Total Film magazine spoke to Jon Chu about G.I. Joe: Retaliation a bit, and focused somewhat on the comparisons between Mr. Chu and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra director Stephen Sommers.  The G.I. Joe: Retaliation director had some interesting things to say:

“We’re different filmmakers and have different views on what G.I. Joe is.”

“I love the reality of our Joes. They have relationships with each other, aspirations; they care about the people of the world.

“We’re trying to add a lot more of that rather than doing cartoon fights with laser guns: everything is very practical and we’re doing as many physical things as possible – it’s not all greenscreen.”

Very interesting comments, and I like what I’m reading here.  Obviously there was a big focus on special effects in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, especially with the whole Paris chase scene and the fandom reviled Accelerator Suits.  I think getting back to basics and back to a more “real world” feel is a great step towards bringing the fans back on board.  Very cool little tidbits.

Interesting in the midst of fan hooplah about recent comments from Michael Bay about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, it’s very refreshing to read statements from a film maker who seems to understand what the mythology is about and appears to respect the history and make a film that lives up to the spirit of the brand.

Check out the interview snippets right here.