First Look At Cobra Commander From G. I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra

February 13th, 2009

Our first look at the Joes’ arch nemesis Cobra Commander comes from pics taken of the Combat Heroes line of kid-friendly toys:

 Duke And Cobra Commander Toys

Here’s a closer look at the artwork from the toy’s packaging:

Duke And Cobra Commander

Sigh.

The other characters shown on the toy’s packaging look like their live-action counterparts.  Rip Cord’s African American, Snake Eyes has what appear to be lips sculpted into his head gear, and Duke even has the scar on his right cheek shown in the movie posters, so I’m guessing these are pretty accurate, albeit cutesy-fied, depictions of the various Joes and Cobras appearing in the upcoming live-action movie G. I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra.

 Usually, Cobra Commander looks like this:

Cobra Commander Cartoon Helmet (As seen in the 80s era G. I. Joe cartoon)

Or like this:

Cobra Commander Comic Book Hood (The hooded Cobra Commander as depicted more recently in comic books)

And for a brief time, in the late 80s, like this:

 Cobra Commander Battle Armor (Close up of the Battle Armor Cobra Commander toy circa 1987)

Charitably, I suppose it can be said that the Combat Heroes Cobra Commander toy shown above bears a slight resemblance to the cheesy Battle Armor Cobra Commander.  Still, one wonders why the film’s producers didn’t go with the hood or the helmet, as either would have been better suited for a live-action adaptation.

There’s a small chance that Cobra Commander will at least wear the hood (the helmet’s doubtful), and that the Darth Vader-esque Cobra Commander shown at top is what the character looks like once the hood/helmet has been lost.  That one’s a long shot, for sure.

On the bright side, it looks as though Destro will be wearing his iconic, shiny metal face mask at some point in the movie.

Shiny Metal Face Mask Destro (Now that’s more like it!)


Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen – Soundwave

February 9th, 2009

Here are some pics of the new Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen Soundwave toy courtesy of Empire magazine:

 Soundwave

Soundwave Alt Mode

I’m guessing Soundwave’s alt mode is Cybertronian, like Megatron in the first film.

Soundwave used to look like this back in the original 80s cartoon:

Soundwave

At least the new Soundwave’s head is vaguely reminiscent of the original G1 design…

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Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete

February 4th, 2009

Somehow, I missed the news about this one back when the announcement was made at the 2006 Tokyo Game Show…

A new version of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is set for release on Blu-ray April 16th in Japan.  The Complete edition (essentially a Director’s Cut) will contain a full half hour of additional material as well as some re-worked scenes.  No word yet on a release date here in the states.

Here’s the official trailer showcasing some of the new scenes:

Amazingly, it seems this newest version of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children contains even more over-the-top, stylized action sequences than the original release which was already jam-packed with inventively choreographed battles and thrilling chases.


G.I Joe Movie Posters

February 1st, 2009

Check out these movie posters for this summer’s G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra

Duke

Duke

Scarlett

Scarlett

Snake Eyes

Snake Eyes

Rip Cord

Rip Cord

Baroness

Baroness

Storm Shadow

Storm Shadow

The Baroness’ sunglasses look really fake, as though they were added on, and it looks as though Duke’s sporting some facial hair?

I’m still not a big fan of the all-black look either. 

However, I do have to admit that Snake Eyes continues to look spot on, and Storm Shadow looks pretty awesome as well.

Thoughts?