Bonus Features: Gear up for ‘Snake Eyes’ with the ‘G.I. Joe’ origins on 4K

As the “G.I. Joe” franchise prepares to return to the big screen with this summer’s “Snake Eyes,” Paramount Home Entertainment is giving fans a quick refresher on the series so far. Just three days before the latest installment hits theaters, 2009’s “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” and the 2013 follow-up “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” will make their 4K Ultra HD debut.

While these two films aren’t required viewing to be able to enjoy “Snake Eyes,” which is a prequel/origin story, there’s certainly some lore and details here that will heighten fans’ appreciation.

With one of the biggest stars of the late 2000s and early 2010s leading the way in Channing Tatum, “Cobra” kicked off the franchise’s film adaptation with a globetrotting spy adventure, and the sequel did what every movie does when it needs to go bigger: add Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

When it comes to the home release, die-hard Joe fans may be the only ones willing to pull the trigger on either of these 4K copies. Considering both films originally debuted on Blu-ray upon their initial release, the video and audio quality of the transfer to 4K doesn’t really feel leaps and bounds greater than what it was on Blu-ray. Add in the fact that both discs only include previously-released bonus content and nothing new, these “G.I. Joes” will quickly retreat from the front lines of your shopping list.

Let’s take a look at what bonus features the discs have to offer.

Special Features on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and Digital

• “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra”
  • Commentary by director Stephen Sommers and producer Bob Ducsay
• “G.I. Joe: Retaliation”
  • Commentary by director Jon M. Chu and producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura
  • G.I. JOE: Declassified
    • Mission Briefing
    • Deployment
    • Two Ninjas
    • The Desert Attack
    • COBRA Strikes
    • The Lone Soldiers
    • The Monastery
    • Fort Sumter
  • Deleted Scenes

“G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” and “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” release on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital Combo Pack on July 20, 2021.