'Guardians Of The Galaxy' Reviews *SPOILERS*

Not sure if anyone else has seen it, but I watched it yesterday afternoon.

Loved it.

James Gunn has taken characters 90% of the movie-going public have never heard of before, and made you CARE about them. As opposed to Bryan "Rapist" Singer or Martin Campbell, who took characters 75% of the movie-going public has heard of, and made you HATE them.

The film opens up with a young black-eyed Peter Quill listening to his Walkman outside a hospital, where his mother is dying. She asks why he was fighting the boys from his school again, and he tells her because they killed a frog for absolutely no reason. She tells him he's just like his father, who was an "angel". I have a theory about that I'll get back to later. She gives him a gift, and tells him not to open it until she's gone. She asks Peter to take her hand as she's dying, but he shy's away, refusing to take her hand. His mother passes away, and Peter loses his chance to say goodbye. He runs outside, overcome with emotion, and falls to the ground out in a field. As he does, a spaceship hovers down over him, and sucks him up inside.

Fast forward 26 years later, and a masked Quill is on a deserted planet, searching for....something. He locates where it is, removes his helmet, and puts his Walkman on once again. He then proceeds to dance across the screen to "Come And Get Your Love", and it is AWESOME. One of the best character intro's in a Marvel Studios film yet. From here, you see basically what was in the first few trailers.

He escapes Djimon Hounsou's Korath, barely, and then is reminded he had a female "friend" on board. She accepts a call from Michael Rooker's Yondu, who proceeds to chew him out for not being there with the Orb he went to recover. He basically tells him he taught him well, and was going to sell it himself. Yondu no like this, and places a 40,000 unit bounty on his head.

From here we are introduced to the Kree Ronan The Accuser, who proceeds to smash a Nova Corp members head in, even though the Kree and Xandarians signed a treaty long ago. He gets a call from Thanos, who tells him  he sent his two "daughters" to help him get the Orb for himself, and not to piss him off. Zoe Saldana's Gamora tells Ronan she'll recover it, pissing Karen Gillan's Nebula off in the process.

We head to Xandar, where Quill is unable to sell the Orb once his "fence" hears Ronan is involved. Gamora is waiting for him outside, she steals the Orb, they fight and during this we are introduced to Bradley Cooper's Rocket Raccoon and Vin Diesel's Groot. They have a very 'Of Mice and Men' type relationship, with Rocket being George to Groot's Lenny. They spot Quill, try to grab him, Gamora doesn't like this, she fights all three, they all end up getting arrested together by the Nova Corp.

They get processed in prison, where Quill gets pissed that an alien is listening to his Walkman, telling him "Those are MY songs". Once inside, a big brute alien tries manhandling Quill, when Groot steps in. Rocket makes the announcement that Quill is HIS, and not to mess with them. Gamora, on the other hand, has been marked by 90% of the prison. Her reputation proceeding her. We catch a glimpse of Dave Bautista's Drax here, who takes a keen interest in her as well.

That night, Quill awakens to see a group of inmates dragging Gamora off. He follows, and watches as they tell her they are going to cut her apart. Drax shows up, and tells them if ANYONE is going to kill her, it is HIM. Ronan killed his wife and daughter, and he feels killing his lackey will hurt him. Quill steps in, reasons with Drax by telling him she has turned on Ronan, and that if he truly wants vengeance, she can help get him close to the man who truly did him wrong. This makes sense to Drax, and he lets her live.

The group escapes from the prison, Star Lord goes back to get his Walkman, they head to a floating head/planet called "Nowhere", Rocket and Drax fight after getting drunk, meet The Collector, find out it's an Infinity Gem in the Orb and see's what happens when someone touches it, fight Ronan who was called there by Drax, Quill gets taken by Yondu while saving Gamora's life, Rocket, Groot and Drax try to save them only to find out Quill made a deal with them already, and we see Ronan touch the Infinity Gem as he makes a weapon out of it. He then tells Thanos he's going to fuck up Xandar before coming after HIM.

The group have a breakthrough, realize they are the first friends they've really ever had, and decide to save Xandar. Drax giving one of the best lines of the movie when he says about Gamora "This green whore is my friend", which pisses her off. When Nebula starts trash talking Gamora, Drax blasts her with a rocket launcher and says "Nobody talks to my friend like that". It was great.

I know some people have issue with what happens between Star Lord and Ronan, but I think it fit PERFECTLY with the themes in the movie. The music was the most important thing in the world to Quill, because these were his MOTHER'S SONGS. He used them when he fought, used them to hook up with chicks, and he used them when the galaxy was on the line. It was there, and it was consistent. Loved, loved, loved it.

Oh, and when Groot speaks his final line in the film, be prepared.

There is truly very little to dislike in this film. There was a bit of exposition, but in a film that had to introduce completely new characters, there just isn't always room to "show, don't tell". Didn't bother me a bit. The post-credit stinger was funny, but I think you can tell they went with it just in case the movie flopped.

Bradley Cooper was spot-on for Rocket Raccoon. He didn't just do Bradley Cooper, he injected personality into the character. Vin Diesel's Groot was probably my favorite of the bunch. He only said three/four words, but everything he DID was amazing. When he cuts loose on a bunch of Ronan's guards, then turns to the camera and smiles, it will make you bust out in laughter. Guaranteed.

Dave Bautista's Drax was really fun. And very literal. When Quill tells him something went over his head, he responds with "Nothing goes over my head. With my reflexes, I would catch it with my hands". Ha! And for probably the first time ever, Zoe Saldana played a character I actually liked, or didn't rub me the wrong way. Karen Gillan is beautiful, even painted blue & black with a shaved head. I have a feeling she'll be back in either 'Guardians 2' or 'Avengers 3'.

Chris Pratt's Peter Quill/Star Lord. If I didn't have an idea otherwise, you'd think he was Tony Stark's son. Of course he isn't, but they are remarkably alike. And Pratt kills it. The guy looked jacked, but was funny as hell too. I don't see the movie succeeding like it has with any other actor in that role. Oh, and as to who his father is? I have a feeling it's an Asgardian. The Nova Corp tells him he's only half-human, and that his other half is a "very ancient" DNA. Loki even mentions how Asgardians live "a few thousand years" more than humans.

I could be wrong of course, but to me that was what I immediately thought of.

If you are a joyless, soulless person, 'Guardians' isn't for you. For everyone else?

See it. More than once, if you can.

AP, I have to ask about the post-credits scene because it's apparently already been 'spoiled' in the comments over at Singer Homo Hype. However, for the time being here at least I'll ask in in spoiler tags:

Spoiler:

non_amos wrote:AP, I have to ask about the post-credits scene because it's apparently already been 'spoiled' in the comments over at Singer Homo Hype. However, for the time being here at least I'll ask in in spoiler tags:

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

Oh, and in The Collector's museum, I saw a Dark Elf from 'Thor: The Dark World' and a Chithauri from 'The Avengers'. I'm sure there's a lot more that I either didn't get, or didn't see.

Some are saying that Beta Ray Bill is also in the Collector's collection. I'm sure you know who that is but for the uninformed, of which I don't claim to be an expert either really, but it's the alien that looks like Thor. Looks like some freakazoid dressed as Thor, hammer & all. They're saying he was in one of the tubes.

non_amos wrote:Some are saying that Beta Ray Bill is also in the Collector's collection. I'm sure you know who that is but for the uninformed, of which I don't claim to be an expert either really, but it's the alien that looks like Thor. Looks like some freakazoid dressed as Thor, hammer & all. They're saying he was in one of the tubes.

And this may or may not be him:

Spoiler:

I can't tell what's in that pic to tel you the truth. I either need a better shot or just look for it when I go see the film.

non_amos wrote:I can't tell what's in that pic to tel you the truth. I either need a better shot or just look for it when I go see the film.

It's someone slumped on the floor from behind, red cape, what POSSIBLY could be a hammer hanging on the wall.

Saw it last night. Somehow managed to avoid 95% of spoilers. I don't know why but people are spoiling the fuck out of this thing in ways that other movies (even Marvel films) haven't been.

Anyway, not too much I can add to the Puncher's thoughts but I will say that what makes this movie work for me is the fun, slightly comedic tone. Frankly, I think audiences have a big appetite for comic books right now but they're nearly overdosed on all that "superhero epic" bullshit. Stuff like GOTG is the perfect remedy for that. It's the right movie at the right time.

Plus, between Thanos, the Collector, Howard and possibly Adam Warlock and Beta Ray Bill, a LOT has been put on the table insofar as Marvel cosmic stuff is concerned.

But speaking of Howard, people have really responded well. Well enough for a Howard the Duck movie? Don't know. But Marvel could test the waters there with some webisodes or shorts or something. It'd be easy enough to put a Howard the Duck short ahead of Cap 3 or Avengers 2 or something.

I still haven't seen it. Been working so much that I'll probably be late on this like I was TWS. Well, maybe not that late, at least I hope not.

Too tired right now to go into some analysis about why I want a Howard the Duck film. I just do. Apparently the idea was popular enough back in the day for George Lucas to attach his name to it but it didn't turn out exactly like it should have but hey! It's now a cult classic! But suffice it to say that Marvel Studios has all their 'ducks in a row' now LOL. Lucasfilm may have failed. They won't!