry of Truth” project? Hmmm…
Save the Cheerleader save the world!
Outside the US GI Joe wasn’t marketed only as GI Joe. In the UK he was known as action man.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_Man
In other words: GI Joe was made ‘un-american’ to sell more product from the beginning.
Let’s be honest: there’s nothing more american than a company which values profit over politics.
I like how when the lady asked the guy to name the movies about American heroes he wouldn’t answer the question, but gave the other guy a hard time for basically the same thing.
So with all the wrongs that are going on domestically and overseas, they spend time to talk about whether a film is patriotic or not?
Yeah, I can read between the lines, more publicity by Viacom/Paramount.
seriously,
You can sell an American hero overseas. To put it simple, if Hulk Hogan can be a loved all over the world while still coming out to his theme song named “Real American” then you can market Captain America.
Or go back and read JJ’s comment.
It’s no different than the Supeman slogan.
The 50s show was “Truth, Justice, and the American Way.”
The 60s cartoon was changed to “Truth, Justice, and Freedom.”
With all due respect to John Miller, he’s entirely uninformed and clueless. GI Joe hasn’t looked the way he’s describing it for thirty years – an entire generation – nor has it been a ’single guy.’ It’s an anti-terrorist force, and has been since the early 1980s. And with all the legitimate political problems in the world, can there be anything more vapid than complaining about a pointless popcorn flick like this? And not even bothering to do research first?
Wow…I am amazed. First I played with G.I. Joe as a kid in the late 60’s and early 70’s. I watched the cartoons in the 80’s and for me it was all entertainment and still is. My fateher served in the U.S. Navy for 20 years and I served for 17. Hasbro is trying to make money and keep people emplyed. It’s just a movie, get over it.
If not pick up a weapon and join the ranks of young people who are defending our country every day.
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