G.I. Joe

As a skeptical TV watcher (especially of old stuff) this is one of those 80s "made-for-kids" cartoons that can appeal to youth of today, as well as be interesting enough for teens/adults to watch.

This cartoon has the action, thrills and memorable characters that a 6 year old seeks, but has the literary complexity, subtle humour, and general excellent entertainment value that teens and adults would appreciate.

The Joes, a diverse team of commandos, fight the evil forces of Cobra day in and day out. Each Joe brings a different attribute and personality to the team (personalities that come to life thanks to the talented voice cast - read the credits, you'll see!)

The plots always entail an interesting and often elaborate storyline featuring a diabolical plot for world-domination by Cobra Commander and/or his subordinates (Destro, Baroness, Crimson Guard Twins, Maj. Bludd e.t.c...)

The art quality is excellent - it has an 80s super-hero comic style to it which adds a lot to that nostalgic effect. The animation is satisfactory; it varies between episodes.

Best part is learning the names (real and code) of all of the characters (good and bad), as there are literally tons of characters mixed into the salad bowl that is G.I. Joe, A Real American Hero.

For you 80s toon a-holics out there, this is an absolute MUST HAVE in your library. I only wish it was still on TV for today's generation to see.

I love this series. I developed an interest in it a couple of years ago and I've loved it ever since. THe battle between Joe and Cobra is very entertaining with colourful characters on both sides. I first saw the show when I was a kid. That was when the show was named ACTION FORCE in the UK. I now have the movie on video and the first half of Season One on DVD. The show has not disappointed me so far.

There's great voice work from 80s voice maestros like Chris Latta and Neil Ross. The humour in the show is very appealing as well as there are constantly petty power struggles in the Cobra ranks. Perhaps the introduction of Serpentor wasn't such a good idea, but the show still had good moments. I heard a rumour that there may be a real life GI JOE movie. I hope there will be. If it's based on the Devil'a Due comic that would be good because what I've seen of that comic is great. Here's hoping.

I have fond memories of watching G.I. Joe. I was in junior high when it became a regular series, and still remember coming home from school just in time to watch it.

It has plenty of action, there's no question about that. Nonetheless, one would gripe that, despite all the battle scenes, no one gets killed. But I suspected that the producers had managed to sneak some fatalities into the show every now and then. For example, I recall one occasion where a Cobra trooper falls during a gunfight, only to never get back up. And at other times, some characters (mainly Cobra troopers) stumble near explosions. I believe that they pulled off some casualties in such a way that many viewers are unlikely to notice.

One of my favorite episodes is the two-parter, "There's No Place Like Springfield." That's the one where Shipwreck supposedly had amnesia. It's a great mystery story.

Besides Shipwreck, my other favorite characters include: Lifeline, Duke, Snake Eyes, Zartan, Dr. Mindbender, Barbecue, and Blowtorch.

One interesting thing about Lifeline is that he is a medic, and refuses to touch a weapon. But one has to wonder why the toy action figure came with a pistol.

This show was it when I was in high school. I lived, breathed and talked this show. I could mimmick all the voices, write my own stories with them and collect all the figures. This cartoon had it all ! Great stories, wonderful humor, incredible action and all the women were complete babes, especially the Baroness with her tight black body suit (almost a precursor to Michelle Pfeiffer as the Catwoman). The heroes were a lot like Hogan's Heroes or the A-Team; almost completely infallible and always prepared. Unfortunately, nothing this good lasts for long. GIJoe the Movie with Don Johnson and Burgess Meredith marked the end as the series was taken over by other producers and quickly ruined with stupid situations, bad stories, lousy animations and everyone's favorite characters eliminated. With that sort of damage, the legacy ended not with a bang (the movie), but with a whimper.

G.I. Joe, when I hear this word, my thoughts are going back to my early childhood when I was watching the great heroes defeating the "Free West threatening" enemy COBRA. And after I watched it, I always started to play with my G.I. Joe toys. I was building ambushes with the G.I. Joe action figures and when the COBRA forces came through it was always big fun. Throwing around the action figures, making noise and stuff like that. And the coolest character of G.I. Joe was Ponton. Everybody who watched this series knows Ponton. He was the best specialist en he just looked very cool. Too bad, in Europe aren't very much people who like G.I. Joe. They say that G.I. Joe is an "anti-Russian" and "arrogant American product". I don't mind what those hanger-ons say, I just want to say: G.I. Joeoeoeoeo!!!!!!!