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G.I. Joe - Real American Hero/Revenge of the Cobra

G.I. Joe - Real American Hero/Revenge of the Cobra

List Price: $29.95
Your Price: $26.96
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Hold off till May
Review: I'm a big fan of G.I.Joe, and would jump at the chance to buy this DVD, buuut, i tell you guys to hold off till sometime in May. Why you ask? Well if you check the Rino website, they will be re-releasing this dvd with... get this... a Snake eyes G.I.Joe!!!! Oooh boy. I'm not sure if it's a 3 3/4 size g.i.joe with all the twistable arms, and knees with the normal crotch, like those from 85' But i'm sure willing to take that chance.

Yo Joe!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: this dvd is flawed
Review: I'm glad to see g.i.joe on dvd it's one of my all time favorits. But the dvd is not perfect, there are no extras at all, allthough I am glad the see that they remasterd it. It still would have been nice to see some extras like some old toy comercials or at least some interviews.Maybe next time?

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: to many CREDITS PLAYING
Review: If your a hard core joe fan you might not mind forwarding through the ends and beganings of every 30 min episode.Its really a pain in the but and rhino should have taken care of it. they also did this with thier transformers before hand. the only up side is the qaulity of the picture since it was restored and put on a dvd.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Hello Joe!!!
Review: In today's comic book and toy/action figure industries, there has been a serious influx of 80's nostalgia. From Transformers and He-Man to Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake, all those old favorites are back. Personally, the most enjoyable and satisfying has been the exceptional updating of Masters Of The Universe. G.I. Joe, however, didn't quite return to my favor despite being a major passion of mine as a child. The initial comic books released by Devil's Due were mediocre, as were the unimpressive paint and sculpts of the new Joe toys from Hasbro.

I remember being in the first grade and promising myself I would always buy toys, even when I got older. I could envision bookshelves proudly displaying, specifically, my G.I. Joe action figures. This double DVD set of the first two animated Joe miniseries brought me back to those wonder years and reminded me exactly why I made such a promise. It wasn't simply that toys just look cool and I'll always be a big kid at heart. It's also about the story and characterization (as complex as both may or may not be) of the likes of G.I. Joe. Lincoln Logs and Legos are a hoot, but they don't exactly have histories and personalities behind each and every piece, do they? The cartoons on this DVD re-introduce us to those glorious icons of Joe lore. Duke, Scarlett, Destro, Zartan and his Dreadnoks, Flint, Baroness, Roadblock, Cobra Commander, Spirit, Storm Shadow, and the perennially popular Snake-Eyes, among others, are all present and accounted for. While not much time is spent on in-depth characterization (which was to be found later in the ongoing animated series), every hero and villain of note gets off at least a couple of lines to establish their role and identify them seperately from other characters. In the 1980's, this worked well to help sell action figures. Today, it's a great re-primer. For example, I didn't recall Shipwreck being such an interesting character. In "The Revenge Of Cobra", Shipwreck comes into the story first as an outsider, a bit of a wild card/rogue, and alligns himself with G.I. Joe. At the age of 27 today, I previously only recalled him as just another face in the crowd dressed up like a member of the Village People. Now, 'wreck is one of my personal favorites. It's just one of the benefits of strolling down memory lane with this set.

As for the actual material on "G.I. Joe: Real American Hero/The Revenge Of Cobra", you get the two miniseries broken down into each individual chapter just as they aired on weekday afternoon television, complete with the opening/closing credits and commercial breaks (minus actual commercials, of course). The first miniseries stars the earliest Joe and Cobra characters (Duke, Snake-Eyes, Scarlett, Stalker, Cobra Commander, Destro, Major Blood, etc..), as the baddies craft something called the MASS device to wreak havoc on the world. The heroes scramble around the world to counteract Cobra, culminating in the first of many "final" battles at Cobra HQ. Significant sub-plots include Duke's romance with a female Cobra slave and Snake-Eyes being contamined by radiation, leading to his first encounter with his pet wolf, Timber. The second miniseries brings in more of the classic names (Flint, Lady Jaye, Roadblock, Spirit, the aforementioned Shipwreck, Storm Shadow), with Cobra returning to similiar methods as in the first mini, this time brandishing the "Weather Dominator". G.I. Joe once again chases them around the Earth to a new Cobra snake-hole. Sub-plots of note include Shipwreck's introduction, Roadblock teaming up with a truck-driving Southern belle while the prisoners of Cobra, and Spirit and Storm Shadow doing battle and earning each other's respect as warriors. From the first chapter of "Real American Hero" to the last of "The Revenge Of Cobra", this is a ride of purely guilty pleasure, heavily influenced by super-hero comics, classic sci-fi and adventure serials, and of course, military intrigue. Hokey, unrealistic military intrigue, but still a blast, nonetheless.

While it may be a tad disappointing for DVD's to be released minus any extras, considering extras are one of the main selling points of DVD's and helped to push them ahead of VHS, this is one instance where it's nearly completely forgivable. The cartoons are remastered, looking and sounding like brand new. The fact that they are presented in their original format, with the credits and breaks, further helps to complete the trip back in time. I'm sure not everyone will have the same experience as I did with G.I. Joe: Real American Hero/The Revenge Of Cobra. You really need to be a child of the 80's to have a true understanding and appreciation of it. However, it can still be entertaining for anyone, old and new fans alike. If the current Joe toys and comics don't do it for you (which, honestly, are starting to shape up a bit, after their first re-launch), this DVD set should most assuredly do the trick.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: BOX set please!
Review: Its about time,but where is the BOX set..come on Rhino..wake up..
we want the BOX set like you did with the Transformers season one and two..
Get with it..stop looking at the graphs and put the set togeither. DVD is killing VHS and cartoons fit the format some well.
The 80's children are tired of watching 20 year old bad vhs record copies of the cartoons and will pay for the BOX sets of the seasons of cartoons.
Thundercats, JEM, HE-MAN..
If you don't beleive me just look on Ebay and see what people are buying..
80's cartoons Rule..no stupid "acquired animation"
Animation thats animated to the voice actors-thank you.
COBRA !!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Interesting to watch 20 years later.
Review: Nearly every American male who was between 5 and 12 years old in 1983 and 1984 remembers the first two miniseries based on the popular G.I. Joe toy line. What is most striking about the shows 20 years later is how relentless the action is. It simply doesn't let up. Writing in that way must have been a chore! One of the coolest things about G.I. Joe at the time of its release was the care that went into developing the characters. While this feature does not seem out of the ordinary these days, back then most cartoons were still 10 minute Hanna-Barbera vignettes or really lame adaptations of video games that were limited by the medium they borrowed from. The motivations of the characters were never questioned or discussed. G.I. Joe, on the other hand, as well as the toy based Transformers and to a lesser extent He-Man, spent more time on exploring broader themes. It is for this reason that many of us still remember many of the characters, while we do not have a clue who was in Mr. T's posse.

Also noteworthy are the interviews with two G.I. Joe creators. Marv Wolfman accompanies the first series and discusses a number of important aspects of the show. First, he answers critics in the 80s who derided the show as a 30 minute commercial for the toy line. While defending the creative license Hasbro gave to the creators, he also recognizes that the show was designed to give the action figures personalities. He also goes into the difficulties of presenting a mature theme, war, to young children. In this discussion, he mentions how the zeitgeist of the American public during the Reagan era allowed the presentation of these themes once again after a long latent period following the Vietnam War. Of particular interest is how the writers dealt with the cost of combat, essentially, they ducked it. The guns were actually laser rifles, and pilots of shot down COBRA planes were always shown parachuting to safety.

All in all, this is an enjoyable jaunt back to the early 80s.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: G.I.Joe At Last The Wait is over!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: OK I'll say I can't wait to get this. I was so excited about this I can't stand it. Like many others I love the 80s cartoons and can't wait to get this. I watch Transformers and wish I had G.I.Joe to go with it. They were always on together. That's like releasing He-Man with out She-Ra. I reccommend this in a big way and agree with the person above for people to purchase this so they can bring the series in Box sets. Now if they can bring out Jem as well I'll really be happy. Because these cartoons will go down in history as some of the best ever made. Especially He-Man. G.I.Joe is one of my all time favorites. When I do TF I always put G.I.Joe the Movie in and watch that too. So now people can watch these with transformers. Oh lets see if they can release Thundercats too.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Origins of an 80¿s Icon¿
Review: The 1980's were dominated by two children's cartoons, the Transformers and G.I. Joe. G.I. Joe "The Real American Hero" followed the adventures of an elite military force dedicated to protecting the world (and America) from the forces of evil (in the form of terrorist organization Cobra). In the midst of all this a TV series ran for several seasons in first run as well as re-runs and millions of toys were sold. Finally, after 20 years, the two original mini-series that began the Mania are finally released on DVD.

This two-disc set collects the first two G.I. Joe mini-series (5-parts each) that aired in the 1983 and 1984.

Disc 1: Mini-Series One - A Real American Hero (AKA "The Mass Device") (1983)

This is the story arc that introduced the world to the Joes and intros most of the main characters.

THE STORY: Cobra has stolen a device ("The Mass Device") that can automatically transport anything, anywhere. Can the Joes stop Cobra and the Mass Device from destroying the world?

Disc 2: Mini-Series Two - The Revenge of Cobra (AKA "The Weather Dominator") (1984)

This story arc sees Cobra returning to wreak more havoc than ever and introduces even more Joes and Cobra (Zartan and the Dreadnoks)

THE STORY: Cobra and Destro have built "The Weather Dominator," a device that gives them control over the weather and uses the forces of nature to destroy the world. But what happens when Cobra loses control over their own device? Can the Joes save the world before the world destroys itself?

THE COOL STUFF:

Easily the best feature of the DVD is the series itself. Not a bad deal where you get nearly 4 hours of action for the relative cheap price of the DVD.

THE CRITICISM:

Too bad there's no DVD extras, although from my understanding another set of these will be released with them (thus potentially negating the reason to purchase THIS set if you are into the extras).

THE VERDICT:

Well conventional wisdom says (if rumors hold true) to hold off on this set and get the deluxe set with the extras HOWEVER, this set is still a bargain at the relatively cheap price and may be the better purchase depending on the extras that come with the other (remember the ... extras on the Transformers movie DVD???).

Highly Recommended purchase (with or without the extras, for all fans)

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Sssssspectacular!
Review: The G.I.Joe miniseries were fond memories of my childhood, the ongoing series not so fond, but the miniseries were sheer gold. I guess what appealled to me was the cliffhanger aspect of the miniseries, they always left me wanting more. The animation was very good and holds up over the test of time, for the most part. The storylines of both miniseries are virtually identical, COBRA an EVIL terorist group creats a powerful device (Teleporter/Weather Control) something important to the device is scattered in three locations and GI.Joe and Cobra battle it out to recover it. Each episode ended in a shocking cliffhanger. One of the reasons the show was so cool was the characters, Lady J, Flint, Scarlett, Duke and the others were some of the coolest characters around. Not everything was perfect, I was amazed that the Baroness looked so hot in the first miniseries and so not hot in the second. Also some of the dialog is pretty corny. But for the most part the action sequences are exciting and well done. I don't know if its the nostalgia talking but i would definetly recommend this DVD to animation fans. EPOh one last thing why would you send a man who is MUTE into a tunnel with a WALKIE-TALKIE and say things like "Snakeyes do you read me?" , Um he's MUTE!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Why is Cobra Commander eating chicken with his mask on?
Review: The only thing I don't understand is why it's called "Revenge of Cobra" when it techincally starts or rather introduces the terrorist organization, Cobra. Eh, it doesn't matter either way. It's a great cartoon. Hint: Parents, if you want your children to be patriotic without boring them, get them this. They'll love it.


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