Strange things are afoot in Hollywood.
On Super Bowl Sunday, right before the kick-off, the world got its first glimpse G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Trying to capitalize on the spirit and success of Transformers (at least the first one), producers picked the best event possible to unveil a major summer blockbuster. Unfortunately, the preview was boring, tacky, and generally unappealing. Then the studio seemed to phone-in the rest of the marketing, with dull posters, no new footage, and no decent corporate tie-ins.
A few weeks ago, rumors started circulating that the director, Stephen Sommers, had been fired from the picture and the studio was trying to salvage what it could from the alleged $175 million-budgeted production. Of course the studio denied the rumor, but that is par for the course in Hollywood regardless of the truth. The coffin was nailed shut when the studio announced that it wouldn’t screen the film for critics, citing harsh reviews for Transformers 2 that didn’t align with the audience’s feelings (i.e. the massive box office).
G.I. Joe DOA? Not so fast!
In a Hail Mary move this week, the studio decided to invite the prominent fanboy internet critics to see the movie. These are the guys who have spent the last year dumping on the movie for its infidelity to the sacred G.I. Joe brand. These are the guys who spread the rumor about Sommers being fired. These are the guys who said the worst things possible about Transformers 2. These are the guys whose blessings or condemnations directly affect box office returns in a huge way.
And to my complete shock and against all odds, these reviews have been overwhelmingly positive. Not in a “better than expected” way, but more to the effect of, “Wow, this was awesome!”
In all of my years as a movie nerd, I’ve never seen a marketing/release strategy like the one for G.I. Joe. All signs pointed to total failure. But to see the internet critics beaming with excitement and, more importantly, satisfaction, I’ve got all I need to get my rear in a theater seat.
As of 11:40AM on August 6, Rotten Tomatoes has G.I. Joe at 75%. Considering the buzz around this film, its genre and director that is a very good rating. It’ll likely change in the coming days, but if it stays about 70% it’ll be quite impressive.
I doubt the mainstream critics will give it much, but the targeted demographic is the fan base – and if they love it, I think I will, too.
That said, it is rare for all of these fan sites to agree on the quality of a movie, and rarer for their average reactions to differ much from the mainstream.