Guardians of the Galaxy

Twentington:Their videos aren't really "reviews", not really, they have stated in the past that they actually liked a lot of movies that got really high "sin counts" before.

L Dragon: Come on... they dislike one movie you happened to like, and suddenly they are the worst thing ever?

edited 29th Dec '14 11:51:53 AM by SaintDeltora

Cinema Sins has its place.

Which is well away from this film thread, and those of the other films I enjoy watching.

They seem to have a particular grudge with Marvel movies, specifically. They're not as aggressive or inattentive with other films. This is ironic, given that "DC Comics" is a recurring sin.

I think it's just Hype Backlash.

edited 29th Dec '14 1:27:35 PM by TobiasDrake

I guess the vids frustrate me mostly because they could be really good and fun if they were concentrating on the stuff which is just a little bit too convenient (like all villains turning up at knowwhere at the same time), but because they add all those nitpicky or simply wrong stuff in it, they ruin the impact of the whole video. It sounds less like fun but unending complaining.

Yes, that's why I hate Cinema Sins. The picking is so minor that it doesn't seem like it's being done in jest.

At least when there was shit I didn't understand in Winter Soldier, I consulted and went "oh, that's what that is". And my friend Randy still thinks that MCU movies are easy to get into without a lot of context.

The thing about their WS video is that that was not them poking fun at it for jokes. They specifically said that they disliked it due to Hype Backlash and that "it had made no logical sense". So basically, that video is indeed listing the reasons why they see it as mediocre, and the statement they made about those who like it need to be aware that they are enjoying "a Terry Gilliam fever dream" is their actual thoughts.

But again, enough about them. Where does this film rank amongst the rest of the MCU in your eyes?

I think it's one of the pretty good ones. Thor and Captain America are more my guys than Iron Man (maybe because every single villain in the Iron Man movies has been an obnoxious hypocrite (Killian and Vanko) or pathetic in their villainy (the guy that commands that group of Ten Rings in the first movie, and Stane himself)) but Ronan was actually a legitimate threat and I liked that.

I'd say it's middling; better than the Thor films and Iron Man 2, but not as good as Avengers or Winter Soldier. Ronan was a fairly boring villain, Thanos was unimpressive, the plot was pretty generic with no really surprising twists, the action scenes didn't really amaze me, and Gamora really didn't live up to her in-film reputation as one of the galaxy's deadliest assassins. I'm also kind of sick of the man-child / emotionally immature protagonist, which is a type that's really popular in Marvel movies (all the leads except Cap and Banner). And by "man-child" I don't mean that he has fun and does silly things, but that he doesn't seem - as of the start of the movie, after the kidroduction - to have any strong meaningful relationships or values, and doesn't think through the consequences of his actions. He hangs out, has flings, steals stuff. The movie is him learning how to be an adult - the same basic storyline as in Iron Man and Thor. In a film about adults, I'd rather start with characters who already act and think like adults and still face challenges.

But there were plenty of funny moments, Groot was fantastic, and it was generally a fun rollicking space adventure. Film Critic Hulk has some excellent points about how deftly the movie used humour to illustrate the personalities of all its characters,

One moment which mildly bugged me for its inconsistency was when Quill said "life is giving us a chance to give a shit" and Drax made no comment or misinterpretation, even though the film had harped on his inability to understand metaphors. I think How It Should Have Ended played with that a bit.

edited 29th Dec '14 11:28:42 PM by WarriorEowyn

The scene would have been entirely ruined if it went in HISHE's way. I personally think Drax might have been confused by the statement, but had figured by now that out-of-context phrases are probably metaphors and thus didn't speak up about it. And he seems to know how to compare Sakaaran Mooks to paper.

edited 29th Dec '14 11:44:24 PM by Tuckerscreator

I think it would have been better if Quill, knowing about Drax's metaphor issues, had used a phrase that was more straightforward. As it was done, it felt like a punchline that the filmmakers missed.

edited 29th Dec '14 11:45:20 PM by WarriorEowyn

Would have messed with the rousing speech thing.

It's nearly impossible to censor yourself to avoid figurative speech because we often don't even notice that we are using it. Plus, Peter really had other problems that moment. And Drax might not understand metaphars, but I think in this case he would have known that literally giving a shit would do nothing to stop Ronan.

Along with The Winter Solder, Got G is my favourite in the MCU.

I'd say Guardians is my favourite Marvel movie because it got away from the tangle mess of continuity references. I mean, not entirely given that Purple Guy and Cube From Avengers show up but they didn't detract from the movie that much.

Also, I don't really buy the argument that Ronan is an underdeveloped villain. We do get little hints that maybe his grudge is somewhat justified, that maybe Xandar did horrible things to the Kree during wartime. And the Xandarians seem to have taken it upon themselves to police the entire galaxy with the Nova Corps. That's pretty arrogant and controlling. Ronan's not the greatest villain but I wouldn't say he's a terrible character.

edited 30th Dec '14 3:49:18 AM by PurpleDalek

I really don't get the notion that a villain HAS to be layered. I mean, Disney created some of the greatest villains of all time, but most of them have a simple motivation paired with a badass design. Darth Vader was one of the great villains until they decided to give him a backstory which kind of ruined the menacing quality he had. The character establishing scene they wrote for Ronan is really, really good (especially the part where he bathes in the blood of his enemy). It is not hard to understand what type of villain he is, he is simply a fanatic terrorist. For this particular movie Ronan was the perfect villain, because a layered villain on top of everything else - nope! Doesn't work.

Effective villains don't always have to be layered - the Joker wasn't in The Dark Knight, and Vader was in the first Star Wars, as you mention - but they have to be compelling or striking or terrifying in some way, something that draws the audience's interest. Ronan wasn't.

edited 30th Dec '14 7:16:57 AM by WarriorEowyn

What isn't terrifying about a hooded lunatic with a huge magic hammer that he will happily murder you with? I think the real scary thing is that he has followers.

I think that Ronan is very terrifying. In each encounter with the Guardians before the final, he wins.

In the end for all his great power, he was brought down by Xandar's lowliest creatures: a dance contest.

Yeah, but the joke would only be half as funny if Ronan wouldn't be the self-important over serious character he is (plus, his face is priceless).

Ronan's kryptonite is whimsy.

Ronin's reaction really does sell the dance-off.

Gamora's 'NOPE!' is just icing on the cake.

Well, Ronan is used to people fearing him. I doubt that anyone ever just didn't take him serious.

Aside from Thanos, who explicitly tells Ronan that he doesn't take him seriously.

Which is funny because Ronan petulantly declares vengeance on him once he gets the power stone.

Thanos probably has more than a few Infinity Stones by this point.