MoviesReviewsToons

DVD Review: ShoutFactory’s G.I. Joe The Movie

First off I would like to thank Dana and ShoutFactory for their generous contribution of this DVD. Now secondly I would like to say as a kid despite not seeing any of the classic G.I. Joe series I had owned a highly used VHS of the classic 1987 animated film. This movie even to this day is one of my most highly regarded films of the ’80’s.

I first obtained the 2000 re-release of the film by Rhino in late 2009, glad to at least see it was on DVD. However since seeing the classic Transformers and G.I. Joe series re-released by ShoutFactory made me wish this would get a remastering as well.

In July of 2010 my prayers were answered in the form of the newly remastered version of G.I. Joe The Movie (1987). ShoutFactory’s version of the movie does feature much greater quality overall. The visuals, the audio, the menus and even the special features were something to be in awe of.

THE MENU:

The menu setup was in a much better format by far in comparison to the original DVD release. It makes use of some dynamic animations in similar fashion to their G.I. Joe Season Sets and the Transformers G1 Season Sets. The quality on that alone makes you gear up to watch the film. Another feature I like is the ability for the movie to be played in either full screen or wide screen. I personally am glad to see the wide screen as I have a wide screen tv and it looks much better not seeing the black outlines. See the image below for details on the classic menu and the new menu system.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Special Features are very similar in each edition of the film. However in the newer ShoutFactory version it also includes the ability to download the original movie script to your desktop computer. This key element I think adds more value in itself to the Special Features.

Now granted in the Special Features area, I do like Cobra Commander’s mug shot there, I do think ShoutFactory adds a nice touch as if accessing the Joes computer system.

AUDIO:

The audio was several steps up and a lot clearer than that of the older edition. I could hear more of the crisp background music, sound effects and vocals. I would much rather listen to this than I would the original. With that in mind I move on to the visuals.

VISUALS:

By the time I got to watching the film after first watching the original 2000 Rhino release, I noticed several differences in picture. Some of these were subtle and others were blatantly obvious. See the examples below:

Now look at B.E.T. (Broadcast Energy Transmitter) which granted is slightly higher in seconds on one of the scenes but regardless you get the idea. The colors on the one on the left (Rhino) are more cartoon-ish whereas the one on the right (Shout) have a more real tone to them. To further detail this I have some more side by sides with the actual same scenes.

Here we have an image of Serpentor from the first 10 minutes of the movie. Rhino has the colors more vibrant on the lighter colors. However their details to the darker images makes it so it is hard to see the details. ShoutFactory despite missing some of the brighter colors did manage to show more accurate skin tones. The colors on the darker objects such as the snakes on Serpentor’s shoulders are much brighter leaving me seeing actual detail in that area. Finally on to one final image comparison.

Here we have Roadblock with Cobra Commander only here he is holding Cobra’s battle mask. What I like about the image on the right are the accuracy to real life colors. Rhino did a good job but Roadblock looks reddish instead of the brown that is in Shout’s. Another thing is the mask. It has a red tint to it there as well whereas Shout again outdoes it with the chrome coloring. It makes in these instances a no brainer which copy I would rather have.

OVERVIEW:

All in all I like the version ShoutFactory has released and am glad to finally have a great quality of this movie. Although the menu could have used a little more imagery of the characters included, I still loved this re-release.  This is a film I will watch for years to come.

OVERALL SCORES:

  • MENU: 4.0 out of 5
  • AUDIO: 4.5 out of 5
  • VISUAL: 4.5 out of 5
  • SPECIAL FEATURES: 5 out of 5
  • OVERALL: 4.5 out of 5
Show More

Steve "Megatron"

Co-Creator @GeekCastRadio | Creator @AlteredGeek | Voice Actor | Podcaster, Husband | Father | Web/Graphic Design | A/V Editor | Geek of Games, Tech, Film, TV.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Back to top button