G.I. Joe, an American hero. At least that is how I remember it growing up playing with the ever popular G.I. Joe toys. Most of us have heard stories about baseball cards or sporting cards of some sort being given away by parents; while I have some of those experiences, one that still stings is the giving away of the original G.I. Joe box of toys I had as a child. Being a child that cherished the American soldier, having family serve for generations, I respected everything the early toy, comic, and concept represented. It was true to the respect due the fighting men and women who chose to wear the uniform of the American Soldier. G.I. Joe, if anything, was an American-loving American soldier. My, how times have changed!

Hasbro, the company behind G.I. Joe, has now ventured into the movie-making business. This live-action cartoon is just that, a cartoon. The direction has little if any character development and while we have enough special effects on screen to keep us somewhat entertained, it still falls far short. There are no exceptional sequences in the film, even in the special-effects-driven script. Unfortunately, there are so many holes in the plot that I quickly lost interest in those scenes. Unfortunately, this wasn't the only problem with this flick. How bad was it? Let me say this: next to this summer's other comic action flick, Transformers 2, Transformers 2 can be considered a modern day epic. At least there is a story in that movie we can follow to entertain us alongside the special effects. Now understand here, I consider Transformers 2 a sub-par film that fell far short of its predecessor.

The story in G.I. Joe is quite simple. A group of soldiers, known as G.I. Joe (more on this later) have to save the world from some metal-eating virus that is being used as a point of revenge to destroy the world and have the evil doers (a term I learned from a previous president) take control of the planet. This futuristic group of soldiers must save the planet, and mixed in is a sort of love story, buddy-helping, get-the-bad-guy scenario. At least that is as good as I can determine from this experience that had me enjoying the leather recliner I was sitting in more than the movie itself. Thank God the theater not only had the large recliner for me to sit in, but was also serving 32 oz. Blue Passions for $9.

One of the issues with G.I. Joe is we see such poor character development that we really don't care about the characters we see on screen. This group of soldiers resembles the now-popular concept of a United Nations Force or NATO force more than they do the G.I. Joe many of us grew up with. In the heartland, in the middle of America, in a city with a fairly significant military base, many parents taking their children to see this movie will be largely disappointed. In fact, that appeared to be the case at the theater I attended. Despite the military recruiters attending the movie, having their displays set up outside such as Hummers, climbing-walls, pull-up bars, football-throwing targets and more, there was nothing in the film that resembles the G.I. Joe most parents grew up with. For many, there would be no problem with that concept, except the concept of the historical G.I. Joe is specifically American, and specifically a figure many around the world looked up to. There is nothing wrong with making the story contemporary, but I for one, even as a peace-loving person of faith, take issue with the commercialization of a concept that detracts from real American heroes who earned the name G.I. Joe. This movie, and contemporary concept, does nothing but steal the name and idea, and uses and transforms a part of history.

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