Ronan the Accuser: Holy cow he seemed like such a wuss compared to other interpretations I've seen. He is the muscle of the Kree empire! He isn't some piddly overly strong guy who swings a hammer sometimes. He was only there to be Thanos's lackey and make Thanos seem like the shadowy big bad. I'm sure anyone without any prior knowledge just saw him as some religious zealot with super strength. Also, his makeup looked goofy. Something was off about the black face paint and they probably should have just used a mask in its place. The rest of the costume was outstanding, though.
Using Ronan without Kree characterization: Seriously. Why? Just WHY?! That is like having Darth Vader without any sort of clue why the Empire is bad. Instead all you get is a vague blurb about some peace treaty.
Rocket Raccoon: The character was great, but he was too archetypical of a self-interested mercenary. It was painfully cliche'd to see him be the last to stand up reluctantly with a "I guess I gotta die somehow," line. Also needed less lasers and more rockets.
Thanos Costume Change: Not horrible, but still a gripe.
Star Lord didn't inheret his dad's gun: I liked that bit in the comics. I understand if they want to save the father/son story stuff for later, though.
Climax: Deus-ex-gemina. Could have been handled better.
Other than that it was really awesome. George Lucas could take notes on both how to do Star Wars and work a certain spoiler cameo from this movie. Also ERMEGERD CELESTIAL CAMEO!!!
He's a fanatic, a war mongerer. He truly believes the Xandarians are scum. And he's seen his great grandfather, then his grandfather, then his father die in the war with Xandar.
THEN they sign a peace treaty? I can understand his frustrations.
He's a fanatic, a war mongerer. He truly believes the Xandarians are scum. And he's seen his great grandfather, then his grandfather, then his father die in the war with Xandar.
THEN they sign a peace treaty? I can understand his frustrations.
The only thing we know about the Kree from this movie is that is what Ronan is. We literally know nothing about the Kree empire other than they have a peace treaty with Xandar after a war and Ronan isn't happy with it because bla bla bla revenge and zealotry glossed over vaguely explained plot point. Nevermind that he is basically the Darth Vader to Supremor's Emperor or that Xandar may as well consider themselves in really big trouble even if he didn't have an infinity gem.
I mean is him being a super strong vengeful zealot with a portion of some unexplained galactic army enough to move the plot along? Yes. Would I complain if I didn't know that I've seen other literature characterize him better in a few panels than a feature length film did? Probably not. So this isn't nearly the catastrophe that the Mandarin was in IM3. Still, it is a misrepresented character that could have been done so much better.
My only gripe is that since The Avengers, Thor 2 and GOTG, we were exposed to 3 gems and Thanos has gotten 0. How to heck is he gonna collect those stones? The Collector doesn't seem to be working for Thanos.
My only gripe is that since The Avengers, Thor 2 and GOTG, we were exposed to 3 gems and Thanos has gotten 0. How to heck is he gonna collect those stones? The Collector doesn't seem to be working for Thanos.
I say patience. Marvel is clearly in this for the long haul. Nick Fury was the character who represented the arc that led to The Avengers. Thanos is the character that leads to the next big event, which isn't The Avengers 2. Major stuff will go down and it will be epic, guaranteed.
I say patience. Marvel is clearly in this for the long haul. Nick Fury was the character who represented the arc that led to The Avengers. Thanos is the character that leads to the next big event, which isn't The Avengers 2. Major stuff will go down and it will be epic, guaranteed.
I thought the script was really underwhelming in terms of informing the audience about the characters (particularly if you compare it to the way Joss Whedon did it in Avengers).
Scene after scene of characters just telling other characters about their backstories, and how they feel about that. Scenes of characters telling us what they've learned about themselves. (The Drax scene where he admits he's been channeling his sense of loss into rage was the biggest offender, for me. Show that, James Gunn. Don't have Drax tell us about it.)
For instance, showing us that Rocket has been experimented on by seeing his exposed back is very effective. Having him then explain it explicitly to other characters is less so, IMO.
I like Zoe Saldana as an actress, but I don't really feel like she brought much to the role. I would have preferred to see a fresh face, an actress hungry to really break out, tackle Gamora and really try to make it her own.
I didn't like the "Hold my hand" scene between Peter and his mom. In liked the idea, but the way the scene was executed was cheesy and reminded me of young Magneto's "NEEEEEIN!" scene after his mother was murdered in FC. However, the GOTG wasn't as cringe-inducing as that moment in FC.
I also didn't like scene where Peter saves Gamora in space, mostly because I couldn't get over how he was even breathing in space and what was happening to his face and body(the glowy thing). But I suppose the MCU has its own rules about how space and breathing in space works. *shrug*
- Gamora being an undercover agent was laughable switch. She was an stone cold killer, but becomes smooth, gentle, kind and team player in an instant.
- Drax was sort of weak, but i understand his hatred clouded his mind, hope for a better character arc for him. He definitely however had some of the best jokes haha.
- Ronan, booooooooooring. 1 Dimensional and not even backed by the Kree? Lame. :b
- Drax's fight choreography wasn't as good as the Winter Soldier hand to hand combat, my personal bias nitpick, because i love action movies.
- Ronan was not a personal foe to the Guardians, he was simpyl an megalomaniac who wanted to destroy, only Drax had emotional ties to him.
I didn't like the "Hold my hand" scene between Peter and his mom. In liked the idea, but the way the scene was executed was cheesy and reminded me of young Magneto's "NEEEEEIN!" scene after his mother was murdered in FC. However, the GOTG wasn't as cringe-inducing as that moment in FC.
I also didn't like scene where Peter saves Gamora in space, mostly because I couldn't get over how he was even breathing in space and what was happening to his face and body(the glowy thing). But I suppose the MCU has its own rules about how space and breathing in space works. *shrug*
I thought the script was really underwhelming in terms of informing the audience about the characters (particularly if you compare it to the way Joss Whedon did it in Avengers).
Scene after scene of characters just telling other characters about their backstories, and how they feel about that. Scenes of characters telling us what they've learned about themselves. (The Drax scene where he admits he's been channeling his sense of loss into rage was the biggest offender, for me. Show that, James Gunn. Don't have Drax tell us about it.)
For instance, showing us that Rocket has been experimented on by seeing his exposed back is very effective. Having him then explain it explicitly to other characters is less so, IMO.
See in context, i think those things worked. Specifically Rocket's scene. He was drunk. What do people do when they are drunk? They spill their guts and tell it how it is. I thought it was earned and made sense. It's not like he all of a sudden just came out with it for no reason.
With Drax, he did show it. But he's also a very literal character who doesn't understand nuance or metaphors. He just speaks plainly. I felt it worked too because of that.
I like Zoe Saldana as an actress, but I don't really feel like she brought much to the role. I would have preferred to see a fresh face, an actress hungry to really break out, tackle Gamora and really try to make it her own.
Gamora was definitely the least showy character. But i thought Saldana brought some vulnerability to the role. The scene where she is in her cell and seemingly every single prisoner is screaming at her and telling her she is gonna die, you see the look on her face and you see it hurts her. She doesn't want to be known as a murderess and doesn't want to be affiliated with Ronan and co.
See in context, i think those things worked. Specifically Rocket's scene. He was drunk. What do people do when they are drunk? They spill their guts and tell it how it is. I thought it was earned and made sense. It's not like he all of a sudden just came out with it for no reason.
Well, that scene is obviously designed just so Rocket can lose it. It doesn't really advance the plot. It's just there so we can see Rocket tell us about his past. I would rather that come out in the course of moving the story along, and not by having Rocket just talk about it whilst drunk.
Exposition is necessary, but I think exposition should really be held to a minimum when it comes to characters, because we can learn all we need to know about them by seeing how they act and how they interact with others. And that's a much more interesting way to inform character than just hearing them tell us their backstory, IMO.
With Drax, he did show it. But he's also a very literal character who doesn't understand nuance or metaphors. He just speaks plainly. I felt it worked too because of that.
I just don't like scenes that are essentially: "This is what I've learned about myself, and now I will tell you about it." Or at least I don't like them when they're so obvious about it.
I much prefer the way they handled Quill's arc about his mother and her gift. There wasn't a lot of talking about it. We were just shown it, and we got it. These things don't need to be explained so explicitly to the audience, IMO.
I understand. I hate exposition heavy dialogue too.
But i think in those two cases it was earned because it was natural to the context of the scenes and the characters themselves. I felt Rocket and co getting pissed out of their faces was a natural thing for the characters to do. They are partying and having fun. He's constantly being called a rodent and vermin, he finally snaps and spills his guts. I've seen enough drunk people do that. Hell i've done it lol.
It wasn't like in one of Nolan's movies where a character just randomly comes out with a exposition dump (looking at Alfred and his encyclopedia esque knowledge of a shadowy mercenary who is only known as a myth).
I didn't like the "Hold my hand" scene between Peter and his mom. In liked the idea, but the way the scene was executed was cheesy and reminded me of young Magneto's "NEEEEEIN!" scene after his mother was murdered in FC. However, the GOTG wasn't as cringe-inducing as that moment in FC.
I also didn't like scene where Peter saves Gamora in space, mostly because I couldn't get over how he was even breathing in space and what was happening to his face and body(the glowy thing). But I suppose the MCU has its own rules about how space and breathing in space works. *shrug*
He wasnt breathing, he was holding his breath, thus the red eyes, and the intense gasp of air when he finally gets into the ship. The "glowy things" accumulating on his face, body, & Gamora's body was ice. Space is cold.
As for Ronan, I loved his character and his look. I also thought the end confrontation and his ultimate demise lacked the "oomph" I was expecting for such a menacing, near unstoppable villain. I'm really splitting hairs here, because I loved the movie.
This is a companion post to my review in the user thread, so here goes. In no particular order..
Ronan - He ****ing sucked. I'm astounded that after that awful showing in TDW, Marvel allowed a villain that was every bit as lame as Malekith to headline another feature. He was a complete afterthought in terms of the movie. I get that the focus was on the Guardians, but there are ways to implement a villain effectively without undermining the development and formation of the main team, i.e. Avengers. Anyway, Ronan felt like a side character in this movie, and he was only ever present when the plot needed a generic villain moment. It kills me that nothing regarding the Kree was ever explored in any meaningful detail as it applied to his character. I think that he could have been a much more effective character if he was in some way acting on behalf of his empire as an Accuser, rather than a generic genocidal lunatic. What really irks me about this is that Lee Pace actually turned in an excellent performance with what little he was given! I'm reminded of Anthony Hopkins first turn as Hannibal (and no I'm not insinuating that Pace is even approaching that level of talent or nuance) in that he had such little screen time, yet was a very commanding screen presence whenever he was around. Everything from his voice, to the way he delivered his lines, to his mannerisms and facial expressions was intimidating and believable. I don't think I've been more disappointed in a villain throughout all ten films in the MCU thus far. The way he was carelessly (and stupidly; Michael Bay wouldn't even finish a villain in such a fashion) dispatched is indicative of how little thought actually went into his character. I was in as much disbelief as Ronan himself when Quill started dancing; it almost felt like he was breaking the fourth wall. A low point for the film if there ever was one.
Nebula - She was barely there, and seemed more like a piece of furniture than anything else. I get that she was a henchman, but there are examples of henchmen with far more personality and appeal than her, i.e. Savin and Crossbones. That isn't to say that she should have been portrayed like the aforementioned, but the point is that those two were implemented into the plot very organically, whereas Nebula felt shoehorned. Her dreadfully boring dialogue and tacked-on rivalry with Gamora didn't help matters, either. Speaking of which...
Gamora - I liked her, but there were things about her that bugged me. I can't zero in on whether it was Saldana's performance or just the writing attributed to her, but her delivery of dialogue in general was just unconvincing. A bit of a nitpick if I'm to be honest, but if it doesn't seem to me that an actor has lost him or herself in the character, then it takes me out the illusion, which leads me to...
Drax - It has to be said...Dave Bautista has next to no acting ability. I appreciate his passion and enthusiasm for the role, but he desperately needs to reevaluate how he approaches the character. The way he utters his lines just sounds like that of an individual making an attempt at sounding like a character, rather than (as alluded to above) embodying a believable character as a good performance would otherwise show. Now, I *think* that Gunn & Co. were keen on this, which is why I believe Drax's characterization was written as such, but it just didn't work out more often than not. He had a few moments of brilliance (Why would I put my finger on his throat?), but other than that, his performance left a lot to be desired. The saving grace of this interpretation of Drax was that it integrated exceptionally well with the gags and punchlines. In all honesty, the comedy is what kept me paying attention to him whenever he was on screen. Loved his fight scenes in the prison, however, I just really hope that Bautista shores up his acting by the time the sequel comes around.
Side characters - Every single secondary character, save for only Yondu and The Collector, was anywhere from awful, to forgettable, to cliched, or unexplored. Seems like all of the effort with regard to the writing went towards the Guardians themselves, while everyone else was just there. What gets me about this is that the main characters were so well done that I can't understand how Gunn managed to drop the ball with damn near everybody else. It erodes the charm of an immensely charismatic cast of characters, and makes the world around them seem much less spectacular than it could have been. Simply put, the supporting cast has to be up to snuff to both complement and elevate the main characters. That wasn't the case here.
The plot was paper thin. In and of itself, that's fine if said paper thin plot is executed well (hello Avengers), but the problem here is that the story didn't seem to be building towards anything particularly noteworthy or thematically relevant, thanks in part to the nonexistent villain. Pacing and editing was a very serious issue with this movie as well. The first 30 or so minutes blew right by without much regard for , jumping through obligatory plot beats to shove all of the characters together. Aside from the opening scene in '88, the transitioning of scenes and general flow was remarkably sloppy.
The fights were easily some of the most poorly choreographed and uninspired of the entire MCU. I can't believe how underwhelming the fights involving Gamora, Nebula, Ronan, and Drax were, and this has nothing to do with power levels or so-and-so getting embarrassed, they were just sterile, slow, and lifeless. After the exhilarating fights in TWS, I was expecting a lot more, and when you consider the fact that the character roster includes aliens that aren't bound by the same rules as human beings, it just comes off as an immense missed opportunity. Now, what kills me about this is that this isn't always the case (notice a pattern yet?)! The street brawl in Xandar was cleverly executed and very well shot, as was the entirety of the prison sequence. I don't know if Gunn took a few sick days and left his second unit to pick up the pieces for certain scenes, but inconsistency was a huge issue with this movie in several areas.
These were my main gripes that I felt affected the quality of the film, but I do have a few fanboy nitpicks
I'm not sure who Michael Rooker was playing (Space Merle?), but it sure as hell ain't Yondu. There's no two ways about it. Truthfully, I hope everything about him gets ret-conned somehow. He was as entertaining as Michael Rooker always is, but he doesn't resemble Yondu in any form or fashion.
With regard to Drax, I really felt that his characterization was a missed opportunity. Not to seem like a comic book stickler, but this was an example of a change to the source that was so inferior that I have to question why they went in this direction in the first place. Again, I don't believe in being a slave to the books, but if what you're doing isn't comparable or superior, then by all means, either stick to what works or come up with something better. One of my favorite moments in the comics was seeing Drax mentor and guide Nova when he was still coming to grips with the Nova Force and losing everything he had ever known. I can't see this aloof buffoon of a character, as humorous and entertaining as he may be, mentoring anybody. He served his purpose for this movie well enough, but I can't help but feel as if this was yet another missed opportunity to do something great with a character.
In spite of my grievances, I had a blast watching this movie. My issues mainly boil down to the fact that there was so much potential here for a brilliantly executed genre classic, but it was merely 'good enough'. Then again, that's one of those good problems, so I can't really complain. If anything, that speaks more to how spoiled I've become with the ongoing slew of good superhero movies these past several years. Hopefully they keep coming. The saving grace is that, much like Captain America, the team was so well established that they can really open the flood gates for a spectacular sequel. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for that.
-Ronan-He was underwhelming, although Lee Pace gave a good performance. He's NOT as bad as Malekith. Malekith was not only poorly-developed with weak motivations, but he was also boring and not all that threatening. Ronan at least was badass and I wasn't thinking to myself "can we please get this guy offscreen soon" everytime he showed up like I was with Malekith. Still, this villain shouldn't have been called Ronan the Accuser. Ronan is actually a pretty complicated/layered character in the comics (which the movie could have really played with) and this guy is just a generic genocidal lunatic/fanatic. If they had called him something else, it wouldn't have been so bad. But it's disappointing to see Ronan's character reduced to such a two-dimensional state.
-Nebula-I actually found her more interesting than Ronan, and her backstory/dynamic with Gamora sound like they could make for compelling drama. Too bad that she's underused in the movie. That's why I'm happy with what they did with her at the end.
-Korath-He's barely in the movie, is barely a presence at all, and it's a complete waste of Djimon Hounsou's talents.
-The Gamora/Nebula fight-I though that the action in the movie was quite good and this fight looked like it was really cool. But they kept cutting away from it to other things. I hate it when movies do that.
-John C. Reilly and Glenn Close were also underused imo.
no cameos from any of the prior Avengers or Shield agents. It just didn't feel like it was part of the MCU world that was built up in previous movies. I mean, Quill could have at least mentioned Tony Stark or Captain America at least once. Maybe even Thor or Loki.
Other than that, great movie! I still like Captain America 2 better, but this one is right behind it for the year.
Umm that's kind of the point. Why would Quill mention those guys when he left Earth in the 1980's and hasn't been back since, and the movie takes place a LONG way from Earth? Frankly such references would have felt REALLY forced/unnecessary. Thanos and the Collector were your connections, and that was all that was needed.
Umm that's kind of the point. Why would Quill mention those guys when he left Earth in the 1980's and hasn't been back since, and the movie takes place a LONG way from Earth? Frankly such references would have felt REALLY forced/unnecessary. Thanos and the Collector were your connections, and that was all that was needed.
But yet, he mentions the Ninja Turtles (to creatures who look nothing like them, talk about sounding forced)! Sorry, I left kind of disappointed a bit because of the lack of Avengers or mentions. Captain America, Stark Industries, Thor and especially Loki should be known to him.
No, he shouldn't. He was like nine years old when he left Earth, and he hasn't been back since. It would make ZERO sense for him to know who Thor and Loki are since Thor didn't show up until almost two decades AFTER he left and I'm not even sure that Loki is well-known to the general public in the MCU. We've seen nothing to indicate that the common person on the street knows that Loki was responsible for the Chitauri attack, or even know that there was a mastermind at all. And yeah a nine year old should know all about a weapons company. I certainly knew all about Blackwater when I was that age, oh wait no I didn't. And MAYBE he learned about Captain America in History Class or something, but there's no reason for him to bring it up in this situation. And finally, the Ninja Turtles thing was completely different, so your comparison simply doesn't work.
Ronan: Easily one of the most forgettable villains of the MCU thus far. His initial desire to ally with Thanos in order to destroy a planet is never fully explored other then some sort of underlining race issue.
Nebula: Although one of the best parts of the movie, her constant switching back and forth from Ronan to Thanos never really makes sense due to the unexplored nature of Thanos and his suppose relationship with his 'daughters'.
Thanos: For all the years of hype, I did not get a single intimidating vibe from the guy. After Ronan kills the Other he turns around slowly only to warn him that if he fails him again he'll kill him. I would have liked to see this done at the end because of Ronan's arrogance and betrayal. Also, all the parallels between Thanos and the Emperor were done in an obvious way which could really only benefit if we continued to hear what Thanos has done other than being a genocidal maniac.
The Collector: This has nothing to do with Del Toro (he did great) but more to do with the inclusion of his character for a simple narrative extension. He gives them a spew on the infinity stones and is almost immediately dealt with through an unexplained feud between he and his slave servant. Also, his power is not even alluded to. He's treated as a simple billionaire hoarder.
Breathing in space: This seemed overlooked by most people. When Gamora is dying in space and Peter goes to save her and isn't immediately killed I couldn't believe my eyes. I understand this is a comic book movie, but that was the most Disney-esque inclusion I've seen in the entire MCU.
No, he shouldn't. He was like nine years old when he left Earth, and he hasn't been back since. It would make ZERO sense for him to know who Thor and Loki are since Thor didn't show up until almost two decades AFTER he left and I'm not even sure that Loki is well-known to the general public in the MCU. We've seen nothing to indicate that the common person on the street knows that Loki was responsible for the Chitauri attack, or even know that there was a mastermind at all. And yeah a nine year old should know all about a weapons company. I certainly knew all about Blackwater when I was that age, oh wait no I didn't. And MAYBE he learned about Captain America in History Class or something, but there's no reason for him to bring it up in this situation. And finally, the Ninja Turtles thing was completely different, so your comparison simply doesn't work.
YES HE SHOULD KNOW! AND YES MY COMPARISON DOES WORK! I left disappointed with nothing mentioned of the Avengers, something should have been mentioned (Tony Stark is like this world's Steve Jobs/Bill Gates, who kids know) and Thor and Loki should be pretty popular out in the space realms. If you can't see that, I don't know what else to say. I'm disappointed it wasn't mentioned, end of story. Get off my ****ing case!
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