Yesterday I hinted that a leaked copy of the G.I. Joe script would be a great present, finally allowing us to see whether there’s potential in the movie or if it really will just be a bunch of popular characters crammed in needlessly. I didn’t get one, but Latino Review’s El Mayimbe managed to get his hands on one and has run a review.
The good news: Mayimbe seems excited about this script, which is the best version of the three different scripts he’s read so far. In fact, this script is so impoved from previous versions that it sounds like the producers have been listening to fans and giving them what they want. Then again, maybe that’s not so good. Fans’ desires don’t always make good stories; I’ve read enough fan fiction to know that.
The most exciting part of the review is focused on how awesome Snake Eyes (Ray Park) could possibly be. The character is apparently well developed throughout the movie, from a kick-ass “cavalry” moment as his first appearance to some exploration of his backstory. There’s a part of me that wishes that last part doesn’t end up on screen. If you’re trying to build a franchise you don’t waste everyone’s story in the first movie. X-Men didn’t try to explain Logan in the first movie. Leave Snake Eyes as the mysterious figure he was for so long, then slowly explore his past.
Fellow ninja Storm Shadow apparently also comes off as equally cool. There is a comparison to Star Wars’s Boba Fett, which doesn’t impress me – I always thought Boba Fett was a little overcelebrated for someone who had such little screen time and went out like a punk (at least, as far as the movies go). The ninja also goes so far as to kill another character, and from the reaction it may not be a minor one.
From what is given, this is kind of an origin story, where we’ll follow one of the characters as a surrogate, as they are first introduced to this Elite military force that doesn’t really exist. It looks like Duke will serve as that surrogate, which explains why someone like Channing Tatum could get the role. This is Duke before he becomes the experienced soldier Joe fans have always considered him to be.
Contrary to what some sites were reporting earlier this week (most likely misreports), it doesn’t sound like Destro is the big bad after all. He does exactly what a weasel like Destro should do – he plays both sides. Apparently the movie will show that this has run in the character’s family, which ties into the silver mask.
There’s not enough information in the review to really let me form my own opinion about the movie, but it’s a start. It sounds like we’ll get some huge action pieces that could border on sensory overload if executed properly. Will the story support such action pieces? We’ll see.
