Xixax Film Forum

Film Discussion => The Vault => Topic started by: MacGuffin on February 19, 2014, 08:32:08 AM

Title: Guardians of the Galaxy
Post by: MacGuffin on February 19, 2014, 08:32:08 AM
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fen%2F6%2F63%2FGuardians_of_the_Galaxy_logo.jpg&hash=f76a710058d7d475e6f30cceaed7103db03c7c6c)




Release date: August 1, 2014

Starring: Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Zoe Saldana, Benicio Del Toro, Djimon Hounsou, Michael Rooker, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close

Directed by: James Gunn

Premise: In the far reaches of space, an American pilot named Peter Quill finds himself the object of a manhunt after stealing an orb coveted by the villainous Ronan.
Title: Re: Guardians of the Galaxy
Post by: jenkins on February 19, 2014, 11:33:06 AM
james gunn has his troma history (wr: tromeo and juliet), which means he's from the holy kingdom of awful taste, he wrote the dawn of the dead remake and scooby doo 2 in the same year, which kinda boggles me, his wr/dr slither has a solid rep, his wr/dr super is fun enough, and now he's making a marvel movie

hollywood mysterious fascinating. idgi, i don't fully get how things like this happen or why, it strikes me as an underdog hero movie from its marrow. a mass audience movie made by and for the submass. into this

feel unexpectedly off grid here (xixax) and there's probs some kinda cosmic reason this trailer appeared today. looks pretty bad, right? nothing like superman or batman or peeps like that, and i'd say the humor isn't crackling. it's marvel related in a wtf way. this is the kind of thing i like
Title: Re: Guardians of the Galaxy
Post by: picolas on February 19, 2014, 01:39:40 PM
the trailer is distinctly unfunny, but i believe the editor could have mangled the timing. i'm cautiously excited.
Title: Re: Guardians of the Galaxy
Post by: diggler on February 19, 2014, 02:59:10 PM
It's hard to judge the humor with the way it's presented here, my guess is that they just wanted to establish the tone.
Title: Re: Guardians of the Galaxy
Post by: polkablues on February 19, 2014, 05:42:32 PM
Quote from: picolas on February 19, 2014, 01:39:40 PM
the trailer is distinctly unfunny, but i believe the editor could have mangled the timing.

On the contrary, Pratt and Serafinowicz are killing it.

Leave it to James Gunn to make the first Marvel comics movie I've been interested in since... man, I don't know, the first Iron Man?
Title: Re: Guardians of the Galaxy
Post by: Drenk on February 19, 2014, 06:03:07 PM
Some unadapted outlaws trying to save the world. Chris Pratt. A raccoon. I like this trailer a lot.
Title: Re: Guardians of the Galaxy
Post by: Axolotl on February 20, 2014, 02:29:42 AM
I think any movies with talking raccoons and trees in them should be encouraged.
Title: Re: Guardians of the Galaxy
Post by: Mel on February 20, 2014, 03:37:31 AM
Film (at least in trailer) is very self aware:
- "Star-Lord who?" is as much a question from audience.
- Groot not fitting in frame.
- blurred out Fuck gesture.
- Music from headphones.

This could be a very good thing for a comic book film.
Title: Re: Guardians of the Galaxy
Post by: Sleepless on February 20, 2014, 08:58:49 AM
Looks amusing. I think I'd enjoy this more than Avengers. Only problem is I hated Pratt instantly.
Title: Re: Guardians of the Galaxy
Post by: MacGuffin on May 19, 2014, 02:49:47 PM
Title: Re: Guardians of the Galaxy
Post by: SailorOfTheSeas on May 19, 2014, 04:17:00 PM
"Awesome Mix Vol.1" Can't help but feel thats a reference to Boogie Nights there?
Title: Re: Guardians of the Galaxy
Post by: Mel on June 18, 2014, 08:04:14 AM
Title: Re: Guardians of the Galaxy
Post by: jenkins on August 02, 2014, 12:29:30 PM
you people are left and right fucking up your theatrical years. turn off your tvs, tell your mother you love her, and in this world to feel like a seed in the wind all you gotta do is to go the multiplex. the to go the multiplex. go the multiplex to. ahem. be safe, be aware of your blockbusters, and call your mothers, please. be safe everyone xx
Title: Re: Guardians of the Galaxy
Post by: Fernando on August 02, 2014, 01:08:00 PM
This may very well be Marvel's best film yet along with the 1st Cap America.

as someone that didn't know these character by 1/3 of the film I felt I knew and cared for them.

my only quibble would be some of the music choices, other than that it was a perfect summer movie.
Title: Re: Guardians of the Galaxy
Post by: AntiDumbFrogQuestion on August 05, 2014, 04:16:23 PM
As a film buff, I say this is the most punk rock big budget film we're ever going to see be popular, at least it'll be a rarity.
The Marvel brand and the connections to those movies got asses in the seats.
The movie was a pastiche of western, comedy, space opera, blah blah blah, and hit some familiar story beats that weren't that original, but I was okay with that. The tone was fucking great, and it didn't let me down.

Ups:
Performances
Aesthetic
Pace
Music
Main characters had chemistry

Downs:
"Meh" Villain
ANOTHER final battle that takes place in the air from Marvel?
Probably more I can't think of, but this was certainly enjoyable enough that I ain't gonna quibble that much
Title: Re: Guardians of the Galaxy
Post by: picolas on August 06, 2014, 02:01:59 AM
i love this universe SO MUCH. funny, dangerous, infinite. this is the closest we'll get to a live-action Futurama. i hope it doesn't make JJ's Star Wars feel old-hat next year.

the first scene is brutally misdirected melodrama and had me concerned. the second scene set everything straight. it's mostly an action-packed space romp after that.

the script needed a couple more drafts. there are a bunch of relationships that don't totally make sense. saldana/pratt's romance is random. pratt has been with so many aliens. why is zoe so life-riskingly special? their connection isn't clearly set up before becoming important to the story and ends up feeling like the obligatory hetero relationship that every action movie MUST have no matter what (reminding me of edge of tomorrow's even MORE unnecessary romantic thread).

there's also some story logic that feels like it's being made up as we go along. the climax was a little unsatisfying to me. it's close to a deus ex machina.

zoe saldana is bad. she can kick bums for sure, and she looks good in green, but her performance is just kinda blank and not very likable beyond the obvious sexy alien stuff. i don't think she made any choices specific to gamora. she just gave it a general zoe wash.

i was disappointed by thanos when he opened his mouth. he looks so awesome and scary in avengers. his voice work is neither of those things. easily agitated, not confident... his iconic smile is very confusing when he actually gives it in his scene. like a catchphrase that is mandatory for legal purposes.

those are pretty much the only bad things about guardians.

groot is the most loveable alien since... ET, i think. maybe christopher johnson ( bit.ly/1ucAsO6 ) . bradley cooper's voice is hilarious. you can feel his face and body doing all the same things as his cg counterpart. the red guy is SO FUNNY. i thought i would get tired of his strongman schtick but there's a lot more to him. pratt is creating a new kind of heroic character with every lead role he gets and i'm into it. the visuals are stunning both on the surface and conceptually. the weaving of effects is near-flawless. the alien technology is wonderous on a district 9-level.

i cannot wait to go back to this place. i want to read the comics. i want a sequel right now.
Title: Re: Guardians of the Galaxy
Post by: max from fearless on August 06, 2014, 04:44:03 PM
This was really really good. Easily my favourite film from Marvel. Sheeeeeet...JJ hasn't got a chance. I agree the script could've been much tighter. The villains are weak. The romance is soft. The climax is pure Marvel bullshit (with some nice touches) The plot is all over the place and you're right, that first scene is horrible. (The make-up on his mum looked so strange and rubbery)

But the next scene is pure movie magic. From the way the main titles hit the screen, to the music, to the way we are introduced to Chris Pratt. Gold. The characters were great. Their rapport incredible. Rocket had this sadness/madness that I found really touching. Groot has so many great, tender/funny moments in this, it's pointless to list. His last scene was some cutesy Charlie Chaplin shit. The cinema ate it up. Chris Pratt was good throughout and his 80s nostalgia hit the spot. His 'confrontation' with the villain (before it turns into a slightly stupid light-show) was hilarious and the song took me straight back to Boyz In Da Hood. Zoe Saldana got a bum wrap, her character just lacked the dimensions of the others, but she did have some great lines, that bit about Mr. Bacon, and her arguing with the strongman, were tight. Michael Rooker is fantastic throughout. Loved his whistling weapon moments. Benicio was ok, I just wished he would've got the chance to go more bonkers.

Also Loved the way this was shot, I think most comic book movies look a bit off. The colour palette was great. The spaceship and creature design was on another level from most comic book movies (the villains did look a bit boring though) although I loved the gothic look of the alien tech and ship. This also had some really strong shots in it. Shots I can still remember. Shots that made me feel something and put the wonder back into comic book movies. The firefly moment. The moment when strongman reaches out to Rocket. Just the way space looked in some shots.....

I agree, I cannot wait for the next one. And the post credit scene? JESUS. They just had fun with this one. I thought The Avengers would feel like it was a director led flick, but it felt flat as hell to me, like product. But this felt like James Gunn really tried to make it his own and for the most part, succeeded. Cannot wait to see it again. Maybe my favourite big ass summer movie since The Bourne Ultimatum....And now, Questions. Just imagine if the script for this thing was better??? I wonder if "Inherent Vice" is as funny as this??? Will Marvel let Gunn take it further in the next one???
Title: Re: Guardians of the Galaxy
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on March 17, 2019, 01:40:48 AM
I'm slowly catching up on a selection of Marvel films, and this was next on the list. Given the hype, I'm actually shocked by how underwhelming it was for me. I was fully on board and I think in the right mood, so I don't know how to explain it.

The visual inventiveness is off the charts and dazzled me throughout. But the humor was so inconsistent! Sometimes it worked great, but I'd say more than half of the jokes felt super forced and kind of dumb. And like, the writing overall is just not of the caliber I was hoping for. Perhaps this does not do well in comparison to Ragnarok, which (although it's supposed to be highly influenced by Guardians) feels like it's in a whole other category. Ragarok has an unstoppable vitality that I just did not get from Guardians.

And yeah, some of the song choices were a bit off, including the opening tune. I can't argue with their use of "Cherry Bomb," though.
Title: Re: Guardians of the Galaxy
Post by: Something Spanish on March 18, 2019, 08:36:58 PM
been meaning to do a catchup Marvel run myself. remember when this one came out it was heralded as the best thing Marvel had ever done.
Title: Re: Guardians of the Galaxy
Post by: polkablues on March 18, 2019, 09:06:06 PM
It's not a great movie, but it is a fun movie.