It’s Joe vs. Cobra vs. the Predator! What’s not to love?
Let’s be honest about something: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra was pretty much a giant middle finger from Hollywood to … well, everyone, but especially those of us who grew up in the 1980s watching the animated series. Two years later, it looks like a fan has succeeded where The Rise of Cobra failed with Operation: Red Retrieval. He’s created a live-action G.I. Joe movie that is gritty, fun, violent, and slightly ridiculous.
The entire 21-minute film is now available on YouTube and I don’t want to spoil too much, other than saying that it contains some pretty delightful “ninja versus Predator” (yes, that Predator) action. It’s both over-the-top and addictive, sort of like Warren Ellis’s masterpiece G.I. Joe: Resolute (which, by the way, you should totally watch).
Director Mark Cheng explained that the crossover stems from his childhood playtime session:
The other thing I wanted to capture is that feeling from when I was 8 years old lying the floor with my action figures. I’d line up my GI Joe figures next to my Star Wars figures next to my He-Man figures and next to my Autobot Transformers. It didn’t matter that the toys were of a different scale, possessed inexplicable powers, came from different brands, or lived in different universes. The ONLY things that mattered was that Good was about to defeat Evil, and that it was going to be SOOOO AWESOMEEEE.
Hopefully Hasbro doesn’t force Cheng to take the movie down and that he manages to attract some Hollywood attention for his creativity and passion. Oh, and that nobody ever lets another Wayans brother near the G.I. Joe franchise ever again.
Source: Topless Robot
