NEWS > ENTERTAINMENT > G.I. JOE MOVIE EXPECTED TO FAIL AS DIRECTOR SOMMERS STAYS AT THE HELM

G.I. JOE MOVIE EXPECTED TO FAIL AS DIRECTOR SOMMERS STAYS AT THE HELM

June 16 2009

Los Angeles, CA – Nostalgia is something that has always been difficult to beat. Those rose coloured memories of our youth that make the bad seem not so bad, the mediocre fascinating, and the great untouchable. It is often that people possessed of nostalgia from a certain time so desperately want to attain it again and in the process
overlook things like sense and logic and good taste. Sometimes the past does come back even better than we thought, but more often than not that indulgence in the past ends up a bit awkward.

In recent years Hollywood has been mining nostalgia to great effect. The sudden uptick of film remakes and the mining of once thought dead properties has brought joy to moviegoers and millions to bank accounts. It is in that spirit that Paramount embarked on a venture to recreate one of the most beloved properties of the 1980’s, something they had had great success with previously. Many children of the 80’s had high hopes for the upcoming G.I. Joe movie, hopes that soared again with rumours that director Stephen Sommers had been fired from the film, but crashed back to Earth with official word that he was in fact still at the helm.

“Alongside Transformers there was nothing as big as
G.I. Joe in the 1980’s. I doubt there was a boy anywhere in the western world that didn’t have at least one figure. The affection people have for this property is palpable so it was quite understandable that they were a little peeved upon finding out that Sommers was at the helm,” said Scrape TV Entertainment analyst Tracey Temple. “That’s probably why the rumours of his firing brought so much attention and so much enthusiasm. True the picture has been shot and there are certain things that will make it through no matter what, but with him off the picture there was at least a chance that something could have been salvaged, but unfortunately that no longer seems to be the case.”

Sommers’ biggest success was the 1999 smash ‘The Mummy’ which was seen by many moviegoers as an
enjoyable romp. Little else in his directing career is seen as watchable, much less enjoyable, a concern that has been haunting the ‘Joe’ movie from the beginning.

“With the creative success that Paramount had with ‘Transformers’ it was natural to assume that they would put the same level of dedication and effort at quality into the ‘G.I. Joe’ movie. After all they are kind of sibling properties and have the same audience so it really should have been a no brainer. Then they hired Sommers and that was pretty much that. His hiring proved conclusively to many fans that they weren’t serious about the project,” continued Temple. “I mean yes Michael Bay has made some very mediocre and brain dead movies but he’s always put a serious effort into casting interesting actors and can sure shoot an explosion. The same can’t be said about Sommers whose biggest success has been making Brendan Fraser seem animated, at least a little bit.”

Early reports indicate that the film has received some of the lowest test screening scores in Paramount’s history which prompted the director’s ouster from the editing room. Confirmation of his continued employment was made last week by the producers and studio.

“It could have been worse. Word is that Paul W.S. Anderson had been swimming around the property and that would have been, well that would have been much more of a disaster than anything Sommers could possibly accomplish. Regardless it is likely that fans will be even more disappointed by the movie than by word of Sommers continued employment,” continued Temple. “Unfortunately though that is the danger in playing with nostalgia; it’s never as good as you remember it, especially when you have Stephen Sommers playing with it.”

Word is that Uwe Boll, previously regarded as the worst director in the world, has been contributing to the editing process in an effort to retain his title.

Samantha Dryden, Entertainment Correspondent

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