I’m sure eventually you guys will tire of my constant posts about G.I. Joe: Retaliation, but let’s face it, with the film coming out next June, there’s going to be a lot to talk about over the next six months.  As always, you can expect me to be on top of everything as it happens.

The rocket shots of social media updates, interaction with the production team, and hushed whispers about what might be on the horizon have gotten me pretty amped up.

But, I figure if I’m going to be all giddy and excitable over the next half-year, I might as well provide some reasons why, especially considering the lackluster response that the first film generated.  I’ve seen a lot of questions out there asking exactly why folks should be pumped up for this movie, based on the first.  Well, let me give you ten reasons, at least as I see them.

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10 – Jon Chu

I was right there with you when I first heard the news.  Jon Chu?  The musical director?  Justin Bieber?  I will admit, my initial reaction was fear that perhaps Paramount wasn’t taking the sequel seriously.

Well, those fears were eliminated fairly quickly.  While it will be impossible to tell just what Jon Chu’s impact is until June 29, 2012, judging by his enthusiasm, his interaction with the fandom, and the reactions of several of his cast and crew, this is a guy who has the respect and dedication of several of his professional peers.  Let’s not forget he’s also won critical acclaim and awards for his production of Justin Bieber’s Never Say Never, and regardless what the source material is, being an award-winning director is nothing to scoff at.

He so clearly loves working on the Joe film as well, and I know I put a hell of a lot more effort into a job when I’m thoroughly enjoying it.  Something tells me that rings true here as well.  I was a skeptic, but I’ve come around in a big way.

Not to mention, as GeneralsJoes reader DistantFred reminds me, dance choreography and action film choreography can both work very nicely in conjunction with each other.  Also, in my opinion, music is an integral part of a successful action film, and I have no doubts that Mr. Chu can bring both of these skills to the table.

9 – A fresh start

Yes, we all know that G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra was not an amazing feat of film making prowess.  While there were certain parts that I still enjoy about it, there is no doubt that it left a very bad taste in many folks’ mouths.  Well, by many indications, G.I. Joe: Retaliation is trying to leave the aura of the first film in its dust.

Rachel Nichols Tweeted famously earlier this year that she was not being invited back as Scarlett.  Marlon Wayans expressed displeasure that he was not invited back as Ripcord (even letting fly a potential spoiler about Ripcord’s fate in the process).  We also know that Dennis Quaid is not returning, nor is Adewale Akinnouye-Agbaje, and Joseph Gordon-Leavitt unceremoniously dismissed the thought as well.  Sienna Miller is also noticeable by her absence, and she didn’t apparently have any love lost for the production of the original film as it is.

While Channing Tatum is returning to his role as Duke, it’s unknown how much of a focus he will be, and in fact his short filming shift and lack of promotion for the film has led me to believe he may not have much more than a cameo appearance in the film itself.

So, judging by the few things that we know (Zartan is the President, Duke and Snake Eyes have returned) this film is obviously a continuation of the first by strict standards, but the production team is making every effort to separate this one from the original.  I think that is a brilliant move.  By pulling away from the whole Duke/Baroness/Cobra Commander triangle I think you leave the worst part of the first film as a bad dream and move on to focus on the cutting edge military action that is the core of the property.

You can produce this film as a second film, and yet push the cast and the basic premise of the first film to the background, and end up with a great follow up that hopefully isn’t bogged down by the memories of the first.  I can’t think of a better way to do it.

8 – Refined source material

A production began for The Rise of Cobra, G.I. Joe was sort of in flux.  With the Devils’ Due comic and the Sigma 6 line the two most visible tie-ins to the universe, the film producers had some mixed signals.  It was apparently due to some Devils’ Due reference material that led the costume designers to give Snake Eyes his infamous lips, and the Reactive Armor battle suits were no doubt inspired by Sigma 6, the predominant toyline at the time the reference material was provided.  This combination left a fairly bad taste in many fan’s mouths, since they felt that did not accurately represent the spirit of the brand, and I cannot argue.

This most recent film comes on the heels of an extremely successful 25th Anniversary rebranding, and the state of the art Pursuit of Cobra toyline, which took modern military aesthetics to the limit, blending technology and the armed forces perfectly.  Judging by what we’ve seen in footage and screen shots so far, that energy and mentality has been carried over into the film, and it serves G.I. Joe perfectly.

7 – No Stephen Sommers

Unlike Jon Chu, Sommers had a long and established history as an action film director, but that’s not always a good thing.  Sommers was well known for his high-energy, effects laden popcorn films like the Mummy, Van Helsing, and other related properties, which were no doubt eye candy, but lacked a lot of substance and spirit.  Thus it came as no surprise that the Rise of Cobra fell for many of the same pratfalls.

Not only that, but some aspects of character were sacrificed so Sommers could work in a cameo by Brandon Fraser for no other reason than to say he did.  One of the most loathed aspects of the first film, the Accelerator Suits, were also shoe-horned into the picture by a pre-established scene that Sommers had always wanted to include in a movie, but just hadn’t had the right opportunity.  They were not even written for the G.I. Joe concept.  I think Stephen Sommers is proof that it’s not always about pedigree, and I think Chu “gets it” 100% more than Sommers ever did.  Certainly doesn’t hurt that to Jon Chu it at least appears to be more than just a paycheck.  I don’t believe you can say the same thing about Sommers.

6 – Social Media

Without a doubt, Social Media has played a huge role in the promotion of this second film, and I’m thrilled for it.  The excitement of seeing the constant stream of Tweets from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and getting the unique opportunity to interact directly with Jon Chu, the director of the film, has made this whole pre-production process very exciting.  Not only that, but it creates a level of investment by the fandom, as we get a chance to be a part of the process.  Chu, The Rock, and Ray Park’s almost constant every-day activity throughout various forms of social media has created an environment of fun interactivity, and shared the joy they all seemed to have working together.

5 – Cobra has been established

As the title indicated, the first film was essentially about the Rise or proliferation of Cobra.  With MARS as the focal point, Cobra ended up somewhat in the background, and most of the fan favorite aspects of the Real American Hero ended up in the ether.  In the second film, it would seem that Cobra is now an established group and Joe fans can relish a more face-front version of the evil terrorist organization that we all love.

MARS is good and all, but give me some good old fashioned Cobra troopers and Cobra hardware.  I think we’ll see much of that in Retaliation.

4 – More military aesthetic

Another complaint many fans had of the original film was that narrow line between military and science fiction ended up blurred and there was way too much science fiction and not enough military.  Accelerator Suits, Nanomites and Neo-Vipers all gave the impression that a much more sci-fi heavy universe was at play here.  From what we’ve seen so far from Retaliation, there is a lot more military and a lot less sci-fi here.  The plethora of real world weaponry that The Rock has shown off, the obvious military angle in the trailer and screen shots just goes to prove that this sequel is much less thrust into the “10 minutes in the future” concept and much more real world.  Obviously with the cool Snake Eyes armor and Roadblock’s flak vest, there are some more futuristic aspects here, but most of what we’ve seen has been purely straight-laced military.

3 – Learning from past mistakes

Going along with the idea that the sequel is separating itself from the previous film, I do think the team here has also learned from past mistakes.  While I’m certain they won’t say it publicly, it’s been perfectly obvious that there are aspects of The Rise of Cobra that the producers have not been happy with and they are continuing to distance themselves from it.

Most of what I’ve mentioned here the production team understands as well, and while Rise of Cobra made enough money to earn the right to a sequel, I know they have learned from them and are finding ways to fix what was “broken”.  The evolved cast, the more military story, and various updates from members of the cast and crew have only cemented that fact.

2 – The Rock

Need I say more?  One of Pro Wrestling’s most charismatic superstars, Dwayne Johnson has done what few wrestlers have been able to do, and transcended from Wrestling to a full blown acting career.  The end result is someone who pulls from many different audiences and has built a legion of fans worldwide who follow him religiously.  With a Facebook page with millions of “Likes” and a Twitter feed with hundreds of thousands of followers, The Rock brings a built-in audience to the G.I. Joe film, something that will hopefully generate many more box office returns next June.

Add to that the fact that Dwayne Johnson is an established action star with an impressive arsenal of action movies already and he brings some great stuff to the table.  Quite the departure from Channing Tatum in the 2009 film.

1 – No writer’s strike

While there were many reasons to point fingers at the first film, most of the blame can fall upon the writer’s strike.  Leading up to the film, a famous writer’s strike put a severe limit on the utilization of Hollywood writers throughout the film industry, and in fact many of those involved in the Rise of Cobra said they were still writing the film as filming was going on.

This environment is not conducive to successful film making, and the end result was a clear indication of that.  Whatever the issues were with the original film, the most glaring ones can be tied back to a lack of consistent script-writing, which impacted every other step of the production process.  Without the foundation of a good script, almost every element of a film suffers, and I feel very comfortable that the sequel will not fall into that trap.

Using the skillful duo of Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, two successful writers who also have a strong attachment to the property, Paramount has immediately raised the bar well above and beyond what we got with the initial film release.

I’m not one of those G.I. Joe fans who tears apart every element of the original Rise of Cobra film.  There were aspects of it that I really enjoyed.  That being said, I cannot argue that there were plenty of areas of improvement, and from everything I’ve seen so far, G.I. Joe: Retaliation covers every single base.  It would seem as if they are doing everything right, and I for one could not be happier.

Bring on June, 2012!

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