This 4th of July, Let’s Salute G.I. Joe for Saving the Statue of Liberty in The Badass G.I. JOE: THE MOVIE Intro
Every year on Independence Day, we fire up the grill, watch fireworks, and maybe revisit a few action-packed partriotic flicks.
But if you really want to feel that red, white, and blue rush, go back to 1987, when G.I. Joe: The Movie kicked off with a sequence so over-the-top patriotic it makes The Avengers look like pacifists.
Cobra tried to blow up the Statue of Liberty, and the Joes shut them down hard.
The film’s opening throws you straight into the chaos. Cobra attacks a ceremony on Ellis Island, only to find the event guarded by G.I. Joe.
As the Joes defend the Statue of Liberty, Cobra Commander plants a bomb at the statue's base. Joe air power holds off Cobra's vehicles while Duke, via jet pack, carries the Commander's bomb to the Cobra airship, which is gloriously destroyed when the bomb explodes.
The Joes pose victorious on Lady Liberty's crown. It’s so earnestly epic and ridiculous you can’t help but smile. The final sequence where Duke is flying the American Flag up to the top of the Statue of Liberty will always bring a tear to my eye.
That introd is a pure injection of animated heroism and musical adrenaline that still slaps decades later.
So, this 4th of July, maybe take a moment to remember that when Cobra tried to wipe out one of America’s greatest symbols... G.I. Joe was there. Yo Joe!
Enjoy the video below, and be warned, the music might just stick in your head the rest of the day. Stay safe out there and happy Independence Day!