Guardians of the Galaxy [Spoilers, I imagine]

[Push_You_Down]

@Little_Nemo

It also kind of threw off the idea in the second half of the movie that Xandor was the side of the “good guys”. Xandor was, after all, the side that ran the Kyln and sent the “heroes” there without even giving them a trial. It makes it hard to reconcile this with the idea that these same heroes would later feel that Xandor was the one power that could be trusted to not misuse the infinity gem.

All of the “heroes” at that point were wanted criminals–KNOWN criminals. Gamora was an assassin known to be working for two bad guys. Quill was a Ravager who are either just space pirates or some sort of mercenary army. Rocket and Groot…ehh…can’t remember what their crimes were.
Rocket even says once they arrive at the Kyln “Most of the Nova Corps are good guys but the guys at the Kyln are different.”

@Little_Nemo

Second question: When did Ronan say he was going to destroy the galaxy? That’s what the heroes claimed. But Ronan wasn’t planning on killing everyone - he just wanted to destroy Xandor. Now I agree blowing up a planet is a bad thing but it’s a far level below killing an entire galaxy.

I think what they assumed–based on what the Collector told them–that Ronan unleashing the infinity stone wouldn’t be able to stop at just Xandar. It could chain reaction to a much larger problem.

[Sir_T-Cups]

If Adam Warlock’s cocoon was in The Collector’s ship closed, and then we see it open AFTER Ms. Pinky blows the place up…

…but this is all after blue Mr. T says that Star-Lord’s dad is a dick. Then his dad can’t be Adam Warlock because at the time his dad was making the hit out on him Adam was in his cocoon.

[jayjay]

@Little_Nemo

Moondragon

It’s a shame Persis Khambatta is dead.

[jayjay]

@Sir_T-Cups

If Adam Warlock’s cocoon was in The Collector’s ship closed, and then we see it open AFTER Ms. Pinky blows the place up…

…but this is all after blue Mr. T says that Star-Lord’s dad is a dick. Then his dad can’t be Adam Warlock because at the time his dad was making the hit out on him Adam was in his cocoon.

Depends on when Warlock cocooned up. The cocoon is a regenerative thing, not a “just born” thing. It’s been twenty-odd years since Quill was taken by Yondu…it’s entirely possible that Warlock was banging around (so to speak) at the time.

[Bakhesh]

I think they have to be careful when they decide on a character for Peter Quills dad. If it is Warlock or Starfox, then it stands to reason that Starlord would have some actual powers, and I think that would ruin the character a bit

[cmkeller]

Well, it was already stated at the end of the movie that Quill’s half-alien heritage allowed him to handle the power stone alone for longer than an ordinary human would have survived with it. So there’s some degree of powers already.

[Chronos]

And I don’t know Adam Warlock or how his powers work, but it certainly felt like Quill had more luck than any human should expect. Perhaps that’s how his powers manifest?

[tripthicket]

Finally made the time to see it yesterday, well after the crowds were gone (afternoon matinee, maybe 6 or 7 people in the theater, including my family of 3). Also, my first time with IMAX 3D. Not sure how much the IMAX part added to the experience (maybe spoiled by my HD TV at home), but the 3D was better than I expected (haven’t seen a 3D movie in decades, so, yeah, technology). Neither of these things impressed me enough to buy tickets for them in future.

Now to the movie. Music was excellent, but I grew up during or just after many of those songs, so. Story progressed along satisfactorily enough for me, and the explanation for why most of it happened was also good enough for me. I saw character growth in each of the Guardians, which was a plus. Humor seemed to be there not to push the movie toward being a comedy in places, but as facets of the personalities and/or cultural disconnects between characters. Of course, the laugh-out-loud part for me was the stinger with Drax and the growing Groot.

Another poster up-thread called this a ‘getting the team together’ movie, and I agree with that. The ‘origins’ and motivations of the characters were explained without sounding like it was being read off of cue cards or sidetracking into long and laborious exposition, and as I said earlier, each of the Guardians grew (to one degree or another) beyond the places they were in when they were introduced.

One nitpick that made me frown: Nebula’s facepaint (or different parts of her head, or whatever that was supposed to be) was very sharp and clear, and fascinated me every time she was on screen. By contrast, the black streaks on Ronan’s face looked like the makeup artist assigned to that job let his toddler do it instead. Blotchy. Even facepaint applied by fingers (as this was shown to be, IIRC) is pretty much always better than that. Witness facepaint applied to braves going on the warpath, the black streaks under the eyes of football players, etc.

I remember the film kept my full attention the whole time (screw you, bladder!) due to a combination of keeping up with the story and focusing hard on the 3D aspects (my first time with 3D, if you recall). I walked out of the theater satisfied that Marvel had taken a bunch of unknown characters (I remember the '70s Guardians; haven’t read comics in like 5 or 6 years, so knew nothing about any modern take on that team), combined them with a decent story, and made another good movie that will eventually sit on my shelf. At this point, IMO, DC might as well get out of the movie business–Marvel is throwing a lot of movies against the wall, a few of them dreck, most of them good, and a few are excellent at least. Still, Marvel is doing it right for the most part. DC’s track record is spotty at best, which is disappointing. They can’t all be The Dark Knight, but come ON!

In conclusion, I believe I’d watch this one again in theaters, will buy the Blu-Ray when it comes out, and my grade for Guardians of the Galaxy is a solid B, possibly higher.

[Lightray]

@Chronos

And I don’t know Adam Warlock or how his powers work, but it certainly felt like Quill had more luck than any human should expect. Perhaps that’s how his powers manifest?

Originally, Adam Warlock was an artificially created “perfect human”. He had some adventures on Earth (where he was created), got the Soul Gem (another of the Infinity Gems), and kipped off into space or more adventures. He had some weird powers (e.g., spinning a regenerative cocoon), but unlikely to have been the “ancient [whatever]” that Nova Prime was technobabbling about.

The more modern (re)incarnation of Adam Warlock has magic powers, so anything goes there.

However, it is unlikely that the Marvel movies will be using the comicbook origin of Adam Warlock; too convoluted and gonzo. So anything goes at this point.

[Little_Nemo]

@Push_You_Down

All of the “heroes” at that point were wanted criminals–KNOWN criminals. Gamora was an assassin known to be working for two bad guys. Quill was a Ravager who are either just space pirates or some sort of mercenary army.

I’d have no problems seeing them convicted at a trial. But just pronouncing them guilty without even having a trial is a whole different matter. Sure, it was just done to move the plot along but it does raise questions about how good Xandor really was beneath its surface.

@Push_You_Down

Rocket and Groot…ehh…can’t remember what their crimes were.

Basically, they were a couple of thieves.

@Push_You_Down

Rocket even says once they arrive at the Kyln “Most of the Nova Corps are good guys but the guys at the Kyln are different.”

But it was still part of the same system. This wasn’t some aberration that nobody in the Xandorian government knew about.

[silenus]

@Little_Nemo

But it was still part of the same system. This wasn’t some aberration that nobody in the Xandorian government knew about.

Not wanting to get political, but Abu Ghraib? Guantanamo? Yet I still idealistically think of the USA as “The Good Guys.”

[muldoonthief]

@Little_Nemo

I’d have no problems seeing them convicted at a trial. But just pronouncing them guilty without even having a trial is a whole different matter. Sure, it was just done to move the plot along but it does raise questions about how good Xandor really was beneath its surface.

They had a running gunfight in the middle of the capital, with thousands of witnesses and presumably lots of security video as well. Can’t the “Guilty!” scene in a courtroom be assumed?

[bucketybuck]

@Little_Nemo

Sure, it was just done to move the plot along but it does raise questions about how good Xandor really was beneath its surface.

Questions that nobody actually cares about.

[all1966]

Read a review prior to seeing the movie (which we enjoyed) that drew parallels between Quill and Han Solo/Mal Reynolds…the hub and I found him to be rather more along the lines of John Crichton, with the many pop culture references and guy outta his own space and time sorta thing.

Oh, and Yay! Angry Pie-Maker

[Quimby]

@AK84

Saw it. Great movie. No sequel needed. It works well as a standalone.

I agree it’s great but disagree it stands alone. There’s like a half dozen plot threads left in the air.

[Little_Nemo]

@silenus

Not wanting to get political, but Abu Ghraib? Guantanamo? Yet I still idealistically think of the USA as “The Good Guys.”

Do you think the people who’ve been held in Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo think of the United States as the good guys?

[Raguleader]

@Little_Nemo

Do you think the people who’ve been held in Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo think of the United States as the good guys?

See? It’s all about perspective. The folks being imprisoned at the Kylln probably don’t think the Nova Corps are very good guys, but the folks in Xandar no doubt do. Ronan clearly didn’t think they were the heroes of the piece.

[smiling_bandit]

More to the point, it seems likely the Kyln is used to hold criminals who are dangerous in some way - not necessarily physically. Plus, I doubt there are many places on Earth which are really all that proud of their prisons, either.

[MrDibble]

Nice scene for me - when they’re dressing in prison and you see those Matrix-like cybernetic implants in Rocket’s back - and then he puts on a shirt and they’re never brought up again. But the sympathetic look on Pratt’s face … and that’s acting to either blank air or Kirk from Stars Hollowin a mocap suit.

[Little_Nemo]

@Raguleader

See? It’s all about perspective. The folks being imprisoned at the Kylln probably don’t think the Nova Corps are very good guys, but the folks in Xandar no doubt do. Ronan clearly didn’t think they were the heroes of the piece.

That’s my point. The Guardians of the Galaxy - the people who were saying Xandar was the good guys - are criminals who escaped from the Kyln. Realistically, they’d have been a lot more likely to have been wishing Ronan good luck in his quest to destroy Xandar.