Guardians of the Galaxy Review

INTRO

            Guardians of the Galaxy  is the 10th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) that was started with Iron Man in 2008. Th MCU is developed in phases: Phase 1: was all of the solo super hero titles ( Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Iron Man 2, Captain America) before capping off with 2012's The Avengers a team-up film that was a commercial and critical success. Phase 2 consists of the sequels: Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier.  Guardians of the Galaxy (GOTG) rounds out the films of phase 2 before it is similarly capped off with Avengers:Age of Ultron in 2015. 

           Of the aforementioned Phase 2 projects, Guardians seemed to be a long shot as well as a deep financial and critical risk to the studio and the interconnected franchise. This risk was based upon several factors: First GOTG was the first film of "new" material since 2011, and therefore the only film that did not have a built in audience that was solidified by The Avengers. Second, the Guardians consisted of characters few people in the mainstream had ever heard of not to mention that among their ranks are an anthropomorphic tree and a talking raccoon (and that's not getting into the REALLY weird ones) something that the mainstream could potentially find silly.   Thirdly, it was tasked with expanding the MCU beyond earth that was teased at the end of The Avengers (with the inclusion of Thanos). 

             Needless to say that a lot was riding on Guardians of the Galaxy  and Marvel's tactics (especially after hiring indie filmmaker James Gunn to write and direct), had fans split: The "Marvel Zombies" blindly support the company's decisions no matter how outrageous or risky, while others, (myself included) questioned  Marvel's risk assessment thinking they may have overstepped their bounds.  In trying to understand their decision, I picked up Abnett and Lanning's run on of comics (of which I heard the film was going to be based) and instantly fell in love with its sheer unapologetic absurd insanity.  The book had confidence to throw caution to the wind and trusted its readers to dive into the Frey. I found myself hoping (and championing in conversations online) that the film would be equally as ambitious. Once I saw the first trailer released in February of this year, all of my doubts washed away and my excitement began to build.

                I have covered the build up to this film in previous posts Here, Here and Here. Yet, even though I knew that I, and many other fans were swayed; I was still worried about the mainstream reception. It seems that both Marvel and the box office gurus (Boxofficemojo.com) were trepidacious in their financial estimates; giving the film an estimated 40 mil opening weekend gross with a hope of 450 mil world wide when it finally left the theaters. In its first weekend, the film obliterated the August record (and expectations) with a total of 94 million domestically and another 70 mil in foreign markets (making it's 160 mil production budget back in its first weekend). The box office numbers are a result and a reflection of the added critical success of the film. leading to its current week one world box office total of $226,890,839    As of the writing of this review; I have seen the film 4 times (in the span of one week) and plan at least another few viewings. For me, it is as if The Guardians  jumped out of the comics and on to the screen.But for the mainstream, I believe it was a combination of the tone of a space epic adventure film that takes its self seriously without sacrificing its sense of fun, the music, and humor that captured them and hopefully sends them back for more.

PLOT

            26 years after being abducted on earth by space pirates as a child, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) aka "Star-Lord", now a thief, gets in the middle of a conflict between two feuding alien races (The Xandarians and the Kree), a zealot (Lee Paces's Ronan) and a powerful dictator (Thanos played by Josh Brolin) when he steals an orb of unknown origin. Once he gets captured for the theft and sentenced to prison, he creates an uneasy alliance with, in his words, "an assassin (Gamora played by Zoe Saldana) "two thugs" ( Rocket and Groot voiced and motion captured by Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel) "and a maniac" (Drax played by Dave Bautista) in order to escape. Initially, this motley crew of misfits stick together by necessity and financial gain.  Yet when the orb (now understood as a weapon of immense power) falls into the wrong hands, this group of loners and outcasts band together to save the Galaxy.

ANALYSIS 
          I can not stress enough how much fun this film is.  It is riddled with humor, heart, action, and wit while being rooted in relationships with an emotional core.  With so much detail and depth, I was surprised at how briskly the film moves along; to the point where jokes happen in such rapid succession that the audience doesn't have time to laugh at it all (which might have been strategic to keep them coming back for multiple viewings) keeping the audience both entertained and on their toes. Even though there is a basic three act structure that is easy to dissect, the stunning visuals, characters and snappy dialogue keep you distracted from it.  However, even with all of the flash bang of the visuals and the action set pieces the crux of this film relies on the development of a group of lonely, tortured and lost souls into a loving (albeit unconventional) family. For that reason, the rest of my review will be a character study of each of the guardians.

CHARACTERS

 Peter Quill

               When we first met Quill he is in a state of arrested development. Plucked off Earth (called Terra in the film) moments after the death of his mother he has yet to come to terms with it 26 years later. He still listens to her favorite music (through a walkman that acts as his only life line to home) insists that people call him "Star-lord" (her pet name for him), and can not bring himself to open her last gift. Even though we see this unfold, we still get a sense at the beginning of the film that he is a womanizing scumbag that only cares about himself. Yet, it is only though the threat of galactic annihilation does Quill step up to be the leader and the hero he always wanted to be; with the understanding that it takes sacrifice to be worthy of greatness (and a great code name).

             Pratt has great comedic timing as is great as Peter Quill. However, in those few heavy moments in the film, I was wishing he had more dramatic range. But I give him a pass, as he is trying to branch out. I look forward to his improvements by the time Guardians 2  comes out on July 28th 2017.

Great Quotes:

         Quill: Right now life is giving us a chance. 

         Darx: To do what?

         Quill: To give a shit; and not run away.

         Rocket: Why would you want to save the galaxy?

         Quill:     Because I am one of the idiots who lives in it!

Gamora

              The adopted daughter of Thanos and dubbed "The deadliest woman in the galaxy." The film version of Gamora is a significant departure from the comics.  In the comics, Gamora is far less vulnerable with an exterior of the warrior badass that is only shed in private moments.  In the film, that vulnerability is more visible to the point where she teeters in the edge of becoming trope of both the strong woman warrior AND the damsel in distress.  While I am glad to get a clearer viewpoint into Gamora's emotions, I would have like to see her be more direct.   At least she wasn't too overtly sexualized in the film, not counting when she used her sex appeal to disarm Quill upon their first meeting.

             I think Zoe Saldana did an excellent job capturing the essence of Gamora while adding a new spin.  I look forward to her proving Gamora's moniker in the next film.

Great Quotes:

          Gamora: Who put the sticks up their butts? That's...cruel.

         Gamora: We're just like Kevin Bacon.

         Gamora: I know who you are Peter Quill. I am not some quivering waif that will 

                         succumb to your...pelvic sorcery! 

Drax

              

             Drax's film version is more compelling than in the comics.  In the film, Drax (who is a race of unknown origin) is intelligent and well spoken, albeit quite literal in his speech.  This gives Drax a much needed personality quirk not allowing him to be overshadowed as a strong man, and gives him great opportunities for comic relief. While I was initially hesitant about the change of Ronan murdering Drax's family instead of Thanos, by films end that was rectified.

              I was a little worried that Dave Bautista would not have the ability to do Drax justice. Yet, when I learned that his process to get the role was grueling and upon landing the role immediately signed up for more acting classes, I started to have faith.  My faith was rewarded. Not only does he add a much neeeded gravitas and dimension to the character, his comedic timing gets some of the biggest laughs every time I've seen it.

Great Quotes: 

           

           Drax: I am NOT A PRINCESS!

           Drax: You are an Imbecile.

           Drax: You are an honorable man, Quill. I will fight beside you. And in the end, I will see my wife 

                      and daughter again.

Rocket 

            

                  Rocket is one of the two break out stars of the film.  It is thanks to Sean Gunn (set stand in) and Bradley Cooper (voice) not to mention the amazing visual effects team that allowed Rocket to work so well. Rocket is spot on in the film as he is in the comics; a master tactician with a Napoleon complex ( that is illistrated by his love for bombs and large guns) brash, witty and sarcastic this is just a front to hide the pain of years of torture that transformed him into a "little monster" who he fears is being mocked by everyone. Slowly throughout the film (in large part to his moral compass in Groot), He embraces his new found family, willing to die for them.

                     I was pleased that Bradley Cooper didn't use his regular voice for the role. He spun it with a Brooklyn accent that gave Rocket a more gravelly hard-edged attitude than the cockney accent used in the animated TV appearances.  

 Great Quotes 

            Rocket: Ain't no thing like me, 'cept me.

            Rocket: Hmm, Hm, HmHmHm.

   

            Rocket: (after seeing the power of the Infinity stone) What do you still have it for!

    

            Drax: Let's put more of this liquid into our bodies!

            Rocket: That's the first thing you've said that isn't bat-shit crazy!

            Drax: This vermin speaks of things that he knows nothing about.

            Rocket: THAT IS TRUE!

            Drax: He has no respect!

            Rocket: THAT IS ALSO TRUE!

Groot

                  Groot is the other break out star in this film. If Rocket was the Heart of the film; Groot is its soul. Groot in the film is a bit more downplayed than his comic counterpart.  In the Comics, Groot is of royal lineage and he is one of the smartest creatures in the Galaxy.  While they did not delve into this aspect of Groot's history in the film, there is always room to grow in the sequel.  What was telling, and the most important similarity between the film abd the comics is Groot's respect for all life. He is both sweet, caring and protective of the rest of the Guardians.

                   When I heard that Vin Diesel was going to be voicing Groot I thought it was perfect casting. What I was surprised by was 1) how James Gunn wrote out on Vin Diesel's script the translation for every variation of the "I am Groot." line. and 2) How Groot's respect for all life helped Vin Diesel get over the sudden death of his friend and fellow actor Paul Walker.

Great Quotes:

           Groot: I am Grooot.

           Groot: I. AM. GROOOOOOT!

           Groot: We, are...Groot.

CONCLUSION

         This is by far the best Marvel Film.  The Guardians themselves represent what Marvel is all about: Fun and Heart. I can not wait till Guardians 2 where I assume Quill will meet his Dad, "the dickhead King of the Universe" Jyson of Spartax. Leading up to Avengers 3 when I hope the Guardians and the Avengers team up to fight Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet.

          After I finished the Abnett and Lanning run and moved on to Bendis's current run I came to a shocking realization.  I loved the Guardians more than The Avengers.In fact, they are my favorite superhero (if you can call them that) team.  The Guardians seem to be more of a family than the Avengers, and that has always been important thing I look for. And like the Guardians of the comics I love The Guardians of the Galaxy film leaps and bounds over The Avengers. I AM hooked on a feeling, and the feeling is that I can't get enough of this film. I hope everyone feels the same.

For more on the Guardians watch this:

TIME TO GET READY FOR THE GUARDIANS!

I will be seeing The Guardians of the Galaxy in about 28 hrs from this posting. I am VERY Excited. I published an earlier post trying to generate buzz about how awesome this team is.  As I mentioned I think that everyone needs to read the Abnett and Lanning run on the characters...it is Brilliant (the Bendis run isn't bad either).

 But Right now as a final push for the film I wanted to post several of the trailers and pics to share my excitement. I hope it's infectious.

Trailer 1

Trailer 2

The Extended Trailer 

The Score 

Get Hooked 

This is going to be epic!!!!! Look for the review coming within the first week of August!!!! Here's to " The Ass-Kickers of the Fantastic" as Rocket would say!!!!

Comic Con International Recap!

              Comic-Con International was this weekend in San Diego, CA.  Once again, as in years past we geeks and self described nerds flock to this city as our own personal mecca; or it used to be personal. Now, millions of people the world over come to Comic con not just to celebrate comics and superheroes, indeed it has become a veritable Shangri  La of popular culture.  With this title comes the unification and amalgamation of entertainment industries from books and comics, movies, TV, video games, web content, and everything in between.
               Sociologically speaking, this is interesting on a number of different levels.  You could do an ethnographic study on the very esoteric nature of the subculture of the con; focusing on notions of devotion and self sacrifice (e.g. waiting in line for 27 hours to see the Sat Hall H panels thereby missing other interesting announcements). You could do a study on the presentation of self of cosplayers looking at how individuals who work to embody their favorite characters are not only quite unique and creative (using it as a form of self expression) but also spend a lot of money. Unfortunately, on the darker side of cosplay is the reality of sexual discrimination that stems non just from the construction of masculinity through the objectification of women, coupled with the male gaze that is already informing the way that female characters are drawn in comics in the first place. You could even do a study on mob and crowd mentality due to the sheer numbers of people who participate in the event.  Yes, Comic Con is quite Sociological.  The Sociologist dojo will be attempting to go next year Comic con 2015.  If that happens I will be presenting daily break downs of my experience and Sociological comics odyssey.  But for now you all will have to settle with a highlighted recap of the events and festivities.

I have divided the segments of interest into three categories: The Good, The Bad and The Meh.

Since I am a cynical Sociologist I will start with The Bad.

The Bad

- Warner Bros Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice Panel
As many of you know I have been quite vocal about how bad I believe this film to be and my reservations with Ben Affleck as Batman and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman  None of what I saw did anything to saw coming out of comic con did anything to sway me from those reservations. Perhaps I hate Zack Snyder too much to be objective....as I see him as the embodiment of the Death for the Four Horsemen of the film Apocalypse.  Below you can find the leaked video of a confrontation between Batman and Superman (under whelming) and the first picture of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman.

What is up with the TDKR Armor...Snyder is all about the costumes...so superficial.

NOT A FAN OF THE HEELS, OR THE SHORT(ER) "SKIRT" (I know its based on roman infantry) And as I predicted, she wasn't asked to bulk up (work out and tone up? Yes. but bulk up? No.).


- The Legend of Korra was pulled from Nickelodeon and now is now going to release the rest of the season online...THANK YOU INTERNET PIRATES! you have made it difficult for us to get more Avatar related shows in the future:

 To ease the pain here is the Cast at Comic Con singing the classic "Secret Tunnel" song

  
The Good. ( of which there is a lot more)

1) CHRISTOPHER NOLAN SHOWED UP!!!

I would have completely lost my mind If I saw this...but I instantly became jealous.  God. Among men.

2) The Marvel Age of Ultron Panel was great!!!!

3) Guardians of the Galaxy 2 announced!!!!!!

4) The DC Television Universe line up with THE FLASH, ARROW,CONSTANTINE and  GOTHAM 

It looks like DC is building its universe on TV

The Meh

1)The new slate of DC Universe films to feature "Batman vs Robin" and "Throne of Atlantis"

2) The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones panels were uneventful if you have read the respective comics or books 

3)The Crowds ( I am probably the first crows hating Sociologist.).

Everything else I still have to find or is yet to be note worthy....More to come :)  

Happy 1st Anniversary Sociologist's Dojo!

      I can't believe that it has already been a year since I started this blog.  Looking back I chuckle a bit in reminiscence because part of the reason  I started this blog was due to my intense, visceral reaction to watching Man of Steel.  Now, a year later, Zack Snyder  in his continual pursuit of the Mutually Assured Destruction of both superheroes and the art form of film is writing and directing Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice ( yes, that really is the title. No, it is not a joke.) that is a not so subtle reference to the next proposed film Justice League which Snyder will also helm.  So the next year (or so) is going to be a little rough as more about these films bubble to the surface.  However, luckily we will have the marvel movies like Guardians of the Galaxy

and Interstellar To tide us over.

As this is the first anniversary of my blog I would like to give a brief list of things that you can expect on the site in the next year.

1) More posts....pretty self explanatory  (minimum of 3 a month)

2)  Each post will be more detailed with deeper sociological analysis and the use of more videos

3) Analysis of comic books worthy of the Sociological lens

4) I will continue "The Films of Christopher Nolan" segment until he stops making films or I die. ( I am planning my analytical viewing of The Prestige very soon).

5) More posts about the Martial arts as it does or does not relate to pop culture. 

Finally there are two new continuous segments that I will be implementing in the next couple of months:

    1) My Formative films. This is a segment where I review important films of my childhood that shaped my identity. I will include both sociological analysis, personal significance, historical and cultural context.

    2) Analysis of Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra (TV series) In my drive to focus on more martial arts stuff in the next year a person can't get any better melding of all the things this blog is about (films, pop culture, sociological analysis, gender studies, race and ethnicity, martial arts) in one place.  These are amazing shows and need to be celebrated. But a word of warning DO NOT SEE THE MOVIE The Last Airbender. It is a taint on the show. Pretend it doesn't exist.   If I just brought it to your attention I am sorry.

So I hope to get more viewers in the next year and I hope not to disappoint anyone...least of all myself :)

Here's to another great year of passionate social analysis of pop culture!





Guardians of the Galaxy: The Rolling Stones of the MCU

     When Marvel Studios announced Guardians of the Galaxy (GOTG) as one of their future "Phase 2" projects, I was both unaware and underwhelmed.  I had no idea who they were, and what they were about.  I, like a lot of people was a bit skeptical about a team with a walking tree (i.e. Lord of the Rings) and a anthropomorphic raccoon. Alas, as I kept hearing more buzz, I decided to check out a few back issue trades (bundled monthly issues in graphic novel form, for "the uninitiated").  Seeing as I knew the film continuity would be using characters from the re-launched team in 2008 written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (consisting of Peter Quill, Drax, Gamora, Mar-Vel (Phylia Vel) Adam Warlock, Cosmo, Mantis, Rocket and Groot) I decided to start there.  What I found, was a diamond in the rough.



      Director of GOTG James Gunn said it best: "If The Avengers are The Beatles of the Marvel Universe, the Guardians are The Rolling Stones" It is true, where as The Avengers (like the image of the Beatles) are clean cut, pop, noble and likable, The Guardians are a dirty, deviant "bunch-a A-holes" with moral flexibility.  Yet, as you read their misadventures in space, you realize that this motley crew of misfits is actually a loving family. Each character cares about the others, and in their own way, would die for each other.
      All of the Guardians that will be featured in the film have a unique and complementary backstory that is filled with tragedy: Peter Quill AKA Star-Lord the half Terran (Earth) half Spartoi Prince of Spartax is constantly rebelling against his father "the jerk king of the Universe" Gamora, dubbed " the most dangerous woman in the Universe" is also rebelling against her adoptive father THANOS, Drax "the Destroyer" was genetically engineered to kill THANOS, Rocket is an alien (who just happens to look like a terran raccoon) with genetic and cybernetic enhancements from tortuous experiments, and his best friend Groot is a Alien Tree of Royal lineage. Each of these characters is the only one of their kind and that similarity binds them. Together they stop being selfish individuals and decide to make the Universe a better place...on their own terms. Even with all the drama and tragedy, these books are hilarious; chalk full of quipy humor and sight gags I haven't laughed out loud reading a book since Daniel Way's run on Deadpool. 
     With this outrageous humor, also comes even more outrageous villains.  While the Guardians regularly come up against the likes of THANOS ( and always manage to beat him), Ronan the Accuser, Nebula, The Collector, Magus, and Cronos; my favorite GOTG villains are "The Universal Church of Truth" who enslave their people to harvest their parishioners belief and transform it into their own godly power.  The Warrior Cardinals always begin a sentence with "I believe..." This a blatant analogy to the power the Roman Catholic Church once held.    
      Being the Badasses of the Marvel Cosmic, you would expect this group to be super powerful...they are far from it.  Like the crew of The Serenity in the cult show Firefly GOTG are a just a rag-tag group of "heroes" who get by with cunning, charm, strategy an oodles of luck.  Always willing to make the difficult decisions and hard choices, they are both too smart and too stupid to stay away from a fight. They are always outnumbered and usually out gunned, and still they come out on top.  
     It has been widely documented that the GOTG film is the biggest risk Marvel Studios has taken since Iron Man (for many of the reasons I've stated above, mainly its outrageous premise).  However if this pays off (to the tune of 400,000,000+) not only will Marvel continue to be undefeated at the box office, but we will get a GOTG sequel of which I want more Guardians (Cosmo, Adam Warlock, and Major Victory would be nice to see).  and Crazier villains.   However only time and money will tell.  I highly recommend picking up some of the GOTG books (especially the ones I've linked to)  to get well acquainted before the movie to maximize your enjoyment of the film. This is my Favorite Superhero team next to Justice League Dark ( which is also being adapted into a film by Guillermo Del Toro).

Please Give Guardians a chance they will grow on you (much like Groot) :)

In case you missed it, here is the first Official Trailer: Prepare to get "Hooked"