G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009)

August 6, 2009 (World Premiere)August 7, 2009 (United States)

August 6, 2009 (World Premiere)
August 7, 2009 (United States)

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is a 2009 American military science fiction action film based on the G.I. Joe toy line. It is the first installment in the G.I. Joe film series. Directed by Stephen Sommers from a screenplay by Stuart Beattie, David Elliot, and Paul Lovett, the film features an ensemble cast based on the various characters of the toy line. The story follows two American soldiers, Duke and Ripcord, who join the G.I. Joe Team after being attacked by Military Armaments Research Syndicate (M.A.R.S.) troops.

Development for the first film began in 2003, but when the United States launched the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, Hasbro suggested adapting the Transformers instead. After leaked drafts of the script were criticized by fans, Larry Hama, writer of the comic book series G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, was hired as creative consultant, and rewrites were made. Filming took place in Downey, California and Prague's Barrandov Studios, while six companies handled the visual effects with Digital Domain as lead effect vendor.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra premiered at the Andrews Air Force Base on July 31, 2009, and was released in the United States on August 7, by Paramount Pictures, following an extensive marketing campaign focused on the Mid-American public. Despite mostly negative reviews from critics, the film grossed $302.5 million worldwide against a $175 million budget, making it a box-office success.

A stand-alone sequel, titled G.I. Joe: Retaliation, was released in 2013.

Storyline

Weapons master James McCullen has created a nanotech-based weapon—nanobots that can devour any non-organic materials. His company M.A.R.S. sells four warheads to NATO, and American soldiers Duke and Ripcord are tasked to deliver the warheads. En route, their convoy is ambushed by the Baroness, whom Duke recognizes to be his ex-fiancée Ana Lewis, before they are rescued by G.I. Joe operatives: Scarlett, Snake Eyes, Breaker, and Heavy Duty. They take the warheads to The Pit, G.I. Joe's command center in Egypt, and meets the G.I. Joe leader, General Hawk. Hawk takes command of the warheads and relieves Duke and Ripcord, only to be convinced to let them join his group, after Duke reveals that he knows the Baroness.

McCullen is revealed to be using the same nanotechnology to build an army of soldiers with the aid of the Doctor, planning on using the warheads to cause worldwide panic and bring about a new world order. Using a tracking device, McCullen locates the G.I. Joe base and sends Storm Shadow and the Baroness to retrieve the warheads, with assistance from Zartan.

Storm Shadow and the Baroness retrieve the warheads and take them to Baron DeCobray, the Baroness's husband, for him to weaponize in his particle accelerator; after he reluctantly does this, DeCobray is killed by Storm Shadow. Making their way to Paris, the Joes pursue the Baroness and Storm Shadow, but they launch one of the missiles. The missile hits the Eiffel Tower, destroying it and some of the surrounding area before Duke leaps onto the Cobra's aircraft and hits the kill switch, in the process allowing himself to be captured and taken to McCullen's base under the Arctic.

The Joes locate the secret base and fly there, as McCullen loads the three remaining warheads onto missiles, which are aimed for Beijing, Moscow, and Washington, DC.

After Snake Eyes takes out one missile, Ripcord destroys the remaining two by using a stolen M.A.R.S. prototype Night Raven jet, while Scarlett, Breaker, and Snake Eyes infiltrate the base. Snake Eyes duels and defeats Storm Shadow. Duke learns that the Doctor is actually Rex Lewis, Ana's brother, believed to have been killed by a mistimed airstrike during a mission led by Duke. Rex had encountered Dr. Mindbender in the bunker and was marveled by the nanomite technology, but was caught in the bombing, which disfigured him. After freeing Duke, the Baroness is subdued, as the Doctor reveals he has implanted her with nanomites, which has put her under his control. Attempting to kill Duke using a flamethrower, McCullen ends up being burned when Duke shoots the weapon and causes it to explode, so Rex and McCullen flee to an escape vessel. Duke and the Baroness pursue him while the Joes fall back after Rex activates the base's self-destruct sequence, which involves 'blowing the ice cap' to create blocks of ice which then nearly crush the Joes.

Rex assumes the identity of the Commander, having healed McCullen's burned face with nanomites, transforming his skin into a silver-like substance and naming him "Destro", which places McCullen under the Commander's control. They are captured by G.I. Joe soon after. On the supercarrier USS Flagg, the Baroness is placed in protective custody until they can remove the nanomites from her body. Meanwhile, Zartan, having had his physical appearance altered by nanomites, infiltrates the White House during the missile crisis and assumes the identity of the President of the United States, thus completing a part of McCullen's plan to rule the world.

Also See

Movie Trailer

  • G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) (Trailers)

Sound Effects Used

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