Guardians of the Galaxy (Post-release)

[Inquisitor Peregrinus]

Let's see... You made it to where they've escaped the Kyln, and have made it to Knowhere and the Collector... I do think there's stuff in there that would have pulled you in more if you knew the comics. Not necessarily, but maybe. My friends I saw it with know those comics not at all, and enjoyed it. I just appreciated it on a different level because I know who Thanos is, and what the Infinity Stones mean, and was chuffed beyond description at the shot in the Collector's history of the Stones of the Celestial wielding the Power Stone:

That brief shot made me internally squee, because I know who they are and what they can do.

I'm assuming you've watched the other Marvel Cinematic Universe films to this point? Enough to get that the Tesseract from the first Captain America Movie was what was sketched in Howard Stark's notebook in Iron Man 2 -- and what Tony synthesized to power his new reactor, and that it is the Space Infinity Stone, and that the scepter Thanos gave Loki in the Avengers and that is now in the hands of Hydra is the Mind Infinity Stone, and that the Darkness from Thor: The Dark World is the Reality Infinity Stone...?

That's kinda the point of this film, to me. Peter, especially, is in the role of The Fool -- the adventurer blithely blundering forward and trusting to luck and his own abilities to see him through trials he has no way of imagining. The Nova Corps has been around for millennia. Thanos has been around for eons. The Infinity Stones are the most powerful relics known on several planes and date to the beginning of the universe. And this movie is about this little group of misfits coming together and giving all those cosmic entities the middle finger, even after beginning to have some sense of how out of their depth they are. And now we have four of the six Infinity Stones accounted for and the stakes go up from here. The last two Stones are Time and Soul, and we're not really sure where those are going to pop up or how.

So you may be one of those who would derive more from this movie, at least, if you had more of a sense of who and what you were seeing. I know it's supposed to be the role of the film-makers to get that across, but this is basically an Avengers, without the five lead-up films to get you acquainted with what's going on in the setting and who these people are.

--Jonah

 

[joshvanrad]

well, your opinion is in the mass majority that fully enjoyed it.. it rates high... and I value your opinion and input because I want to like it... very much so and I am trying to figure out why I don't... it might grow on me and I'll appreciate it eventually but bummed that I have to go through that process after all the hype and positive reviews.. I wanted to be blown away and thrilled and I found myself not interested and only mildly amused by it. again I turned it off after 45/50 minutes so I can't really judge it... it should've captivated me but it didn't and that I am disappointed in.

And I value your opinion because you have a Star Wars Rebels avatar... and that's cool.

 

[dascoyne]

Let's see... You made it to where they've escaped the Kyln, and have made it to Knowhere and the Collector... I do think there's stuff in there that would have pulled you in more if you knew the comics. Not necessarily, but maybe. My friends I saw it with know those comics not at all, and enjoyed it. I just appreciated it on a different level because I know who Thanos is, and what the Infinity Stones mean, and was chuffed beyond description at the shot in the Collector's history of the Stones of the Celestial wielding the Power Stone:

http://i.imgur.com/NWYCe1Z.png

That brief shot made me internally squee, because I know who they are and what they can do.

I'm assuming you've watched the other Marvel Cinematic Universe films to this point? Enough to get that the Tesseract from the first Captain America Movie was what was sketched in Howard Stark's notebook in Iron Man 2 -- and what Tony synthesized to power his new reactor, and that it is the Space Infinity Stone, and that the scepter Thanos gave Loki in the Avengers and that is now in the hands of Hydra is the Mind Infinity Stone, and that the Darkness from Thor: The Dark World is the Reality Infinity Stone...?

That's kinda the point of this film, to me. Peter, especially, is in the role of The Fool -- the adventurer blithely blundering forward and trusting to luck and his own abilities to see him through trials he has no way of imagining. The Nova Corps has been around for millennia. Thanos has been around for eons. The Infinity Stones are the most powerful relics known on several planes and date to the beginning of the universe. And this movie is about this little group of misfits coming together and giving all those cosmic entities the middle finger, even after beginning to have some sense of how out of their depth they are. And now we have four of the six Infinity Stones accounted for and the stakes go up from here. The last two Stones are Time and Soul, and we're not really sure where those are going to pop up or how.

So you may be one of those who would derive more from this movie, at least, if you had more of a sense of who and what you were seeing. I know it's supposed to be the role of the film-makers to get that across, but this is basically an Avengers, without the five lead-up films to get you acquainted with what's going on in the setting and who these people are.

--Jonah

Jack Kirby's Celestial appearing just put my inner geek over the top.

In an interview Kevin Feige said that the last shot at the end of X-Men 2 (with the phoenix image over the water) was an inspiration for seeding future Marvel films with similar references. I, too, that I got that same chill at the end of X-2.

 

[Laspector]

So what is the deal with Quill's helmet? Its obviously not that kind of armor that folds up into nothing. Does the little ear piece just materialize the helmet out of atoms and molecules in the air, or does it dematerialize and the atoms are stored in the earpiece or what?

 

[CessnaDriver]

So what is the deal with Quill's helmet? Its obviously not that kind of armor that folds up into nothing. Does the little ear piece just materialize the helmet out of atoms and molecules in the air, or does it dematerialize and the atoms are stored in the earpiece or what?

Yes this method of creating an easy way for a character to stow an otherwise bulky piece of equipment they would have to haul around with them otherwise grates on my senses. I think Stargate first did this? or was it the Batmobile armour in 89? Maybe they have all this advanced tech but for some reason I never can buy into it and I cringe every time it's in a film.

 

[Kevin Gossett]

...but a gun-toting, talking raccoon and his humanoid tree friend are more believable? :lol

 

[CessnaDriver]

...but a gun-toting, talking raccoon and his humanoid tree friend are more believable? :lol

Yes! I believe, I believe.
I've seen both guns, trees and raccoons in person.

 

[Lear60man]

Its a feel good summer pop corn flick. The kind you can watch over and over again. Im glad I never watch Parks and Recreation. I only stopped while flipping channels and saw a bloated Star Lord wearing a cooking apron. When GOTG came out, I bet they all knew Pratt was a gonner, straight to the big leagues.

 

[Banner]

...but a gun-toting, talking raccoon and his humanoid tree friend are more believable? :lol

Or going "half way across the quadrant" in like a day... seeing as a quadrant of the Milky Way (not necessarily the galaxy they're actually in) is 45,000 light years across. Without having to refuel even!

 

[DAVIDYR1]

OK so I finally got to see it and loved it. Heck I loved it so much that I've already watched it 3 times!!!
I dug the humor, the action...but most of all the whole sci fi experience of it all. Felt like a new Star Wars for this generation. Colorful without looking too bright and flashy and just a whole lot of fun from beginning to end.

I heard all the hype when it was in theaters and remember thinking 'is it really that good?', and I'm thrilled that for me it was. Great movie. My only regret is that it's still a bit too PG for my 6 year old daughters...but a fun solid movie all around.

Now...Bring on the sequel already.

David

 

[CB2001]

Finally got to see it. It was okay. It wasn't great, but it was a slightly fun film.

 

[dascoyne]

This movie really needs undivided attention to be appreciated fully.
If you watch it while browsing your iPad it's going to come across as any basic space opera.

 

[CB2001]

This movie really needs undivided attention to be appreciated fully.
If you watch it while browsing your iPad it's going to come across as any basic space opera.

I did. And still, found it only okay and slightly fun. I noticed the references to the Tesseract from The Avengers and the Aether from Thor: The Dark World, as well as one of those Dark Elves from the same film in the Collector's collection. The thing I found confusing is how the hell that Quill managed to find a tape deck to install in his ship? Or did he take his Walkman to some mechanical engineer and had them reverse engineer it for his ship?

 

[dascoyne]

I did. And still, found it only okay and slightly fun. I noticed the references to the Tesseract from The Avengers and the Aether from Thor: The Dark World, as well as one of those Dark Elves from the same film in the Collector's collection. The thing I found confusing is how the hell that Quill managed to find a tape deck to install in his ship? Or did he take his Walkman to some mechanical engineer and had them reverse engineer it for his ship?

I always assumed the tape deck was reverse engineered.

But the truest answer to this and other curious inconsistencies is that it doesn't matter if you're engaged and invested in the characters. I'm going to go along with the ride because I'm enjoying myself. If the movie didn't have the quality of characters and characterizations then a lot of stuff would have bothered me about GotG.

 

[Vivek]

Isn't it possible Yondu and his men picked up other things from Earth besides Quill perhaps even during one of their earlier or later short visits?

 

[dascoyne]

Isn't it possible Yondu and his men picked up other things from Earth besides Quill perhaps even during one of their earlier or later short visits?

now I'm picturing Yondu making a special trip to Terra just to get a tape deck for a kid Peter Quill and it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

 

[CB2001]

I always assumed the tape deck was reverse engineered.

Makes some sense. But since Peter is very fond of his Walkman, I would think he'd be worried about allowing someone take his Walkman apart to figure out how it worked. So the only other option that presents itself is that that there's some sort of scanning technology to figure out how everything worked without taking it apart.

Isn't it possible Yondu and his men picked up other things from Earth besides Quill perhaps even during one of their earlier or later short visits?

I gathered that the only reason why they went to Earth was to get Quill for his father, and they decided to adopt him instead of handing him over to his father, not having to had gone back after that. Did they mention going back to Earth at all in the film and I missed it?

 

[BD Jones]

What's to say that one of the numerous civilizations that Quill encountered didn't also invent tape deck technology. After all, none of the character that saw the Walkman seemed to confused by it. Heck, Drax seemed to understand what it was and thought Quill was an imbecile for risking his life to go back for it. Also, the Ravagers were thieves. Maybe the sold some other junk while on Earth an Quill figured found this tape deck among the stuff. At any rate, it is a fictional movie. It doesn't really need to make complete sense. If you are are going to try and figure out the minutia of a movie, then you really aren't trying to enjoy it.

 

[Satxer]

I had a similar discussion with my fiance about batteries for his walkman. We came to the conclusion that someone had a similar version of a battery and he just used that. What's to say Peter didn't go back to Earth? He has his own ship, and he obviously wanders around on his own on occasion. He could have went there, but decided not to stay because of his love for space.

I do like the idea of reverse engineering too. After all, they did repair Peters Milano on Xandar. I'd have to imagine that someone knows something.

Now the real mind boggler here... How could he listen to that same tape over all these years. Even I would have to take a step back and stop listening to one CD to not get bored with it. Also, if he had been playing it all these years, in theory, wouldn't that tape stop working? I don't recall how cassettes worked after a lot of playing.

 

[CB2001]

I had a similar discussion with my fiance about batteries for his walkman. We came to the conclusion that someone had a similar version of a battery and he just used that. What's to say Peter didn't go back to Earth? He has his own ship, and he obviously wanders around on his own on occasion. He could have went there, but decided not to stay because of his love for space.

I do like the idea of reverse engineering too. After all, they did repair Peters Milano on Xandar. I'd have to imagine that someone knows something.

Now the real mind boggler here... How could he listen to that same tape over all these years. Even I would have to take a step back and stop listening to one CD to not get bored with it. Also, if he had been playing it all these years, in theory, wouldn't that tape stop working? I don't recall how cassettes worked after a lot of playing.

Well, for the battery, I assume it's an alternate power source similar to batteries (for some odd reason, I think of the remake of Land of the Lost from the 1990s where the family found some crystals of some sort that were a long lasting power source, and they ended up using it in everything electronic they had, such as their radios and flashlights).

Tapes do tend to wear out, depending on how many times they're played and the fact that they are a magnetic medium. Tape decks as well would require regular maintenance, because parts can wear out too. In fact, the foam ear pads for the headsets he wears should have long since fallen apart because foam doesn't hold up well over the years (I could be wrong on this assumption though, as I'm basing it on personal experience). Honestly, I'm surprised he didn't do something like this with the player years ago, basically transferring the mix to a digital audio player of some sort (or whatever would count as a MP3 player in the cosmos), and then do this with the Walkman's case: http://www.instructables.com/id/Walkman-Ipod-Case-DIY/