Thoughts on the G.I. Joe and Sherlock Holmes Footage at ShoWest

The good folks over at First Showing have seen some footage of various films at ShoWest in Las Vegas. Here is a snippet of what they thought of a couple of them.

G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra

Essentially, what I saw was a super charged mix of high tech bio suits, lasers, futuristic military vehicles, guns of every type, jumping, dodging, spinning, bio-gadgetry, and whimsical technology that we only see in movies. And this isn't a good thing. Everybody remembers The Mummy Returns, also directed by Stephen Sommers, and how they just threw in everything they could into that to beef it up and it made it so damn cheesy? Some sort of thing here, except that instead of mummies, we've got Channing Tatum and Marlon Wayans wearing ridiculous-looking armored suits with helmets that emulate the Iron Man visor.

Sherlock Holmes

The first thing you need to know is that this isn't the Sherlock Holmes you know… It a funky way, it's kind of like if Snatch were about a British detective from the 1800s, which is exactly what it is, thanks to Guy Ritchie writing and directing. The reaction didn't seem to be overly positive, at least coming from a few other writers that I know. It is a bit of a shock at first, because it's such a big departure from expectations, and I hope most people still like it.

But is it good? To be honest, I enjoyed it, it looked very fun. I'm not expecting anything incredible, and although I do really appreciate Guy Ritchie (I loved both Snatch and even RocknRolla), I wasn't expecting a new Guy Ritchie classic like Snatch. Honestly, I'm just expecting a good popcorn flick, which is exactly what it looks like. The first big shocker is that this looks like a buddy comedy, not a serious movie, with some really zany British humor that may really turn off quite a few people. But of course, you'll all get your own taste of that whenever you get to see this trailer, and can judge for yourself whether it works or not.

Then I remember that it's Robert Downey Jr., in that signature top hat, with his signature pipe, and with six pack abs and no shirt (in one scene where he's boxing another guy), kicking some serious ass, and I'm reminded why I actually still am looking forward to this.

Interesting stuff. I get the feeling G.I. Joe will be a cheese fest with a couple of cool bits thrown in and Sherlock Holmes will split opinion right down the middle. I think it will all depend if you are a fan of Guy Ritchie's previous films.

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