MCU Rewatchathon April 17th: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Day Eight: 8/19 down!
We are going out of order for Narrative Reasons!
Guardians of the Galaxy
Favorite Moment:
Javier: When the Guardians hold the Power Stone at the end. The CGI is just on point and it really does make it an awesome moment.
Antonio: For me it will always be Star Lord dancing on Morag. That was the moment that defined the tone of this film for me, and for thousands of people sitting in the theater. It's a masterpiece.
Favorite Line:
Antonio:
Starlord (Portrayed by Chris Pratt): "I'm distracting you, you big turd-blossom!"
Javier:
Starlord (Portrayed by Chris Pratt): "You said it yourself Bitch, we're the Guardians of the Galaxy"
Villain Ranking:
Ronan The Accuser
Antonio: Ronan is a tad disappointing if you've followed the character in the comics, but his opening scene is so goddamn cool, so that earns some points for me.
6.5/10
Javier: Ronan isn't a complex character nor is he an interesting character but he is intimidating and has some really cool moments.
6/10
Nebula
Javier: Nebula isn't really given enough time to shine in this movie but she is still more interesting than Ronan.
7/10
Antonio: I think Nebula is an example of a character perfectly adapted from the comics. There's a lot of depth lurking in Gillian's performance, which we get to see pay off in Vol 2.
7/10
Korath the Pursuer
Antonio: I know he's just a henchman but Korath kind of gets shafted by this movie...Djimon Hounsu deserves more.
4/10
Javier: He's a standard Henchman but he has some funny moments.
5/10
Final Ranking: 5.5/10
Additional Commentary:
So just to address the elephant in the room, yes this movie released AFTER Captain America The Winter Soldier. We made the conscious decision to watch it before hand for a couple of reasons. Primarily because the end credit scene of Thor sets up Guardians where the end credits scene of Winter Soldier sets up Age of Ultron. So there ya have it. Sorry for the confusion.
Continuity Notes:
This is gonna be a long one...
1. Peter Quill's origin has been changed fairly significantly from the comics. In the comics, his mother is killed by Badoon soldiers as part of an intergalactic conflict. He is then rescued by his father J'Son, ruler of the Spartax army. In the films, he is instead abducted by Yondu in order to deliver him to his father.
2. Peter's mother cites his father as "an angel, composed entirely out of light", this is referencing his father's alien origin and also foreshadowing his celestial heritage.
3. The planet Morag is located in a real star-system and was the coordinates actually used to calculate our distance from the Andromeda Galaxy.
4. The planet Morag is actually named after a Kree leader, which implies its place in Kree Space.
5. This could be used to explain why Korath and Ronan knew of the stones location, as both are Ex-Kree military.
6. In the hologram projection Starlord generates, the dog seen is actually James Gunn's (the director) dog.
7. The wall-art surrounding the chamber of the Infinity Stone depicts the conflict between the cosmic gods: Entropy, Eternity, Infinity and Death.
8. The "Ninja Turtles" working for Korath are Sakaarans, from Sakaar, a planet we later see in Thor Ragnarok.
9. Starlord uses two blasters in the film, in the comics he has a signature weapon called the Element Gun, which can fire energy such as Fire, Ice and Electricity.
10. Starlord's ship The Milano is named for 80s heartthrob Alyssa Milano.
11. Bereet, the Xandarian girl Peter sleeps with, is a character from the comics as well, she had a brief romance with The Hulk.
12. In the comics, Korath is a Kree Pursuer, essentially a Kree Lawman.
13. Xandar is the home planet of The Nova Corps, both in the comics and in the films.
14. Ronan is an ex-Accuser for the Kree, the Accuser's arrive on new worlds and decide whether they should be allowed to "join" the Kree empire or be crushed, their planet used for strategic advantage.
15. The film implies that there was a Kree/Xandar war for many years, this is a reference to the Kree/Skrull war from the comics.
16. Ronan wields the "Universal Weapon" a signature weapon of The Accusers, a massive two handed hammer that fires energy blasts.
17. Nebula and Gamora are both prisoners and adoptive daughters of Thanos, Korath is another "child" of Thanos in the MCU and soon we will meet The Black Order, also known as "The Children of Thanos".
18. Rhomann Dey, the Nova Corps Officer played by John C Reily is actually the Nova Officer who gifts his helmet to Richard Rider in the comics.
19. In the comics the Nova Corps' tap into a power called The Nova Force, much like The Green Lantern Corps of DC Comics, this power allows them to manifest constructs of energy, fly through space and project energy beams. It is channeled through their helmets. Like in the comics, they are a law-keeping organization.
20. While being evaluated before being transferred to the Kyln, the rap sheet for Peter Quill confirms he has a translator implant, confirming why he is able to communicate with every alien race.
21. The Kyln is prison for the most powerful beings in the galaxy, it used to be a massive power generator and thus its power-resistant hull is perfect for imprisoning massive threats.
22. The inmate who attempts to harass Peter is portrayed by Nathan Fillion.
23. Drax the Destroyer's origin has also been toned down for the films, his wife and daughter were still killed in the comics, be he also was a human jazz musician whose soul was bonded to a homonculus body designed to kill Thanos.
24. The bar-codes on their inmate jumpsuits are their criminal rap-sheets.
25. The group travels to Knowhere, a mining colony built into the skull of a dead Celestial. A race of cosmic beings that date back to before the birth of the universe.
26. Later in the Collectors chambers, we see a hologram depicting a fully armored Celestial using the Infinity Stone.
27. The Collector confirms that all six Infinity Stones are in-play, also that they are concentrated ingots, forged from the excess energy of a bygone universe.
28. In The Collectors collection are: A Dark Elf, Adam Warlock's Caccoon, a Chitauri soldier, Howard the Duck, Cosmo the Russian-Space Dog, and some slugs from the movie Slither.
29. The Collector is an elder of the universe, his brother; The Grandmaster will appear later in Thor Ragnarok.
30. The purple Infinity Stone appearing in the film is The Power Stone.
31. In the comics Yondu Udanta was a hunter from Centauri IV and a founding member of the original Guardians of the Galaxy. In the film he is a Kree battle-slave and his fin is instead a cybernetic enhancement. While he uses a a bow and arrow with arrows built from a metal that can actually changed direction based on sonic frequencies. In the film, he has an arrow controlled by his cybernetic head-piece and activated through whistling.
32. In the films, the Ravagers starburst logo is a reference to The Guardians logo from the 2008 revamp of the team.
33. Groot's sacrifice is actually the characters death, the "Baby Groot" is technically a new Groot, an offspring generated from some remaining bio-matter.
34. Groot is actually able to speak fluently, it's just that we cannot understand him and perceive all of his language as "I am groot". However it is implied in the film that he simply speaks through inflection,
35. Ronan meets with Thanos on the same floating throne room we saw in the end credits for The Avengers. He speaks to The Other, the emissary for Thanos before killing him with The Universal weapon.
36. This film marks the first appearance of the redesigned Thanos, now portrayed by Josh Brolin and CGI Generated as opposed to the digitally altered actor who played him in The Avengers.
37. When the Nova ships link up, they create a force field, this is a reference to the Nova Force of the comics.
38. Kraglin, Yondu's right hand man is played by Sean Gunn, James Gunn's brother.
39. Drax's tattoos illustrate his history.
40. Howard the Duck is voiced by Seth Green
41. The blue Nova-wear the Guardians wear at the end of the film is a reference to their blue uniforms in the 2008 revamp comics.
42. Starlord's biology is confirmed to be non-human by Nova Prime, hence explaining why he could wield an Infinity Stone and not die.
Closing Thoughts:
Javier:
Guardians of the Galaxy was a surprise blockbuster and I think it's one that really did separate itself form the other standard Marvel movies. With great visuals, memorable characters, catchy one liners, and an amazing soundtrack.
9/10
Antonio:
James Gunn definitely made a statement with this film, bot for artistic direction for sheer zany-nerdiness. This is an absolutely bombastically fun film. I think it's a testament to Marvel's ingenuity that this film only loses points for me because they've managed to out-do themselves since then.
9/10
Final Score: 9/10
After the Credits:
Javier rightfully corrected me, as I miss remembered that the Baby-Groot-Dance-Scene was in-fact NOT a mid-credit scene. There is only one ACS in this film and it's a gag scene but it is a doozey.
Javier: ITS HOWARD THE FUCKING DUCK.
9/10
Antonio: While I don't share your enthusiasm. I agree, it's one of their better gag scenes.
8/10
Final Score: 8.5/10
Still a bit behind but hey, at least we are still on track for Infinity War! Tonight is Captain America The Winter Soldier, so check back tomorrow for our thoughts on what a lot of people consider, the best Marvel movie of all time!
See you all tomorrow!
And remember...
The scientific name for the lowland Gorilla is:
Gorilla Gorilla Gorilla.