How did I live to be this old not knowing that G.I. Joe is the code name for a special missions force, not an individual or a 12 inch action figure? Prior to this, my familiarity with the character was limited to William Wellman’s The Story of G.I. Joe, an adaptation of Pulitzer Prize winner Ernie Pyle’s newspaper columns penned in tribute to the WWII infantryman. The film made Robert Mitchum a household name and his co-star, Burgess Meredith, went on to voice arch nemesis Golobulus in this big screen bump up of the 1985 animated TV series. The character movement is characteristically stiff in accordance with anime from the period. (Directed by John Durwich, the production was co-financed by Marvel with the animation outsourced to Japan’s Toei Animation.) The action’s non-stop and at any given moment, a freeze-frame would make peachy wallpaper for a young boy’s bedroom. The film never received a theatrical release as originally planned, making this 35 year anniversary release its theatrical debut. (1987) — Scott Marks
This movie is not currently in theaters.