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Yes, yes, I know…the temporary body of G.I. Joe: Retaliation isn’t even cold yet, and already we’re looking ahead.  Or at least I’m looking ahead.

I will admit right off the bat that I quite often roll my eyes at fans who declare basic military movies to be the “perfect G.I. Joe film”.  To me, G.I. Joe is about so much more than simple military action.  There is so much more to it than Squad A infiltrates building and kills evil terrorists.  There is a certain spirit, and a certain je ne sais quoi that it seems many people can’t grasp (especially based on what we’re seeing and hearing from Hollywood).

So it’s pretty rare that I’ll see a film or TV show that is wholly unrelated to G.I. Joe and think that it would be perfectly suited to represent the brand that I’ve known and loved for 30 years.

Consider this that rare moment.

Below I have embedded an Official Ghost Recon: Alpha “mini movie” that is apparently an official production of UbiSoft.  No, there are no G.I. Joe characters within, but in my opinion, this is as close to a perfect “G.I. Joe” film sequence as I have ever seen.  Make the uniforms a bit more distinct and representative of certain characters…dress the evil terrorists in trademark Cobra blue, and inject a bit more character into each player…and this IS G.I. Joe.

The perfect blend of military action and future-tech.  Heavy on the firepower, heavy on the drama, but not overtly in your face violent.  It’s not often that I see an unrelated video and immediately think it would fit G.I. Joe, but this is one of those times.  I won’t spoil it for you, but there is even something that shows up 3/4 of the way through the film that almost seems like a too perfect Cobra weapon.  This has to be seen to be believed, but it’s not family friendly, so wait for the kids to hit the sack.  Big thanks to John Uy for bringing this to my attention.

Hey, Paramount, you watching this?  This is how it’s done.*

For more information on this and how this film leads into Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, check out this feature on G4.

*This is not to insinuate that G.I. Joe: Retaliation isn’t also “how it’s done”…haven’t seen it yet, so I can’t judge, but this 23 minute film blew my socks off. 😉