Thursday, March 21, 2013

Larry Hama Reviews G.I.Joe Retaliation


Known to the world as the Godfather of G.I. Joe..and to us grown lil boys and girls as "That awesome guy who gave life to a billion characters we still love today" through his writing on the Marvel Comics series and those file cards on the back of just about every damn G.I. Joe figure, Larry Hama remains a beloved icon in our geek universe and a true class act. Two days or so ago, Larry got to sit in on a screening of the newest Joe film and had this to say...

"I liked RETALIATION a lot. Vast improvement over ROC. Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow are much more up front, and the whole thing is a lot more character-driven. Not only is there no sinking ice, but the big finale involves physical action with people rather than choreography of CGI vehicles. The Rock is perfect as Roadblock, and Bruce Willis's take on Joe Colton is brill (he has some of the best lines.) There's no sign of Scarlett, but the actress who plays Lady Jaye is quite good. Jinx is amazing. Flint is kind of meh. Overall, the direction is terrific and crisp. I can tell what is going on all the time, and everything LOOKS great. Ninja fight sequence in the mountains is amazing, in that you never lose track of what is happening, and there's a ton of fast visual input. Is there stuff I didn't like? That would be quibbling. The positive outweighs the negative here. And I walked out feeling that the characters had been treated with respect."

This is fantastic to hear, as a "Vast Improvement" is certainly what was needed! As someone who grew up loving G.I. Joe and owns many of the modern action figures, I find it hard to even get through a complete screening of the first film. To give an ultra short review, it was a fucking mess. If Larry Hamma, who would be the most critical of the use of characters he helped to make loving memories in our young minds, says this movie franchise has pulled a 180, I think I'm actually upgrading my anticipation from "cautious optimism due to the Bruce Willis element" to "looking forward to opening day!"







Yea...not gonna lie...a little excited now.  Thanks Larry!
G.I. Joe Retaliation opens March 27th, 2013.

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