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Guardians of the Galaxy is what I wanted post Star Wars VI to be
- Thread starter BitByDeath
- Start date
I just watched GOTG2 on Netflix last night and holy cow I could not disagree more. I'm not a huge Star Wars fan, but if I compare Star Wars IV and GOTG1 it's no contest. Guardians has so much green screen action that the whole thing looks like a video game cutscene, and the jokes are all the lowest hanging fruit possible. I'm really trying not to have a no fun allowed attitude, but for as much as I wanted to like the two guardians movies, watching them just felt insulting the whole time. Even my boy Kurt Russell couldn't elevate the second one for me, and I think that's pretty telling
They're pretty good, but too jokey to scratch that Star Wars OT itch imo. Force Awakens very nearly nailed the OT balance of levity and drama.
I feel sorry for anyone thinking jokes/comedy and emotional character arcs are mutually exclusive when talking about Guardians.
If Guardians 2 was removed of it's jokes and exclusively highlighted the dramatic undercurrent it'd probably be a more depressing movie than Batman v Superman.
And I don't think Star Wars needs to be like Guardians, but I wish the franchise had more of that imaginative spirit that makes me interested in it's wider world and characters that was something both Guardians movies nailed, and were things it owed to Star Wars already. The stories of both Guardians' movies are separate from each other but they use the worlds and narratives in each respective movie to build the characters as opposed to using the story to build them.
If Guardians 2 was removed of it's jokes and exclusively highlighted the dramatic undercurrent it'd probably be a more depressing movie than Batman v Superman.
And I don't think Star Wars needs to be like Guardians, but I wish the franchise had more of that imaginative spirit that makes me interested in it's wider world and characters that was something both Guardians movies nailed, and were things it owed to Star Wars already. The stories of both Guardians' movies are separate from each other but they use the worlds and narratives in each respective movie to build the characters as opposed to using the story to build them.
There's a flavour and a pop in GotG that isn't there in TFA, at the very least.
When it comes to the sci-fi, the whimsy, and the adventure, TFA is dull. When it comes to humour or levity, there's little to write home about. And when it comes to the drama, there are heaps of better made, better acted films you could be watching instead. I struggle to see its appeal beyond the connection to its predecessors.
When it comes to the sci-fi, the whimsy, and the adventure, TFA is dull. When it comes to humour or levity, there's little to write home about. And when it comes to the drama, there are heaps of better made, better acted films you could be watching instead. I struggle to see its appeal beyond the connection to its predecessors.
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i fully agree with everything you said.
Totally disagree.
Vol 2 doesn't understand what made the first one good. And ratchets up the jokes to an almost unbearable level.
I find this criticism interesting considering we're on the cusp of people going completely nuts for TLJ. I'm not attributing this to you personally, but I bet we're going to see a heck of a lot of "TFA should have been more like TLJ" in the coming weeks without the acknowledgement that TFA was designed to establish the characters for TLJ. I enjoyed TFA; it wasn't close to perfect but I believe it did what it was meant to do. TLJ will benefit from it and I think that should be recognized.
Feels more like a very high budget Farscape with the puns and silliness mixed with sci-fi action.
I think it's a bit premature to really say for sure. TFA, while it's a fun ride, doesn't really feel like a passionate film to me on a creative level - like, tonally and stylistically, it feels like JJ Abrams was told "make Star Wars" and went to work to make Star Wars. I don't know if that's because of too much love for the source material, where he wasn't comfortable producing his own vision, or not enough, where he didn't "get it" and just tried to ape the originals.
But I think with Rian Johnson, there could be something more there - a strong vision, that really wants to bring the story to life. He wouldn't agree to make his own original trilogy (and they wouldn't LET him make his own original trilogy) if he didn't have the passion and drive to do something with the universe and its characters.
Like, say what you will about GOTG, but Gunn is absolutely making the movies he wants to make and telling the stories he wants to tell. That shines through. There's no reason Star Wars can't do the same thing.
But I think with Rian Johnson, there could be something more there - a strong vision, that really wants to bring the story to life. He wouldn't agree to make his own original trilogy (and they wouldn't LET him make his own original trilogy) if he didn't have the passion and drive to do something with the universe and its characters.
Like, say what you will about GOTG, but Gunn is absolutely making the movies he wants to make and telling the stories he wants to tell. That shines through. There's no reason Star Wars can't do the same thing.
I'll recognize that once I see TLJ and find it reveals something positive about TFA. Until then I'll continue to find TFA mediocre at best.
Absolutely not.
I love the GotG movies, but to think they offer the same experience as Star Wars is to fundamentally misunderstand both works
I love the GotG movies, but to think they offer the same experience as Star Wars is to fundamentally misunderstand both works
I'm convinced anybody who says GoTG has "no drama" or is "just jokes" hasn't seen any of the movies and maybe caught a glimpse of some of the trailers.
Ew what
The two are nothing alike. There's already like 50 million Marvel movies, why would you ever want Star Wars to become a Marvel movie
The two are nothing alike. There's already like 50 million Marvel movies, why would you ever want Star Wars to become a Marvel movie
While I adore love Volume 2, the first Guardian's of the Galaxy had too many problematic things that hampered my enjoyment (such as Quill's treatment of the fusia girl and his general misogyny).
It was literally the wors plotted movie I've seen this year. It was bassicaly CG battle, exposition, exposition, exposition. boring CG battle..roll credits. I liked the subplots and even got teary eyed at the death, but Jesus Christ..the main arc with Star Lord's father was just plain awful.
Yeah, Vol. 2 is differently paced and more about character work than the adventure of the first one. The exposition, as you call it, directly relates to Starlord's character arc.
I honestly like most mcu movies more than TFA, so...
Lol, what's with comparing the mcu to food as a knock on the movies? Is that a new meme?
The problem is, barely anything happens while they do that for Starlord. For example, it was such a ridiculous mistake to not him be the one to discover the bones. In this particular movie the protagonist is completely inactive. He doesn't even change. At the end of the movie he's in exactly the same spot as at the beginning. It's fine for a movie to focus on different characters, but not when the main plot still revolves around Starlord and he gets most of the screen time.
OP
OP
That's not true, he lost two fathers and learned of his mothers murder.
Yep, the only two characters that see some sort of forward momentum in V2 are Gamora and Nebula, and their relationship to each other. Rockets' arc was pretty much the same as in V1. Drax was just there. The only difference in Peter by the end is that he now knows his lineage.
To me Gotg 1 and 2 injected that was needed in the movie industry not only a space adventure but a fun space adventure with dysfunctional family. Part 2 is growing on me more and more, i mean who doesn't love baby groot? James Gunn made two fantastic movies i really enjoyed even my parents who are not in to marvel they love marvel movies and they loved Gotg with all those classic soundtracks.
Gotg 1 and 2 have still one of the most fun openings i've seen in a long long time.
Gotg 1 and 2 have still one of the most fun openings i've seen in a long long time.
I don't think that's true at all. Peter's relationship with his father directly plays not only into his dysfunctional family life but also his hubris and - obviously - ego. His arc isn't as cohesive as it sets out to be and it gets muddled along the way but ultimately it's about choosing the family he found in Yondu and the Guardians over himself, Ego and his birthright as a celestial. What "happens" to Peter is the conflict arising from the conversation that starts with Brandy and ends with Ego revealing that he sacrificed his family for greatness - because the proverbial sea was calling to him.
And? Nothing changed for him compared to how he was at the end of first movie. He didn't have fathers there either, he used the Guardians as his surogate family. He didn't progress relationships with any of the crews and he didn't even get to keep his powers. It all felt like one giant rethread, his arc with Rocket, his arc with Gamorah..even Yondu being somewhat on the ropes but ultimatelly coming back to save Star Lord. The entire thing felt like just a slow run in one big circle that made him end up in at the start. Heck, aside from two new members of the team, you could bassicaly cut out watching GotG2 completely and go straight from GotG to Avengers 3 and not be confused about anything. The movie is bassicaly completely skippable story-wise, both as part of GotG series plot as well as bigger Marvel story.
Except that the only reason Peter "chose" his found family is because Ego turned out to be cartoonishly evil, killed his mother, and wanted to take over the galaxy.
Uh, yeah, that's the entire point of the character. Ego is solipsism taken to the extreme. He's someone who thinks himself above others because he's a god and sees mortals as disappointing. Peter finds out he's the same as Ego by birth but chooses his newfound family over him.
You mean Peter realizing what path this leads down to makes him choose differently? Who would have thought.
While GotG1 was good, and funny, i hated part II with passion. Stupid story, not funny jokes, fake laughs all the time, Groot annoying as hell (we get it, you want to sell Groot merch). GotG1 was one of the best, and GotG2 one of the worst movies i have seen in couple of years.
We already know how much his mother means to him from the first movie and how he clings to memories and mementos of her. So once Ego tells Peter that he killed her there is literally no choice to be made. If Ego hadn't said that and the whole wanting to wipe out the galaxy thing Peter would've gladly jumped ship to stay with him.
Winter Soldier played things pretty straight and it's fucking great for it.
I'm not sure you know what a choice is. I'm not sure you get the point of the scene period.
Vol 2 and the end of 1 are bad. VII was good even great until they leave Jakku then it becomes worst and worst until it goes to shit.