Will The G.I. Joe Snake Eyes Movie Save This Beloved Franchise?

With an industry being driven by nostalgia, it’s no wonder why film executives continually pump out movies and sequels long after their expiration dates.

I look to you Pirates of the Caribbean and Transformers.

And now G.I. Joe has fortunately or unfortunately (whichever side of the fence you are on) entered this realm. A G.I. Joe spinoff, Snake Eyes has been announced. Some, including myself, have no choice but to ask themselves why? Why must a childhood favorite potentially ruin itself and release another ill-fated movie?

The numbers speak for themselves.

The first Joe released to much fanfare and if one was to be successful, this was the one. Not only did it have the privilege of being first but it also had the hype, marketing, and excitement behind it. Yet, by most accords, it was a commercial failure. Rise of the Cobra operates with an inflated budget of 175 million dollars and grossed 302.5 million at the box office. When the dust was settled and bills were paid, it made a paltry return on investment.

And the second movie did no better costing only 155 million and earning 375.7 million. Yes, this seems like a decent return but when you factor in what movies of this type are making, both did not live up to expectations.

Is nostalgia the answer?

I ask you, with the intended release of a G.I. Joe Snake Eyes spin-off, are the makers going to the proverbial well one too many times?

Certainly, a company’s can only milk the name of a product so much?

Or do they know something that we don’t?

Heres what I do know. Snake Eyes is one of, if not the most popular of all the Joe’s. His toys always sold the best, his lunch kits could be found on playgrounds across the country and I watched more children dress up as him for Halloween than any other Joe.

So is that the key? Do the movie maker so purposely tap into our childhood addictions in an effort to make a buck? Do they knowingly make movies without concern for how we will feel or what we think?

I think the evidence is overwhelmingly supportive of this. Just look at the aforementioned Transformers movies. None of been all that good and in fact, they’d keep getting worse. Yet…yet, the executives continue to pump them out like a doctor pumps donor blood.

I fear that the G.I. Joe Snake Eyes is exactly this sort of thinking.

Third times a charm, right? 

Even in baseball, long-standing the batter has three strikes before they are considered out. At the end of the day, what do the executives have to lose? If the G.I Joe Snake Eyes movie flops (like it probably will) at least they will have recouped their money. Or at least if history is any indication, they will have.

We all know that the long-standing fans of the Joe’s will be out in droves to see it. They, along with a few others will go back to the well and see if there is finally water in it.

I think, however, the water will be in the form of currency that only a few will enjoy. 

And no, not even Snake Eyes can prevent this.

Who is Snake Eyes?

Snake-Eyes is a Sergeant First Class who serves in the United States Army. His face was brutally disfigured after a horrible helicopter explosion. The result of the explosion left him needing extensive plastic surgery and with unrepairable vocal chords.

These events lead him to his now trademark black body suit with a balaclava and visor to shield his face. Rather than concede defeat, Snake Eyes joined the G.I. Joe’s as one of the true America Heroes and waged their war against the criminal empire, Cobra.

Sadly, I don’t know if he’s the one to turn the corner for this franchise. Hell, if Dwayne Johnson couldn’t do it….

Classic, Heroes, and Cultural Favorite…

But enough about the thoughts of Hollywood movie executives and my thoughts. We know that they are trying to employ the same methods that many other successful and semi-successful franchises have employed but what do you think?

Do you think that G.I. Joe Snake Eyes has any hope of being moderately more successful or better than its predecessors? Will you give it the benefit of the doubt and check it out in theatres?

OR

Will you watch as it potentially dies a tragic death?

Let me know.

Cheers,

Jeff