Simply put, the film is neither. The plot, which in keeping with the fantastic nature of the series (wherein the Joes have met the ancient Egyptian gods and allied themselves with ghosts, to name just two episodes) reveals that Cobra Commander is a member of an ancient race of snake-people known as Cobra-La. Problem is, Golobulus (ruler of Cobra-La) has become fed up with Cobra's repeated losses to the Joes, and has now decided to take a more active role in Cobra's quest to rule the world.
Cobra Commander's real identity is the main problem people have with the movie, even if it fits in with what little we know about the Commander (except for his interview with Hector Ramirez in the episode "Twenty Questions", but should we really expect the Commander to tell the truth?). His de-evolution into a snake upsets people even further, even if Sunbow's intention all the time was to bring him back in the series third season (which was never produced).
But that isn't the real flaw of this movie. The flaw is that, at Hasbro's behest, most of the existing characters (even those that had been introduced during the second season) are ignored in favor of the Rawhides, Renegades, and Cobra-La. Of the original cast, only Duke (who was originally intended to die) and Cobra Commander get significant screen time, and the other existing characters with major screen time (Hawk, Beachhead, Sgt. Slaughter, Roadblock, and Serpentor) were mostly newer characters. Like Transformers: The Movie, Hasbro decided to overexert their influence over Sunbow, at the expense of the story.
This DVD edition includes all of the "....And Knowing is Half the Battle" PSAs produced for the 1985-86 season (the first season); two ads for the original "A Real American Hero" miniseries (known popularly as The MASS Device), which are quite odd without the station IDs that each station syndicating the miniseries added at the end; and an ancient ad for the 12" G.I. Joe dolls; the last feature meaning absolutely nothing to about 95% of the people who watched the cartoon in the 1980s.
If you want realism in G.I. Joe, don't buy this movie. In fact, don't even bother with the cartoon-just go and buy Larry Hama's comic (which has a completely different storyline than the cartoon). For everyone else, be prepared to enjoy a decent movie, but remember that the story wasn't finished with G.I. Joe: The Movie-it just never got produced by Sunbow Productions.
The best of these movies was never even released theatrically, but is a real American blockbuster, nonetheless.
From the rousing opening fanfare, "G.I. Joe - the Movie" is non-stop entertainment. The Joe team faces its biggest threat ever, when mysterious forces reveal themselves during a Himalayan battle. The Lovecraftian societycalled Cobra-La has hidden itself in the windswept mountains for countless ages, plotting its revenge against humanity. All along, Cobra-La has been pulling the strings of the terrorist organization G.I. Joe was created to fight!
Plot-twists abound, and the incredible animation made me feel like I was right in the middle of the conflagration....short)
My only complaint is that the arctic setting excluded my favorite Joe character, Shipwreck. His salty sarcasm would have added a fine touch of humor to the horrors the team faces at the hands of Cobra-La.
Obviously, I love "G.I. Joe - the Movie." I was thrilled when the DVD came out, and give it my highest recommendation. I know you'll like it, and knowing is half the battle!!!
They were a bunch of heroes fighting against their mortal foes the Cobra terrorist organization where nobody dies(except in the movie) and the Cobra commander always escaped from the joes.
When I see that the GIjoe movie was avaliable on Dvd I thought what movie was because this movie wasn't avaliable on Spain and I never see any long feature only the weekly episodes of 30 minutes long.
The plot is good with great action good secuences and good f/x.
Good dvd.
