From there, all hell breaks loose in a frenzied action sequence that seems to use every single Joe and Cobra ever seen in the TV show. Joe theme song and a vigorous counterattack (led by a battle cry seemingly recycled from the show’s opening sequences). exploding all combine to answer the song’s question, “Who can turn the tide?” It’s an incredibly potent triple punch to kick off the G.I. Probably my single favorite moment of the opening sequence comes when the musical cue, the lyrics, and the visual of Major Bludd’s C.L.A.W.

It’s a nice bonus for longtime fans of the series, but won’t lose anyone new to the franchise. The scene is also mated to highly evocative theme music that borrows from Cobra musical cues from the series without explicitly echoing any of them. The opening kicks off in grand fashion right from the start as seemingly endless Cobra forces assault the Statue of Liberty - an exceptionally provocative sequence that visually summarizes what Cobra is all about, from the hordes of troopers sowing terror to the Crimson Guardsman sharply curtailing freedom of the press. Cobra conflict in microcosm, but the movie version expands to three minutes from just one and clearly had a much larger animation budget to work with.

Like the opening credits to the TV show, the opening sequence to G.I. Joe: The Movie deserves a closer look on its own. Joe opening sequences multiple times (especially the one that ran starting with the “The Pyramid of Darkness” mini-series and the TV show proper), but the opening credits for the feature-length G.I. I’ve expressed my love for the 1980’s G.I.

Gi joe movie cartoon 1987