Guardians of the Galaxy - 2014

[Shogunn2517]

Spoiler

All in all it was an enjoyable film, but nothing spectacular. A little humor, some action. Except for a lot of Kree and Nova Corps stuff, there really wasn't much that the typical person in the audience would recognize as Marvel, but perhaps that was the point. Marvel might be trying out its potential for producing blockbuster films featuring its lower-tier, more easily licensed characters. But who knows.

Regardless, it was okay. The characters seemed a little flat sometimes, and the plot was rushed and packed too full of sequel-prepping character development -- toss-away Gamora/Nebula subplot, anyone? But the audience seemed pleased. Not a film that had to be made, but as far as summer fun goes, it beats the miserable also-rans that have preceded it so far this year.

You hit it on the head.

Spoiler

By all accounts of filmmaking, Gunn did a good job and so did the performers, particularly even a beginner Batista.  But I remember the feeling I had about this movie two years ago when I heard of its development and to last week, my feelings about the film was the same and now that I watched it nothing's changed.  I just can't escape the feeling of ALL of Marvel's pantheon of cosmic heroes, I would have preferred to see at least a half a dozen others before the GotG.  Captain Marvel, Quasar, Warlock, Nova just off the top of my head.  I didn't want to let this poo-poo my feelings about the movie, but just as a fan of the genre, yes it's a fine movie but there IS more I'd rather see.

[Shogunn2517]

And one more thing....

Spoiler

I was SORELY and COMPLETELY disappointed with the PC-scene.  For years we get character appearances and hints for sequels.  Nick Fury, Tony Stark, Cosmic Cubes, Thanos and entire trailers of sequels.  Here we get

Spoiler

Howard the Duck?

Who won't be in a sequel, who if they made (another) movie about I'd be annoyed with the effort on something I'm going to reject  I expected to see Thanos gathering Infinity Stones or a hint on another or a clue to Ultron or PH something... and we get

Spoiler

Howard the Duck???

Really?  That's worse than Iron Man 3's PC.  At least that showed a character/plot for another movie.  This was just like the rest of the movie... meh.

[Spring Heeled Jack]

Spoiler

Yeah, Howard the Duck...?! Lame. If there had been even the slightest hint of Ultron in the post-credits scene I would have dropped dead with glee.

As for Guardians, I think Marvel was trying to amp up the humor that has been a hallmark in the Iron Man/Captain America/Avengers series of films. So they went far into left field to pull out a property that had great potential for humor. Plus, you never know what other studios have licensing rights tied up, so probably Quasar, Warlock, etc. are lost in development hell.

[BentonGrey]

Man, I'd really love to see a Captain Marvel flick.  That would be pretty cool.

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

I really would not be surprised if that did happen.  I would be even less surprised if both Agents of SHIELD and this film were setting that up.

[Talavar]

Saw it this afternoon, and it's a solid, fun Marvel movie.  Not their best, but far from the worst.  Of all the complaints fielded so far however, to complain that a Guardians of the Galaxy movie is about the Guardians of the Galaxy is absurd.  Are these the characters Marvel next needed to tap for film?  Of course not.  But they are very different from traditional superhero stories in a way that Quasar or Nova, for instance, are not, and that difference is something I think Marvel is looking for going forward.  At two movies a year for 6 years, and ramping up to 3 soon, diversification in tone and content seems important.

[murs47]

Saw this last night and was pleasantly surprised. It reminded me of Star Wars minus the Force/Jedi/Sith. A Han Solo adventure, if you would. I also liked how it didn't take itself too seriously.

Verdict: I'd shell out the cash to watch it again.

[crimsonquill]

Just got back from seeing it tonight! It was GREAT!

Everything that I hoped from a Marvel Universe space opera which is leading us towards the Infinity Gauntlet in Avengers 3. Sure it wasn't Winter Soldier level of perfect writing but everything I would expect from a Summer blockbuster. I'd take 5 fun movies like Guardians for every special effects trainwreck Transformers "blockbuster" that comes along every few years. I walked out of Guardians knowing they loved the comics, used them as source material respectfully and improved some elements, had lots of action and humor, and didn't feel like my fandom was abused and used for my ticket money. Groot and Rocket were awesome and Star-Lord was just everything a smart arse rogue should be.

Bring on Avengers Age Of Ultron and Ant-Man!!!

- CQ

[Podmark]

Saw it today and I loved it! Might even be my favorite Marvel movie!
Well paced, great dialogue and characters, and just lots of fun. It'd didn't just adapt the Guardians, it improved each of them to make far more engaging characters.
While the humour is going to get pointed to, the real strength of the this film is the five main characters. They play off each other really well, and it's from their interactions that most of the humour comes from. Was very impressed with Chris Pratt. This is the first time I'd seen him in anything.

I've been looking forward to this film since it was announced and it did not disappoint!

One small thing that kinda bugged me:

Spoiler

Drax really gets used as the punching bag. In the comics he's probably the most powerful member of the team, but in the film he doesn't get a lot of opportunities to really show his strength. Both Ronan and Korvath take him down easily.
Anyway that's really minor. Great film.

[trebean]

Loved it!
Justlistened again to the entire soundtrack!
Anyone else erm.... "saw" the cameo of another nerd culture fave actor?

Spoiler

Nathan Fillion!! He voiced the big blue guy in prison.

Agree on a bad PC Scene, but at least it's not as worst as the international PC scene of IM3 (I live in the Philippines)
 

Spoiler

Our IM3 PC Scene was Stark telling Banner about what just happened in his life, and Banner saying that he's not a psychiatrist

[Talavar]

Loved it!
Justlistened again to the entire soundtrack!
Anyone else erm.... "saw" the cameo of another nerd culture fave actor?

Spoiler

Nathan Fillion!! He voiced the big blue guy in prison.

Agree on a bad PC Scene, but at least it's not as worst as the international PC scene of IM3 (I live in the Philippines)
 

Spoiler

Our IM3 PC Scene was Stark telling Banner about what just happened in his life, and Banner saying that he's not a psychiatrist

The Iron Man 3 PC scene was the same in North America.  There seems to be a change at Marvel about post credit scenes; where previously they were only used to tease future storylines, newer ones have largely been jokes (Avengers shawarma eating, IM3's chat with Banner, and now Guardians scene).  Cap 2 & Thor 2 didn't really do either.  I have no problem with this.

[trebean]

Loved it!
Justlistened again to the entire soundtrack!
Anyone else erm.... "saw" the cameo of another nerd culture fave actor?

Spoiler

Nathan Fillion!! He voiced the big blue guy in prison.

Agree on a bad PC Scene, but at least it's not as worst as the international PC scene of IM3 (I live in the Philippines)
 

Spoiler

Our IM3 PC Scene was Stark telling Banner about what just happened in his life, and Banner saying that he's not a psychiatrist

The Iron Man 3 PC scene was the same in North America.  There seems to be a change at Marvel about post credit scenes; where previously they were only used to tease future storylines, newer ones have largely been jokes (Avengers shawarma eating, IM3's chat with Banner, and now Guardians scene).  Cap 2 & Thor 2 didn't really do either.  I have no problem with this.

Really? I read on Comicvine on how their PC Scene was IM meeting up with Starlord.

[BentonGrey]

Loved it!
Justlistened again to the entire soundtrack!
Anyone else erm.... "saw" the cameo of another nerd culture fave actor?

Spoiler

Nathan Fillion!! He voiced the big blue guy in prison.

Agree on a bad PC Scene, but at least it's not as worst as the international PC scene of IM3 (I live in the Philippines)
 

Spoiler

Our IM3 PC Scene was Stark telling Banner about what just happened in his life, and Banner saying that he's not a psychiatrist

Trebean, that was our scene as well in the U.S.

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

Actually, there were two.  Have been for the last few Marvel Film.  Can't remember what the other one was though, which shows you how memorable it was.

[JeyNyce]

To go a bit off topic, Some of the Marvel movie usually show 2 PC.  One after they list the main stars and a second at the very end of the credits

[BentonGrey]

Actually, there were two.  Have been for the last few Marvel Film.  Can't remember what the other one was though, which shows you how memorable it was.

Haha, yeah.  Disappointing overall, I'd say, even the PC scenes (IM3, that is).

[BentonGrey]

Well, we just got back from Guardians of the Galaxy, and we all enjoyed it, though Jenn least of all. It was entertaining, had a great cast, and it was genuinely funny throughout. It had some weaknesses though, and one of their changes from the comics REALLY bothered me (Yondu). The humor struck a discordant note once or twice as well. The team dynamic and character development were by far the strongest elements of the movie. On the whole, it was good, but I definitely disagree with the folks calling it the best of the Marvel movies. Cap II, Avengers, and even Thor II were significantly better, methinks.

I'll post more later.

[JeyNyce]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who felt that about Yondu

[lugaru]

We saw it Friday night and really loved it, my girlfriend was laughing really hard through the whole thing. I was surprised at the 'hit to miss' ratio of both the jokes and the action scenes, and even though the movie makes a lot of very 'safe' choices it did not set out to make ONE character into comedic relief, every character (except maybe Gamora) had a lot of chances to both be cool and be the butt of a joke.

I liked the re-imagining of Drax, the less he looks like the hulk the better. Also I'm not a big sci-fi guy but I really liked the ideas and concepts in the movie and honestly the fact that it was a comedy made it more acceptable that most aliens and technology where very human.

About Yondu I was 50/50, it was one of those "I really like this character, whoever he is" moments. I guess he is not 'high profile' enough to be faithfully translated, so the least they can do is make him cool or interesting and he did steal a lot of scenes.

[lugaru]

Oh another thing, it made me very optimistic for Ant Man because honestly the style it was filmed in reminded A LOT of Edgar Wright's movies like Sean of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and The Worlds End. In other words a group of friends and fairly and honestly emotional, but the action is both intense and frequently funny. If anyone has not seen those 3 movies (or to a lesser extent Scott Pilgrim which was great but did not do well) you really should.

[Starman]

Lugaru, you know Edgar Wrights isn't doing Ant-Man anymore, right? 

[lugaru]

Lugaru, you know Edgar Wrights isn't doing Ant-Man anymore, right? 

That is crazy unfortunate, and looking at Peyton Reed he has made some funny stuff but I doubt he has a third of the love for genre film making, not to mention the ability to weave real emotion into something funny and action packed.

[Starman]

Plus, outside of just directing, Wright and Joe Cornish wrote the script ... which has already been rewritten since he left the project 

Anyway, I was pleased with Guardians of The Galaxy ... it wasn't the greatest comic or sci-fi film ever, but it was an entertaining popcorn movie. Those type of films are getting harder and harder to find.

[Spring Heeled Jack]

I was a little disappointed that "Spirit in the Sky" was in the trailer but not in the film. Though that is a really dumb song and always has been. (And I say that as an ardent appreciator of "Undercover Angel" and "Theme from 'Greatest American Hero')", so I know my dumb songs, believe me.)

[JeyNyce]

Because of the post credit scene in GoTG I'm hoping that in the Avengers 2 movie that they show Squirrel Girl in the post credits

[spydermann93]

 

[Figure Fan]

That drawing is excellent

[Silver Shocker]

I really enjoyed it.

The cast and humor was great, the humor is thoroughly quotable (my personal favorite character is the "What a bunch of a-holes" guy, and yes, I realize how irrational that is. He just cracks me up.)
Karen Gillen as Nebula really impressed me. I liked her fine on Doctor Who but I wasn't expecting Nebula to have much to do in the movie (not that she really was THAT main) but she was surprisingly faithful to the comics, and her look and digital voice was executed exceptionally well.
Micheal Rooker as Merle--I mean YONDU was very amusing. I realize he has very little to do with the guy from the comics but I give them a lot of credit for giving him that arrow. It was a decent nod to the comics and I think it's one of the coolest Sci-fi weapons since the lightsaber......I kinda want one. 
I can see why some people are calling this the best Marvel movie ever made. I'm not sure but I might agree with that.

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

The sequel's already been officially confirmed and it looks like it will likely lead right into Avengers 3 with it's presumed Infinity Guantlet.  We are apparently only missing 2 and I would be very surprised if Adam Strange and the Soul Gem are at the center of Guardians 2.

[Talavar]

Adam Warlock, I think you mean, cat, unless Adam Strange has jumped companies.