Guardians of the Galaxy

[danny_galaga]

Saw this the other week. I really enjoyed it. I find Marvel movies to be a real mixed bag, but this one was a pleasant surprise. Is it only me, or is this perhaps Vin Diesels finest work? I mean, all those years in acting school, pretending to be a tree and he gets to be a tree in this movie! He nailed it. By the end of the movie, you left the theatre knowing in your heart that he was Groot.

Bradley Cooper is also as dreamy as ever.

Zoe Saldana does her usual sci-fi persona, which isn't a bad thing.

I have never read the comic books, so I can't compare. I bet there are going to be a ton of people saying (insert nasally whiney voice) "They ruined the plot of blah blah blah". All I can say is- will you ever learn? If you read the comic book, don't watch the movie! In it's own right, I enjoyed the style, and the acting and the plot.

3.5/5

my score for recent movies you may have seen:

  5/5 - Michael Clayton, In Bruges, Gran Torino, Mary and Max

4.5/5 - Taken, Iron Man, Reign Over Me, Watchmen, The girl with the dragon tattoo

  4/5 - Traitor, Bedtime Stories, Sunshine, pineapple express

3.5/5 - 300, Max Payne, You dont mess with the Zohan, Yes Man

  3/5 - That new Indiana Jones flick, Disturbia, That new TMNT flick,

2.5/5 - Angels and Demons

  2/5 - The Love Guru. Note: My 2 is probably someone elses 1. Just leaving room for worse!

[ark_ader]

It was a ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- film.  Still trying to get my money back from the cinema.  Waste of time. Rent a DVD of Watchmen instead. 

[Ond]

Is it better or worse than John Carter?  People said that was ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- but I kinda liked it.

[Malenko]

I thought it was fantastic. Much much better than Max Payne and You Don't Mess with the Zohan

[ChadTower]

Don't Mess with Zohan was one of the worst movies ever made.   

[Malenko]

Don't Mess with Zohan was one of the worst movies ever made.   

3.5/5 - 300, Max Payne, You dont mess with the Zohan, Yes Man

[ChadTower]

Yes, that was there for all of us to read.  It wasn't a personal attack.  It was just a following comment during the course of conversation. 

[pbj]

You know, I've tried to watch Max Payne multiple times.  And I always get to the part where they take some random sketch to some random tattoo artist and he pulls out his leather bound book of ancient tattoo lore, thumps it, and says, "that's a Valkyrie."  Once Olga gets snuffed five minutes into it you might as well turn that movie off.

We liked Guardians okay.  It was the first movie we had seen in theaters in months, thankfully it was a place expensive enough to weed out teenagers and they do not accept the Fandango peasants.  That dancing flower pot at the end redeemed a lot of it.

[ChadTower]

Maybe it's just this area but if you hit the matinees any movie around here is mostly empty.  A couple of weeks ago I sat all by myself to see Lucy.  I go to a lot of movies this year and the ~noon showings tend to be 5-10 people even on weekends. 

[Malenko]

A couple of weeks ago I sat all by myself to see Lucy.

Took quite a few years, but I finally believe something that you posted.

[dkersten]

Personally I liked it.  One of the better (if the not the best) movie I have seen at the theater this year.  I am not a comic book fan, and in general I enjoy movies because I view them as what they are: visual and audial entertainment.  In this movie I laughed a lot, there was almost always something going on in the background that was funny or at least entertaining, and the characters actually had some depth, at least enough for me to care about them (ie like or dislike them). 

Compared to movies like Lucy and TMNT, this one deserved a friggin Oscar..

Like I said in another thread about this, if I want a deep story and characters I can visualize as real people, I read a book.  The moment you expect a book or graphic novel (or even comic book) to be better as a movie is the moment you need to go watch Howard the Duck or Battlefield Earth.  And after you realize you can never get those 2-3 hours of your life back, go back to reading.

For a MOVIE, Guardians was great.

[ChadTower]

Compared to movies like Lucy and TMNT, this one deserved a friggin Oscar..

This is true.  Both of those movies were crap.

[yotsuya]

I liked Howard the Duck.  I had just turned 13 when it came out, though.....

[Malenko]

I liked Howard the Duck.  I had just turned 13 when it came out, though.....

The thing I remember most about it , is that the bad guy in it was Ferris Beuller's principal and Marty McFly's mom is in it.

[dkersten]

if you stuck around until after the credits in guardians, you would also know why I used the Howard the Duck reference. 

I liked HtD back then because it had Lea Thompson in it, and back then she was my dream girl.. ANYTHING with her in it was awesome.. Try watching it now though, lol..

[Malenko]

if you stuck around until after the credits in guardians, you would also know why I used the Howard the Duck reference. 

Im sure we were all aware.

[yotsuya]

if you stuck around until after the credits in guardians, you would also know why I used the Howard the Duck reference. 

I liked HtD back then because it had Lea Thompson in it, and back then she was my dream girl.. ANYTHING with her in it was awesome.. Try watching it now though, lol..

Actually, I haven't seen Howard the Duck since I WAS 13, so maybe it's best I leave that film to rose-colored nostalgia....

[pbj]

Well, shoot, now I regret not sitting through the credits of that movie.  Howard the Duck would have been so randomly weird.

[wp34]

Is it better or worse than John Carter?  People said that was ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- but I kinda liked it.

Agreed.  I liked John Carter a lot---so did everyone I know IRL.  Seems like the Internet hated it though.   

[wp34]

It was a ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- film.  Still trying to get my money back from the cinema.  Waste of time. Rent a DVD of Watchmen instead. 

I wanted my money back after seeing Watchmen so we are even.   

I thought Guardians was amazingly original and fun.  I don't care for Chris Pratt's character on Parks and Rec and was a little shocked and how well he carried this movie.  He reminded me of a young Harrison Ford.  Bautista was also a nice surprise.   if anything the character I was least impressed with was Zoe Saldana's. 

[pbj]

You know, Watchmen was a mixed bag for me.  As soon as it hit theaters the director announced a better version was hitting DVD in 6 months.  So, uh, thanks for letting me waste that $12.

Since then, I've seen all of the versions and still didn't get it.  Read the graphic novel.  Same.  Maybe it had to be enjoyed in the context of its original time?  (I think the movie adaptation was fine and had a superior ending)

Then again, nowadays I'm constantly reading about how "dark" and "gritty" the TMNT comic books were.  Which LOL wtfever internet hive mind.

[ChadTower]

Maybe by "dark and gritty" they mean "black and white pencil".   

[Malenko]

well , I guess its subjective?   I mean yeah splinter raised the turtles to kill shredder, thats some dark ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---. Im pretty sure that was just ONE comic though. I just remember having a trapper keeper full of turtles ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---, and Michelangelo was eating pizza on a skateboard not anally raping my grandmother while pouring sugar in her gas tank.

[DaveMMR]

Well, shoot, now I regret not sitting through the credits of that movie.  Howard the Duck would have been so randomly weird.

If you're looking really closely, you can actually see him during the Collector's introduction.

[pbj]

Meh, too busy focusing on the beautiful man with white hair to notice ducks.

[wp34]

Meh, too busy focusing on the beautiful man with white hair to notice ducks.

I thought he looked like a villain from Power Rangers.

[Grasshopper]

I had extremely low expectations for this movie after seeing the trailer. I mean how on earth can any film featuring a talking tree, and a talking hamster be any good?

But I decided to go and see it anyway because there was nothing much else on, I hadn't been to the cinema for ages, and I figured that any film featuring Zoe Saldana in a tight costume would at least be watchable.

Despite my initial doubts, I have to admit I loved it. It was a perfect popcorn movie. The acting was good, the plot (although incomprehensible in places) kept me interested, and the humour was spot on. Also, it's one of very few films I've seen where I gave a crap about the CGI generated characters. George Lucas could learn a lot from this director. I'm looking forward to the sequel.

[Slippyblade]

Agreed.  I liked John Carter a lot---so did everyone I know IRL.  Seems like the Internet hated it though.   

I liked John Carter a lot.  It made me go out and read the Barsoom series - I'd never read Edgar Rice Burroughs before and I'm glad I did.

[danny_galaga]

Also, it's one of very few films I've seen where I gave a crap about the CGI generated characters. George Lucas could learn a lot from this director.

Very good point (",)