The Big Picture: Who Are The Guardians of the Galaxy?

[Admiral Reasonable]

Does this mean within the next few movies we could be getting a shout out to my boy Beta Ray Bill?

 

[RandV80]

I have absolutely nothing against this upcoming film, but I think it's going to bomb spectacularly if Disney doesn't spend nearly as much on the advertising as they will making the film itself.

A lot of effort, perhaps, but not as much money. This trailer was fantastic and it generated a ton of buzz. If they can keep marketing the movie like this, they should be good. I hope they don't show too much.

The trailer really did absolutely nothing for me.

Once you get past the CGI reskinning it's painfully obvious that much of the cast are the same sort of standard issue Science Fiction archetypes you've already seen a thousand times before. It'll take a little more than turning a tired cliche into an anthropomorphic talking squirrel to convince me that the movie is worth paying to see. And I'm a little disappointed how easily people have been bought off by the computer generated sleight-of-hand that is being used to hock a small portfolio of standard issue Sci-Fi cardboard cut outs.

I think what I'm trying to say is I was hoping for a strange new animal, akin but different from The Fifth Element. Once you get over the fact that guy is a tree and that guy is a talking squirrel, it just feels kinda like bad generic science fiction.

No offense but you sound like someone who would go to ends to describe how bad Avatar actually was, regardless of the fact that everyone and their dog went to see it and the vast majority enjoyed it.

Way to much detail for your specific tastes. The average movie goer will look at this trailer and see Marvel + looks like lot of fun like Ironman/Avengers + a ****ing Raccoon! = ticket sold! I mean Marvel's been continuously hitting it out of the park with second tier comic book hero's (I'd call Superman, Batman, Spiderman, and X-Men 1st tier), some may be getting weary but overall people trust the brand.

 

[Paradoxrifts]

No offense but you sound like someone who would go to ends to describe how bad Avatar actually was, regardless of the fact that everyone and their dog went to see it and the vast majority enjoyed it.

Avatar serves as irrefutable evidence that James Cameron could assemble a completely functional pitch-perfect symphony orchestra out of refuse that had at one stage belonged to other people. Cameron is the Han Solo of movie making, but only if Han Solo was expected to assemble the millennium falcon out of stolen parts every time he had to do the Kessel Run.

 

[Therumancer]

This looks like lots of fun, and I'm glad you covered it in video instead of in a text-only version.

I remember the original Guardians of the Galaxy run, now that I saw your pictures for it, but didn't remember the Raccoon. Perhaps it was after my time buying comics. It is good to see another MCU lighthearted, but non-spandex, version of a comic movie. It's also cool that this is a property I can explore to my semi-geeky wife together.

I'd love a NOVA movie.

Also, is Star Lord an attempt to do the snarky personality correctly, which Green Lantern failed at?

We are unlikely to ever get a decent Nova movie, largely because they replaced Richard Ryder with this kid Sam Alexander which I guess some people like, but to me it's sort of like how Kyle Raynor wasn't worthy of polishing the ring never mind replacing Hal as earth's main Green Lantern (never mind for how long he did it).

See, right now Marvel has plans to turn Nova into this huge property, one of the big issues going around with the "Marvel Super Heroes Online" game (love it or hate it) is that one character they had permission to use but have been unable to release from the first year's intended stable is "Nova" largely because Marvel kept deciding it wanted
to try raise the price to use that particular character after the fact. What's more there was some grappling apparently over the possible existence of doing a Richard Rider "enhanced" skin since the general consensus among marvel fans who are into comics enough to play a game like this and care about the character is pretty much that Sam Alexander should go die in a fire, but only after contracting malignant testicular cancer and having a case of oral herpes rot most of the way through his brain.... or to put it bluntly, while Sam has some fans among newer comic readers, especially due to his appearance in the fairly recent "Ultimate Spider Man" cartoon (which has everyone acting like immature brats... and is really kind of terrible for that reason, which I won't go into in more detail) real fans, especially the guys who are likely to actually drop money on merch or pay $10 to $30 for a playable character in a FTP Diablo clone loathe him.

That said the skinny is that Bob appears to be right, because when you follow this rabbit hole (which some obsessives apparently have) Marvel has Nova pegged as being one of their major successes to be, and their intention is quite probably to have the Nova power passed over to a young Sam Alexander which is the version of the character they seem to be interested in using and promoting and want to be the "known" Nova at this point.

To some extent I can sort of see why, as a general rule Nova pretty much works like a combination of Green Lantern and Spider Man, dealing with a lot of the same power and responsibility issues while operating on a somewhat higher power level. I can see why Marvel might see this as potentially being a big success. That said, as I've rambled about above, they seem interested in using the worst possible version of a character. Sam Alexander being probably the worst idea since "Rage" and for the same reason (Rage being a 12 year old kid with super strength who hung with The Avengers for a while).


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On a side note, I actually do know a bit about Guardians Of The Galaxy and have rambled on about it before. One thing that kind of bugs me about this is that "Star Lord" is supposed to be a galactic law enforcer himself. Indeed part of the original gag was that the alien that offered the mantle of "Star Lord" (along with a host of weapons and gimmicks, which were later removed from the character) turned Peter Quil down, he was on his way back to Earth from a space station to face what amounted to insubordination charges, and pretty much turned around and claimed the mantle anyway. They are instead calling him an "Outlaw" which sort of makes me wonder where exactly he's going to be leading a team called "Guardians of The Galaxy" which sort of got away with that conceptually because they were with Star Lord (not that I was ever entirely clear on who he enforced the law for, or whose authority he represented, my memory is failing and Wikipedia doesn't fill in all the blanks). Of course he's been rebooted several times, but still "Outlaw" just doesn't quite feel right. I suppose as Bob pointed out they are re-doing the character to try and merge Vance Astro (who himself is a giant cup of beans) into it. It will be interesting to see if this version of Star Lord winds up having telekinetic powers.

The biggest wild card of the group is really Drax, because honestly his whole "out to kill Thanos" schtick is the entire character. They still might be doing that, but he's a fairly one note character. I could see him either being awesome, or just sort of being there. That said it seems a bit odd that even Ronan the Accuser should be able to manhandle Drax quite that easily, Ronan is quite powerful, but they call this guy Drax The Destroyer for a reason. Even The Hulk would probably wind up having a problem with doing that (and and I seem to remember one of the "OMG Ouch" scenes of the whole Infinity Gauntlet fight is when both Drax and Hulk punch Thanos at the same time side by side, from which it's supposed to be truly amazing and a testament to his new power level that even a Mad Eternal is not paste after taking that hit).

That said I'll be giving it a shot, it should be interesting, but I have to agree it's going to be a gamble.

 

[AliasBot]

Drax the Destroyer's family was killed by Thanos. Gamora is Thanos's adopted daughter that turned rogue. Nebula may or may not actually be Thanos's daughter. From what I can glean from Wikipedia, the Guardians tangled with Thanos in a major plot arc in the comics. Thanos is also [insert verb somewhere between "guessed" and "confirmed": speculated?] to be the major villain in the eventual Avengers 3.

So I'm betting Guardians 1 is there to lay some groundwork and available backstory for Thanos, and if the first movie is successful, Guardians 2 (in Phase Three) will see the full release of and chaos wrought by Thanos, at least toward the end of the film, which will lead into Avengers 3, where the Avengers and Guardians, whatever their respective teams look like by that point (expecting casualties or at least retirements/recruitment somewhere in the ranks of the Avengers), will have to team up to take Thanos down.

Basically the movies are a vehicle by which to introduce a major future villain, and generally to test the waters of how weird their movies can get while still being successful (potentially setting the stage for the next effective-main-character/"Tony Stark" of the movie-verse, the sorcerer Doctor Strange, as well as future movies building off of the massive scale of the Marvel universe beyond Earth, involving Nova, etc.) Whatever the case, it's gonna be fun and I fully anticipate going to see it about 3 times in theaters.

 

[RandV80]

No offense but you sound like someone who would go to ends to describe how bad Avatar actually was, regardless of the fact that everyone and their dog went to see it and the vast majority enjoyed it.

Avatar serves as irrefutable evidence that James Cameron could assemble a completely functional pitch-perfect symphony orchestra out of refuse that had at one stage belonged to other people. Cameron is the Han Solo of movie making, but only if Han Solo was expected to assemble the millennium falcon out of stolen parts every time he had to do the Kessel Run.

The point being that Avatar was insanely popular and successful. It's one thing to look at the Guardians of the Galaxy trailer and determine you will not like it, but suggesting it's going to bomb over these film student-like analysis' is another thing entirely. Just look at how many people on here absolutely love the trailer, at least 95%, and that's the general reception it's getting around the internet.

 

[KazeAizen]

CAPTCHA: willy nilly

I think the Captcha's got this trailer in a nutshell. Mind you, it's willy nilly in a good way. I think someone was having way too much fun with this particular movie and just how random the material is...and that usually ends up being a good thing. Just look at how well the Lego Movie ended up with a similar "it's random but let's have fun with it" concept. Definitely looking forward to this.

This is directed by the guy who directed Lolipop Chainsaw. If nothing else he knows how to have a hell of a good time.

 

[Paradoxrifts]

No offense but you sound like someone who would go to ends to describe how bad Avatar actually was, regardless of the fact that everyone and their dog went to see it and the vast majority enjoyed it.

Avatar serves as irrefutable evidence that James Cameron could assemble a completely functional pitch-perfect symphony orchestra out of refuse that had at one stage belonged to other people. Cameron is the Han Solo of movie making, but only if Han Solo was expected to assemble the millennium falcon out of stolen parts every time he had to do the Kessel Run.

The point being that Avatar was insanely popular and successful. It's one thing to look at the Guardians of the Galaxy trailer and determine you will not like it, but suggesting it's going to bomb over these film student-like analysis' is another thing entirely. Just look at how many people on here absolutely love the trailer, at least 95%, and that's the general reception it's getting around the internet.

And Avatar was insanely popular and successful because, James Cameron. Two words. James fucking Cameron. Now had Disney contracted James Cameron to be the creative force behind Guardians Of The Galaxy then you might have had a point by comparing it to Avatar.

But they didn't. So you don't.

All you've really said there, is that a completely unrelated movie was made by the demonstrably most popular filmmaker of this or any other generation, so this other completely unrelated movie might not suck.

And by all means you're welcome to love it, but my gut instinct still says that at best it will break even at the box office.




As it stands I think that GotG is going to bomb

 

[Antsh]

I bet about seven years ago, people would think this was the dumbest thing ever. But, thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you just have to tell them that it takes place in the same world as Iron Man, Thor, etc and they'll want to see it.

Pretty awesome.

 

[flatten_the_skyline]

Ooooh look, more Nine inch Nails in a trailer for something. I need to get some kind of Trent Reznor counter at this point. I've listened to "With Teeth" enough to recognize "Love is not enough" when i hear it.

Yup, and I think there was Tears for Fears Mad World in it before too...

 

[flatten_the_skyline]

Ooooh look, more Nine inch Nails in a trailer for something. I need to get some kind of Trent Reznor counter at this point. I've listened to "With Teeth" enough to recognize "Love is not enough" when i hear it.

Yup, and I think there was Tears for Fears Mad World in it before too...

 

[MaddKossack115]

Ironically, I'd think Rocket Raccoon would be the MOST recognizable face of this movie, seeing how he managed to star as a character in "Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3", albeit as one of the obscure gag characters only thrown in for the "WTF?!" factor... and to make some pretty bad puns regarding Resident Evil's "Raccoon City".

...GOOOODDD, it'd be so awesome if this somehow leads to a "Marvel vs. Capcom" movie in the future! I know that's just improbable fanboying, seeing how all Capcom-related movies shot themselves in the foot a bazillion times (I think their last effort into making licensed movies was "The Legend of Chun-Li" and... well, the evidence pretty much speaks for itself with that one), but a man can dream, right?

 

[VondeVon]

'He's blue and has a big red thing on his head'

Heh.

Thanks, Movie Bob! This was the helpful kind of preview - it'll enhance the show.

I see green girl and think 'Orion'. They shouldn't have given her red hair.

For a lover of Death, Thanos sure has a lot of kids.

 

[altdoom]

What a clusterf*ck. Well its nice of marvel to make these for people without time to read a billion comic books.

 

[BBboy20]

So far, the trailer has a lot going for it but it also contains the most risk. While Iron Man and Thor were relatively unknown to the public eye, they have appeared on other aspects of pop culture (toy lines and cartoons to name a few). However, very little is known about this team unless you count the recent episodes from Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes and Ultimate Spider-Man. Plus, while he's gained a cult following with his films, this is perhaps the first major movie project James Gunn has ever landed. However, the same could be said about Joss Whedon and his TV/film track record. If this movie lives up to its hype, then this could lead to other lesser known characters getting their shot at the big screen.

Rocket Raccoon. Everything else in this film does not matter for this film's success when you have a talking raccoon that shoot guns being the most important factor in it's possible success. The film makers basically admitted that either he will make or break this film and rather the American population will accept him or not

 

[Mr. Q]

So far, the trailer has a lot going for it but it also contains the most risk. While Iron Man and Thor were relatively unknown to the public eye, they have appeared on other aspects of pop culture (toy lines and cartoons to name a few). However, very little is known about this team unless you count the recent episodes from Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes and Ultimate Spider-Man. Plus, while he's gained a cult following with his films, this is perhaps the first major movie project James Gunn has ever landed. However, the same could be said about Joss Whedon and his TV/film track record. If this movie lives up to its hype, then this could lead to other lesser known characters getting their shot at the big screen.

Rocket Raccoon. Everything else in this film does not matter for this film's success when you have a talking raccoon that shoot guns being the most important factor in it's possible success. The film makers basically admitted that either he will make or break this film and rather the American population will accept him or not

Don't get me wrong, man. I want to see this movie hit it big with audiences. I am not one of the naysayers that suckle on the nipple of cynicism every waking moment. I love Rocket Raccoon. I love the fact that he's a bad-ass action character that happens to be an animal you'd normally find rooting in your trash bins or being portrayed as a cartoon character. I love the fact that his girlfriend is an otter. And that's why I applaud Marvel/Disney for taking such a risk with this movie. Other studios would shy away from a character like Rocket Raccoon or completely alter him to appeal more to a certain demographic. In fact, a studio making a movie about a lesser know team from comics would scare them to death. They'd rather go with the safe route and green-light a sequel to an already popular franchise. Hell, you'd have to twist the arms of DC Entertainment/Warner Bros execs just to get them to make a Wonder Woman picture. Marvel Studio-based movies embrace the weird and silly aspects of these characters without fear or shame. And the fact that they're making movies like Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man, whether or not they succeed, is a move rarely seen in Hollywood.

I am definitely going to be in line for Guardians of the Galaxy and I hope this movie will prove us right on how awesome it looks.

 

[Arcane Azmadi]

Huh, that was a lot more convenient than the way you used to do it in Intermission, since I didn't have to load the trailer on YouTube and either remember every detail as I read through your article or constantly pause it myself to flick back and forth between the tabs. Neat new toy you got here, Bob.

I want this movie. Oh yeah!

 

[daibakuha]

And Avatar was insanely popular and successful because, James Cameron. Two words. James fucking Cameron. Now had Disney contracted James Cameron to be the creative force behind Guardians Of The Galaxy then you might have had a point by comparing it to Avatar.

But they didn't. So you don't.

All you've really said there, is that a completely unrelated movie was made by the demonstrably most popular filmmaker of this or any other generation, so this other completely unrelated movie might not suck.

And by all means you're welcome to love it, but my gut instinct still says that at best it will break even at the box office.




As it stands I think that GotG is going to bomb

James Cameron is hardly a household name. Avatar made boatloads of money in a same fashion that Titanic did. It's a big event movie, one which premiered with some relatively cool technology and told a really simple story. You could put anybodies name next to the director credit and it would have done well.

Even if this were true, I would be more than willing to bet that Marvel and The Avengers are bigger names than Cameron. None of the marvel films have done badly so far, and the last one had a dark elf playing with portals in it.

 

[btbushi]

Aren't the Kree the same race that Captain Marvell is from? So is this also hinting at a Captain Marvell (and by proxy a Miss Marvel) movie in the future?

Yep, Mar-Vell is one of the Kree and the origin for Miss Marvel I'm aware of involves her being exposed to Kree energy and having it rewrite some of her genetics.

 

[Steve the Pocket]

So, I just learned that the badass "OOGA CHAGGA OOGA CHAGGA" going on and the cheesy pop song that plays at the end are in fact legitimately one and the same.

Whoever's idea it was to use that song in this trailer (and possibly the movie? I wouldn't be surprised if that was edited in and the song on the Walkman is going to be something else in the movie), either they're a creative genius, or it's painfully obvious to anyone who's familiar with that song and we're all just lucky nobody else thought to do it before on a less worthy movie.

This is directed by the guy who directed Lolipop Chainsaw. If nothing else he knows how to have a hell of a good time.

Wait, seriously?

Oh yeah, Yahtzee did mention something about the Scooby-Doo movies and "Yes I know he did Super!" in one of his Suda51 videos didn't he. Welp, I'm on board. Geez, can you imagine if he and Whedon wound up teaming up on the inevitable Avengers crossover movie?