Shadow and Flame with Magik

My wife took me to the Guardians of the Galaxy film.

Going into the film, my only concern was that I wanted Rocket and Groot to come off well.  Also, if I could learn more about Star Lord, that would be pretty cool.

I was pretty relieved that Rocket and Groot came off superbly.  Chris Pratt as Star Lord, is both charming and fantastic.

In the sequel, I am hoping they can cast Ellen Page in an ‘unnamed’ role, that would be pretty awesome.  If the two characters are still together in three years, which could be doubtful.

The cast was pretty awesome.

Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot, must have been the best gig he has ever had.  By far, my favorite role of his – with maybe Boiler Room as my second favorite.

My wife really liked Groot, he was the best part of the movie for her.  If they make a plush version of him, I will totally buy one.

Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket.  I like how both actors adoped voices for the characters.  It wasn’t just their regular voices and they wasted a few hours in a recording both.  Cooper gets the opportunity to take Rocket through every emotion.  If they wanted to spin off a Rocket / Groot film, I would totally support that.

Zoe Saldana as Gamora.  I did not know she was the adopted daughter of Thanos, I can only imagine that must be how the comic is.

Which, I must say, it was nice to go to a comic book movie relatively clean.  They could have been completely off from the comic and I wouldn’t really have noticed.

Though this film does feature one of the Infinity Gem.  It bugs me so much that they are called, stones, in this film.  Are they waiting until they are added to a gauntlet before calling them, gems.

I also could not tell which gem was in the movie.  On the way home, I was trying to name them.  I didn’t realize that four of them paired well with each other.  Which explains why I couldn’t name the sixth one.  Mind / Soul.  Space / Time.  Power.  I couldn’t remember Reality, at all.  Wikipedia states that the Power gem was used in the film, but I thought all it did was make you the strongest one that there is.

Typing of Thanos, voiced by Josh Brolin, was very impressive to see.  When the advisor, played again by Alex Denisof, showed up – I leaned over to my wife to explain that Thanos was the purple faced guy from the end of Avengers.  Which was unnecessary as Thanos was not only seen but given a voice and an excellent scene.

Portraying Thanos’ daughter, Nebula, was Karen Gillen.  Who may be the most famous person to come out of Doctor Who.  Not sure who else would even be in the running for the title.  Most either fade away outside of the convention circuit, or make a few appearances in film and television but never to any real fame.

Karen, who I totally love, did an amazing job being one of the villains.  She is going to be the star of ABC’s Selfie, which also stars John Cho.  No way that show goes to a second season with both of their movie careers, but it should be a nice done in one season type of a show.  Not every series lends itself to multiple seasons.

I thought they got Arthur Durvill as Michael Rooker’s right hand man, but turns out, that actor is Sean Gunn of Gilmore Girls fame.  Also, the director, James Gunn’s brother.

I feel like I saw James Gunn’s name through out the opening credits.  He directed and co-wrote the film, as well as I’m sure he is one of the producers.

I also saw Stan Lee’s name as one of the Executive Producers, and that took me out of the film for a few minutes.  I get that Marvel can never pay him enough for all that he contributed and co-contributed to the Marvel mythos.  I knew he didn’t create any of the team members of the film.  I did like how those creators were given special credit at the end of the film.

So while the rest of the opening credits rolled, I was trying to remember which characters were expected to appear.  I associate so many of the cosmic characters with Jim Starlin, but Stan Lee and Jack Kirby with 104 issues of the Fantastic Four – essentially created everything in the Marvel Universe.  Stan Lee co-created Ronan the Accuser and The Collector.  Ronan with Kirby and The Collector with Don Heck.

Ronan the Accuser, played by Pushing Daisies’ Lee Pace – was a pretty thankless role until the ending.  Which has to be the best, or at least one of the best, conclusions to an epic confrontation done on film.

The Collector was Benicio del Toro, who I didn’t recognize was that actor at the end of Thor 2.  Probably as I understood every word he said, as opposed to how he often mutters must of his lines.

The final member of the Guardians of the Galaxy, is Dave Bautista as Drax.  I know him as WWE’s Batista.  Heck, I even read his autobiography.  I looked online and found this list of his top ten matches :

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/396619-batistas-top-10-matches-in-his-entire-wwe-career

I remember the Orton and Triple H matches, but must have missed out on the other ones.

Drax got some great lines in the film.  I know the character to be a not smart / foolish character.  This film did a good job of making him sound smart, but having him not understand simple gestures or metaphors.  The moment Star Lord moved his finger across his own neck, and how Drax doesn’t know what that means, was so funny.  Why would I touch his neck with my finger?  I could have used maybe ten more jokes like that.  We only got one more, about how nothing goes over his head, his reflexes are too fast.

One of the great aspects of the film is hearing the various aliens and locations being said.  It amazes me that once they close the book on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, if they ever do, they will have two cosmic movies with the Guardians and a third with Avengers 3.  How crazy is that?

The Kree are mentioned.  We visit Knowhere.  Which I pronounced it as No-Where but they say it as Now-Here, which also works.

The main location was the main planet of the Nova Corp.  I kept looking in the background for any sign of Nova, like a helmet or paintings – I didn’t see any.

John C. Reilly as Rhoman Dey, he was funny and really fit well in this film.  Playing his boss, Nova Prime herself, Glenn Close – who I will forever love for being in Big Chill.

I really liked the prison scenes, it really brought the team together.  The stand out of course, being Rocket coming up with the plan and just watch Groot in the background.

I also like how they worked getting the team into one color scheme.  Yellow in prison and Red in the final scenes.

It was great to see Star Lord’s helmet thing in action, it is just a breathing mask.  I didn’t mind that he only wore it in a limited capacity.  Also great to see his boots in action.  It felt like his first issue of his current series was completely inspired by the film.

Oh, the music of the 60s/70s and the respect for Kevin Bacon – loved it!

Comic Book Resources has the list of songs that make up the cassette tape :

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=54539

The lineup of songs is epic, in terms of pop touchstones from their era: Swedish rockers Blue Swede’s 1974 smash hit cover of “Hooked On a Feeling”; “Go All the Way,” the 1972 breakthrough hit for songwriter/lead singer Eric Carmen’s early band The Raspberries; “Moonage Daydream,” David Bowie’s 1971 glam rock ode to an alien messiah; blues rocker Elvin Bishop’s “Fooled Around and Fell in Love,” from 1971, with vocals by future Jefferson Starship singer Mickey Jones; the ethereal, choir-tinged “I’m Not In Love,” 10cc’s soft rock chart-topper from 1975; “Come and Get Your Love,” a 1974 R&B smash from the Native American group Redbone; 1976’s explosive proto-punk “Cherry Bomb,” signature song of the all-ladies lineup of The Runaways, co-penned by band member Joan Jett; 1979’s ubiquitous “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)” the one major pop hit for future musical theater whiz Rupert Hine; the uplifting soul staple “O-o-h Child,” a 1970 hit for the Five Starships; the bona fide classic “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” from 1967, featuring soaring vocals by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell; and another definitive Motown track from 1969, the high-energy “I Want You Back” by the Jackson 5, featuring then-11-year-old lead vocalist Michael Jackson. (Norman Greenbaum’s enduring 1969 gospel/psychedelic rock fusion “Spirit in the Sky” also appears on the soundtrack album, but not in the film.)

Nice to see Dijimon Hounsou acting again.  I only know him from Blood Diamonds – a lousy movie, but besides that, I saw him in the few scenes of my wife’s show, Life in the Fab Lane, as he was Kimora’s husbandish role at the time.

Okay, the post credit sequence.  So great that now that Disney now owns Lucas Film, they own the film rights and the old footage of Steve Gerber and Val Mayerick’s greatest creation.  I am referencing the Seth Green voiced, Howard the Duck.  I really should see that first film again.  I type, first, but could there really be a second?  I did enjoy the credit right afterwards with his creators.  Especially with how much work Gerber put into claiming as much ownership of the character that he could.

For the sequel, I’m not sure where they will go.  In the movie, they set it up so that they will be looking for Star Lord’s father.  The Nova Corp makes it seem like he is part of an ancient alien race but I thought the Spartax – while not the most famous alien race, was at least known.  I get it is the Marvel Cinematic Universe so the rules are different but it seems odd with how easily accessible the comics are.  Maybe to play off of the ‘Lord’ in Quill’s hero name?

Also, with most of the Nova Corps being killed – this probably sets up needing one guardian with all of their power.  A Nova, if you would.