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It seems that it was just yesterday that I watched the first trailer way too many times.sean10mm posted:Rotten Tomatoes score fell from 100% to 93%, cue sad trombone. I usually try not to be defensive about bad reviews for stuff I like or might like, but the one that attacked it for being nostalgic exploitation of the Reagan era was pretty  .But it was nothing compared to the one that criticised Marvel movies, including GotG, for being built on an "unshakable foundation of self-seriouness". 
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Jul 30, 2014 19:44
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Just got back from watching it, and have to echo previous comments. The exposition was stilted, and the more emotional scenes felt a bit forced at times, Gamora wasn't as fun as the rest, but otherwise its one of the few pieces of entertainment I found to be worth the hype. The only niggling thing is that I can't help but to feel that the Xandar-Ronan conflict was allegorical of Islamic terrorism. I know that's probably not the intent, but that's how it came across. All in all, it was a celebration of family, irreverency, culture (the movie says as much with a reference to Footloose), and life itself. But the greatest achievement of this movie was bringing an actual Celestial onscreen, even if for the briefest of moments. I hope it does well enough that the end tag won't be a lie. morestuff posted:Of the female characters with lines (that I remember), three are slaves, one's painted as a useless bureaucrat, one's a disposable gently caress buddy, and one dies to give the hero motivation. Gamora's backstory is laid out in an exposition dump in a scene where the main character tries to get in her pants. Drax, characterized as being literal in all things, sums up one of our heroes as a whore. At least two times women are given a chance to express themselves, and they are exploded as a result. Gamora was occasionally a damsel in distress, her and Nebula's characters drew on Daddy Issues, the slave is sacrificed to establish danger, but on the other hand it passes the Bechdel Test, the two most prominent female characters have an arc of their own, and they're all portrayed in a variety of roles (including the most important authority figure being a woman). Otherwise all the abuse and misogyny came about the characters being selfish (Peter), idiots (80% of the team), or monsters (the Collector, who loses basically everything because of it). But Gamora doesn't actually become a full-on love interest, and the female villain survives by virtue of having agency and the good sense to exit stage left, which I liked. And you forgot Quill's mother having lines. BravestOfTheLamps fucked around with this message at 19:11 on Aug 1, 2014 |
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Aug 1, 2014 19:00
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Gorn Myson posted:After watching the movie and having loved the poo poo out of it, is it worth me picking up some of the collected Guardians of the Galaxy comics? Its not even that I specifically enjoy the premise and characters that are shown, I just love that anarchic imaginative silliness of the whole thing. Well, I remember most of them being tied to big company-wide events and past storylines, so unless you're already familiar with Marvel comics, they might be hard to get into.
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Aug 1, 2014 19:32
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mikeraskol posted:There's actually an answer in the movie, though you can't pause in the theater to see it. At the "roll call" scene that was in all the trailers, you can pause during Peter Quill's description, when the text is on the screen, and see that it says he has a translator trip implanted in his neck or his helmet or something like that. I can't recall exactly where it was. The same screen shows his code name as Space-Lord.. 
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Aug 1, 2014 21:08
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rear end Catchcum posted:What I think most people complaining about villain development are saying is this: Instead of Ronan being an iconic villain like Vader, he comes of more of a Maul. But if you think Ronan is actually the villain, you're short sighted. The villain in this movie is the gem. That's who really must be stopped. Ronan is just a conduit. It doesn't matter if he was more fleshed out, and, in fact, would have been wasteful, because he was, and always was, going to die at the end of the movie. He's not like Vader, he didn't need to be, that wasn't his role in the movie. Stop trying to force him into it. That makes sense when you consider that the final battle is actually them overcoming the gem. Tuxedo Jack posted:Holy poo poo, Ronan the Accuser was the loving Pie Maker from Pushing Daisies? I kept wondering who everyone meant when they called him that. gently caress.
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Aug 3, 2014 21:37
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Sir Kodiak posted:The Death Star is not the villain of Star Wars. I'm sure there's an essay about how the Death Star is actually the capitalist system perfected, and the Empire merely exists in its framework. e: VVV 
BravestOfTheLamps fucked around with this message at 21:58 on Aug 3, 2014 |
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Aug 3, 2014 21:53
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Timeless Appeal posted:I think it's a safe bet that in GotG 2 or Avengers 3 or Infinity Gauntlet or whenever they pay this stuff off, they are going to reestablish that Thanos wants to do something with the infinity gems. So, what does his existence in this film accomplish? I think its supposed to show that there are larger forces at work in the universe, and Ronan and he gems are just part of a much bigger game. I don't think it does that particularly well, but I think it works.
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Aug 3, 2014 22:05
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Waroduce posted:
Basically your "universe" in superhero comics is a place where there is only one iteration of a given entity, whether an object or a person or a plane of existence. In other words, it's a continuity. These universes generally include a number of subdimensions, such as the Nine Worlds (where Midgard is "our" known world, including what we would call the "universe"). So a universe is a largely predefined set of various planes of existence. In comics terms, these universes/continuities tend to be known as "Earths", because Earth is where interdimensional fuckery happens 99.9999% of the time, so it functions as a constant. There's a functionally infinite number of them, they're all different, and have their own numerical designation. There's also a supercontinuity abocve these continuities, because they can all cross over with each other. This is the Multiverse. The setting of GotG is pretty basic: its known space, or "Midgard" in Thor terminology. This is the playground of alien empires, cosmic conquerors, and a small blue planet of outlaws. The main universe of Marvel Comics is Earth-616. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is Earth-199999. Its most notable difference from Earth-616 is the absence of many 
BravestOfTheLamps fucked around with this message at 21:53 on Aug 4, 2014 |
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Aug 4, 2014 21:49
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bobkatt013 posted:Take a look at these guys resume Marvel hires directors that they can easily control. 
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Aug 6, 2014 16:43
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Having watched this again (in 3D, which was a good excuse as any), Gamora seemed even weaker as a character. She seems to bound up by the plot that she can't do her own thing. It doesn't help that she doesn't have a good hook like the others. In contrast, Quill/Star-Lord seemed even stronger. I remember first being afraid that he'd only be an idiot, but movie managed to balance all sides of his character very well.
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Aug 7, 2014 13:45
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Slugworth posted:I think he is referring to the 'necros', Ronan's weird zombie troops. Who are maybe dead kree? Or dead some other species? I think Xandar is supposed to be a multi-species socety, dominated by the caucasian-looking humanoids. Going by comics, Gamora is the last member of an entirely different species of greenskinned people. Although I understand your confusion. Drax was changed to grey for this very reason. Nebula is...  No wiki will help.XboxPants posted:According to random unverified nonsense I read on the internet I think his troops were supposed to be Sakaarans, i.e. from Planet Hulk planet. (originally planned to be Badoon) They're called Sakaarans in the movie during the Cherry Bomb montage. "But won't it be filled with hundreds of Sakaaran warriors?"
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Aug 7, 2014 16:07
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computer parts posted:There was a giant robot that was powered by the gem (comic stuff)It was a space god that was wielding the gem..
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Aug 7, 2014 19:17
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JediTalentAgent posted:I sort of think all Gamora needed as a 'kid Gamora' scene of a towering giant that is Thanos snatching her up after killing her family and throwing her in with his other 'daughters' to be raised as killers. It'd been able to be a short scene, but it could have done a lot to show right from the start of the film she's been through hell and a plan to betray Thanos has been building in her head for years. I'm really hoping the sequel will start with this, as a counterpoint to the first movie. It would also parallel Quill's own search for Cosmic Dad or whatever, so you can't say only the female characters are motivated by Daddy Issues.
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Aug 9, 2014 23:59
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mr. mephistopheles posted:If they changed it specifically for the movie then I feel like that makes the Muslim parallel even stronger. And I guess they never actually mention religion, they just call him a "Kree-fanatic" but fanatic is usually associated with religious fanaticism, especially within the culture the movie was made by and targeted at. On the other hand, he's ignoring interstellar (international) law, attacking cities from above using superior military force (he could even wipe out life with his superweapon), has support from religious supremacists and from a massive superpower (Thanos), and fighting against a bunch of outlaws (one of whom wants revenge for military action). Ronan is just as easily Israel/America. e: VVV Rocket dismisses the Nova Corps as 'fascists'. Civil and military authority are held by Nova Prime, who is explicitly identified as the leader of Xandar for the purposes of a peace treaty. Ronan's terrorist acts also may improve Xandar/Nova Corps, since he purges its most corrupt institution. What does it mean? Hell if I know. Although I do love the defensive barrier bit: if military strategy is indicative of culture and society, it tells a lot about Xandar. BravestOfTheLamps fucked around with this message at 12:01 on Aug 10, 2014 |
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Aug 10, 2014 11:07
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Black Bones posted:Long post goddamn I have some thoughts regarding Ronan as a terrorist - Now, I don't think the Orb is the true villain of the movie, but looking at it from that perspective reveals the actual the conflict running through the movie: the conflict is not to defeat Ronan, but to control the Orb. Only Drax considers Ronan's defeat an end in itself, and he more or less abandons that goal. The real endpoint is control of the Orb, and the beats of the story revolve entirely around it. Ronan and Thanos matter only in relation to the Orb, and the fight against Ronan serves to rob him of the Orb. When the heroes control the Orb, they destroy Ronan, but its basically an afterthought, more judicial than military. If you read it as a statement on Islamic terrorism, it seems to say that the terrorist is not the true danger, and that defeating the terrorist is not an end in itself. The true conflict is against war and devastation itself. The Orb is pure violence, and the true conflict is to control and regulate that. They overcome it by forming a new society (the hand-holding), which amounts to metaphorical reform. Terrorism is a threat yes, but its, but one can only overcome it by addressing its underlying causes rather than, say, leading a nuke to the "right" target. In the end, the Orb is handed to the Nova Corps, who, while corrupt in their way, are shown to be agents of order and regulation. They don't project force as much as they prevent such (exemplified in the almost literal human barrier, which is their strategy against terrorism - defence instead of offence). There was something else I wanted to address - in addition to embodying the Other, I think Ronan is clearly a thanatic figure. On his vessel, Ronan is an underworld judge, holding a hammer in a dark cave, commands demonic (relatively speaking, of course) soldiers and "necrocrafts", and works for someone called Thanos. This ties into another theme of the movie, life and death, which I do want to talk about sometime when I have time for an effort post. e: I don't think Xandar is as corrupt as it immediately seems. It just a quibble, but when the Quill and company were being sent to prison, I didn't assume it was without a trial - they have previous criminal records, so its likely that they had been judged in absentia (which might be reasonable in a space-faring society where being present for a trial could be a luxury). Although that's arguing on a subnarrative level than a symbolical/metaphorical one. BravestOfTheLamps fucked around with this message at 22:13 on Aug 13, 2014 |
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Aug 12, 2014 23:34
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Macdeo Lurjtux posted:Are Inhumans tired up in Fantastic Four? The scene from the books with the Mad Prince and Groot having an advanced astrophysics discussion was hilarious. They're their own franchise, and the film rights belong to Marvel. They recently had a big push for them, but nothing really came of it.
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Aug 13, 2014 16:38
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Light Gun Man posted:Space death cult dudes and the fact that Drax basically is Riddick in many ways. Star Wars, Sith maybe? Then again, space is the logical hang-out for death cults. There they can be one with the void, man 
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Aug 13, 2014 22:27
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Black Bones posted:Xandar is obviously a democratic, multi-cultural and relatively prosperous place, and thus is very much worth saving. Ronan is evil, but his harsh judgement on them is not completely unjust - he is a direct product of their war with the Kree; like bin Laden, one of their chickens coming home to roost. The Kiln and Knowhere also hint at what Xandar's prosperity is built on. My interpretation of Ronan is heavily influenced by the comics, were the Kree are unapologetic imperialists and Ronan is, in a way, the exemplar of their society. In the movies Ronan is apparently operating with their tacit approval. He's serving Thanos, the leading power in the universe, so its a rogue military leader making a deal with a superpower to secure a resource (the Orb) to further his ideological gains (destroying Xandar). When he massacres the Kyln, it's for tactical reasons, with no pretence of ideology (even if it does serve it). And the movie parallels Ronan "judging" Xandar with the Celestial destroying the planet in the Collector's footage. The movie doesn't expound on the Celestials, but they would basically be super-Imperialists, who go around colonising and genociding worlds. This reading says then that "righteous" revolutionary causes hide imperialist impulses. One man's terrorist is another's man imperialist. The foil, of course, is the Guardians, who are society in microcosm. In the end distance themselves from Xandar and its values even if they find it a preferable alternative to Ronan. Drax, by the way, represents the military/militaristic response to terrorism. In his mind, solving the problem equals killing terrorists. When that's done, he decides that the next step is to go after the terrorists' supporters (Thanos). Red Bones posted:Saw this yesterday, loved it. I'm trying to remember who Ronan actually was though, and why he had an army of grey zombie-looking fellas. Is he a nutty Kree monarch or pope or someone like that, that they've ostracised for being a complete nutjob? Mad religious man still bearing grudges from a recent war is definitely a much more solid backstory for a villain than, say, the space elves in Thor 2. The movie doesn't expand upon it, but Ronan's title is Accuser (it's in the movie like only two times). He's a member of a sect of military/judicial leaders who go around judging Kree and enemies of the Kree Empire. Imagine a Judge Dredd for aliens, and you're not too far off. The movie added a religious dimension to it to make him more of a modern terrorist figure. The "zombies" are really just a freaky-looking alien race (Sakaarans). e: beaten BravestOfTheLamps fucked around with this message at 11:24 on Aug 15, 2014 |
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Aug 15, 2014 09:49
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Red Bones posted:Thanks for the info. They might include heroic Kree characters in future movies, so that would've certainly built up the universe much more. One character/franchise is built around a Kree defecting even.
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Aug 15, 2014 11:47
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Crappy Jack posted:God made them that way. Not God. Space Gods. 
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Aug 15, 2014 18:44
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DFu4ever posted:Did they say he was the Emperor? I just figured it was a random, high up diplomat. Credits/wiki say "Kree Ambassador".
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Aug 15, 2014 23:20
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thespaceinvader posted:It really felt like it could have been boiled down into a 20 minute pre-credit reel for GotG2. It felt like a lot of extra gumf to basically provide enough exposition to set up 'infinity gems (oh hey tesseract, how are ya), Thanos, the Collector, Guardians of the Galaxy, maybe Nova Corps, GotG Will Return'. Exposition to set up the team in their own movie? You don't say.
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Aug 22, 2014 21:57
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Baron Bifford posted:Google Translate offers this translation for "Guardians of the Galaxy" That's like, six characters - they'll save hundreds annually by using one less in merchandise.
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Oct 9, 2014 06:41
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Davinci posted:That was an excellent summary. Thank you, it was much appreciated. It did kind of gloss over the fact that Civil War is not a good story. But the basic idea is workable, so they'll probably make something of it.
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Oct 24, 2014 11:35
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