G.I. Joe: The Movie
A direct-to-video sequel to the 1983 animated series.
G.I. Joe: The Movie, released in the UK as Action Force: The Movie, is a 1987 American animated military science fiction action film that went straight to video. It serves as a follow-up to the 1983 animated series G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, which itself was based on the Hasbro toy line. Sunbow Productions and Marvel Productions handled production, with animation done in Japan by Toei Animation Co., Ltd.
The story begins with Cobra Commander and Serpentor blaming each other for Cobra's failures. A woman named Pythona, hailing from the hidden civilization Cobra-La, sneaks into the Terror Drome. She tells Serpentor that Cobra-La used dream manipulation to inspire Doctor Mindbender to create him. At her urging, Serpentor plans to steal the Joes' new Broadcast Energy Transmitter (BET). Cobra attacks during a test of the BET in the Himalayas, but Serpentor is captured, and Cobra Commander orders a retreat into Cobra-La, an underground city.
The Joes welcome a group of rookies, including the clumsy female ninja Jinx, military police officer Law with his dog Order, former basketball player Big Lob, EOD specialist Tunnel Rat, undercover officer Chuckles, and Duke's reckless half-brother Lt. Falcon, a Green Beret. In Cobra-La, seven Joes are ambushed and held captive. The civilization's leader, Golobulus, has Pythona and his henchman Nemesis Enforcer arrest Cobra Commander. The Joes learn that 40,000 years ago, Cobra-La ruled Earth, but the Ice Age and human evolution forced them into Himalayan caverns. Golobulus vowed to destroy humanity and eventually found a nobleman working on biological weapons—who became Cobra Commander. When Cobra Commander failed repeatedly, Golobulus used a Psychic Motivator on Doctor Mindbender to create Serpentor.
Disguised Zarana uses Falcon to infiltrate Serpentor's cell. Falcon abandons guard duty to flirt with Jinx, allowing the Dreadnoks and Nemesis Enforcer to free Serpentor, injuring Alpine, Bazooka, and Gung-Ho. General Hawk confines Falcon to quarters pending court-martial. In Cobra-La, Golobulus reveals plans to launch spore pods into space and use the BET to hatch them, dooming humanity. He punishes Cobra Commander by exposing him to spores, transforming him into a snake. Cobra Commander escapes and reaches the Joes' camp with Roadblock.
Duke convinces General Hawk to reassign Falcon to the "Slaughter House," where Sgt.
Quick Facts
- Writer
- Buzz Dixon (uncredited) / Ron Friedman
- Based On
- G.I. Joe · Hasbro / Lost Horizon · James Hilton
- Starring
- Don Johnson · Burgess Meredith · Sgt. Slaughter · Kene Holliday
- Director
- Don Jurwich
- Producer
- Joe Bacal / Tom Griffin
- Music
- Robert J. Walsh / Jon Douglas
- Cinematography
- Masatoshi Fukui
- Editing
- David Hankins
- Studio
- Hasbro · Sunbow Productions · Marvel Productions · Toei Animation Co., Ltd.
- Distributor
- Celebrity Home Entertainment
- Released
- 25 August 1987 · home video
- Runtime
- 93 minutes
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The film was created at the height of the G.I. Joe craze in the 1980s and was intended as the third theatrical release of a Hasbro-produced film after My Little Pony: The Movie and The Transformers: The Movie. Following unexpected production delays and the poor box office performances of its predecessors, it premiered direct-to-video instead on August 25, 1987. It later premiered on television in syndication as early as September 4, 1987, first in feature-length format and later split into a five-part miniseries format as part of the series' syndication package.
Reader's Guide
The film's significance lies in its production history and the controversy surrounding its original script. In the original script, Duke dies in battle after receiving a wound from a snake spear hurled by Serpentor. This event inspired the death of the Autobot leader Optimus Prime in The Transformers: The Movie while both films were in production. However, Optimus Prime's death sparked a severe backlash among both fans and parents, and Hasbro reversed their decision on allowing Duke's death. While the scene was kept, replacement dialogue was inserted stating that Duke had gone into a coma. Writer and story editor Buzz Dixon stated in an interview that if you watch the visuals and don't listen to the soundtrack, it's obvious Duke dies. The film was followed by the 1989 animated series G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, which takes place after the events of the movie. In 2022, Fathom Events brought the movie to theaters for a special two-day event to commemorate its 35th anniversary, featuring exclusive behind-the-scenes and interactive content.
Did You Know?
- The name 'Cobra-La' was originally a placeholder borrowed from the 1933 novel Lost Horizon, but Hasbro executives forced the writers to keep it.
- In the original script, Duke dies; the scene was kept but dialogue was changed to say he went into a coma after backlash over Optimus Prime's death.
- The film was intended as a theatrical release but went direct-to-video due to production delays and poor box office performance of earlier Hasbro films.
- The film premiered on television in syndication as early as September 4, 1987, both as a feature-length film and as a five-part miniseries.
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