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The first trailer for GOTG has been released. It's almost the same as the exclusive trailer at Comic-Con.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pTZ2Tp9yXyM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pTZ2Tp9yXyM)

I'm still not impressed with it, so far. Looks way too goofy.

Personally, I loved the trailer.  The goofiness is what sold it for me.  What's wrong with a comic-book movie that is funny?

I suspect this will be the kind of CBM for the people who loved the 'Mandarin twist' in 'Iron Man 3' rather than the ones who hated it.

Also, prior to watching this trailer I didn't know what to make of GotG.  It's not a comic-book I'm particularly familiar with in relation to the Avengers.  But this has really sold it for me.  :)

Like Gobbs, I'm not really familiar with GOTG at all, but thought the trailer was alright.

Looks like the humor is going to be dialed up a notch or two from the usual found in the other Marvel films, but I guess the property, atleast in the sense of introducing it to the general audiences, lends itself for that type of approach quite easily.

Just got back from seeing this. It currently has a 91% 'Certified Fresh' rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 9/10 rating on the IMDb. Far be it from me to contribute to hyperbole, but I have to say it's pretty darn good. I think analysts have severely underestimated its box office potential. I didn't think it was as good as Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but it's definitely in my top 5 Marvel Cinematic Universe films.

I don't know an awful lot about the Guardians of the Galaxy comic, so I can't comment on how faithful it is to the source material. I'm just judging the film on its own merits. And in those terms, it's a colourful, tongue-in-cheek space adventure that delivers on the promise of the trailers. It has more in common with Star Wars than it does most other comic book films, and is strongly evocative of eighties sci-fi cartoon shows like Transformers, Defenders of the Earth, Visionaries, Thundercats, Bravestarr, etc. In fact it does a much better job of capturing the feel of those shows than Michael Bay's Transformers films do. For people of my generation, that makes GotG instantly preferable.

I'm not sure there's an awful lot of depth to the film, and there are a number of set pieces where I felt the special effects overwhelmed the characters and plot. But I still enjoyed the ride while it lasted. It's a vibrant, imaginative and often funny roller coaster that represents yet another successful gambit on Marvel's part. Not a great film by any means, but a very entertaining movie. For those who were concerned about the tone, be warned it is a very goofy film. In fact it's the most overtly comedic MCU movie to date. Even more so than the Iron Man films. But that just contributes to the eighties cartoon vibe, which, for me at least, is one of the film's greatest strengths.

The casting is spot on and further exemplifies Marvel's skill at selecting the right people for the right job. This is also true with regards to director James Gunn. Apparently his background is in Troma films, and there's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo by Troma head Lloyd Kaufman when the main characters first arrive at the prison. Despite the impressive line-up of actors, I did feel that some of the cast weren't utilised to their full potential. Particularly Glenn Close and Benicio del Toro. The plot moves so quickly from one adventure to the next that there's precious little time left to develop the supporting characters. And there are a lot of supporting characters. But with a sequel already in the works, these minor characters might yet get their chance to shine.

I suppose the most significant thing about the film, besides just generally expanding the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is that it introduces Thanos and the Infinity Stones. Josh Brolin only has a couple of scenes as Thanos, but he commands considerable presence with the small amount of screen time he's afforded. Presumably he and the Infinity Stones will play an important role in Phase 3. For those who haven't seen him yet, here's a screencap I took from Marvel's YouTube page.



More than ever, this makes me wish Warner Bros would produce a movie based on Jack Kirby's Fourth World. Will we DC fans ever get to see Darkseid on film? :(

Anyway, back to GotG. I'm sure most people have already heard this by now, but one of the most surprising things about the movie is the post-credit cameo by SPOILERS Howard the Duck! END SPOILERS. Now there's one character I never thought I'd see resurrected from the celluloid ashes of his last big screen outing. The fact he's in this movie shows just how far Marvel's Cinematic Universe has come, and just how confident (and with good reason) the producers have grown.

So those are my initial thoughts on the movie. I saw a 2D screening, so I can't comment on how good the 3D is. But if you're a fan of Marvel's Cinematic Universe so far, or just a fan of eighties sci-fi cartoons and space adventures, you'll probably enjoy this one. I rate it a solid 7/10. Go see it!

So has no one else seen this yet? It's been a huge hit at the box office, and critics and comic fans alike have responded positively to it. It's currently at 92% on Rotten Tomatoes with a worldwide gross of over 420 million dollars and counting. I thought more people on the site would have seen it by now.

Ironic you post that I saw it today in 3D

The 3d is very impressive. As a huge green lantern fan, I kept thinking I wish they did the GL movie like this one. I enjoyed myself quite a bit. I've read quite a few avengers and marvel cross over stories but not too many Guardians of the galaxy stories. Now I'll admit I'm not an uber-geek; while I don't believe everything has to be Nolanized, I do prefer more grounded films/shows/comics as opposed to the far fetched ones such as Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who etc. so even after seeing all the fantastic reviews the last 3 weeks I had my doubts I'd enjoy it more than the Avengers (even though it currently has higher ratings) and sure enough I didn't. But overall the characterization was great, every actor live or voice impresses.


My only complaint was I felt they got Groot wrong; in the comics he looks like a big stupid tree and only says the same line but is deceivingly intelligent; this film implied that he was rather stupid.

It doesn't tie in that much to the Avengers saga, there's some easter eggs here and there but it isn't a prerequisite to see any of the Avengers films.  It is the type of film which is a classic example of what Marvel gets right and DC is afraid to do; DC would have cut down on the humour and great sound track (heck the detractors STILL complain about the Prince music)


As far as the post credits scene you refer to; I was shocked as well. I'm not sure if Marvel intends to use the character in question again but if they do it speaks volumes of their confidence.

I'd rank it behind the Avengers, Cap 2, and the first two Iron man films (I'd need to see IM3 a second time to compare it) as well as the incredible hulk but it is definitely better than the thor films and Cap 1. I do think it's overrated on the IMDB, I'm actually surprised it's that high especially with hard core DC fans and Nolanites likely giving it a 1. I rated it a 7.

Quote from: Silver Nemesis on Fri, 22 Aug  2014, 21:21
So has no one else seen this yet? It's been a huge hit at the box office, and critics and comic fans alike have responded positively to it. It's currently at 92% on Rotten Tomatoes with a worldwide gross of over 420 million dollars and counting. I thought more people on the site would have seen it by now.

I should have posted something earlier, but I saw it last week, and it's brilliant.  I'll type something more in-depth later on, but I see Riddler has already beaten me to the punch.

For what it's worth I'd rank it only below 'The Avengers' as far as the Marvel movies go thus far.

My current top three are as follows:

1. The Avengers
2. Guardians of the Galaxy
3. Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier

By the way, it's currently about $30 million dollars ahead of CA2:TWS in terms of its domestic box-office at an equivalent stage of its run, and looks set to be the biggest film of the year!  Personally, I think it's well-deserved, and although the 'Marvel Studios' brand certainly helps its success is also a testament to what can be achieved with relatively obscure characters (from a wider public perspective) when filmmakers are willing to inject fun, genuine warmth and a personal stamp upon a group of characters. 

Also, the soundtrack is absolutely awesome.  The opening credits song, Redbone's joyously infectious "Come and Get Your Love" has been bouncing around my head since I saw the movie (it perfectly sets-up the exuberant tone from the start, and as soon as this scene started there was rarely a single moment during the film's run that I didn't have a giant grin plastered across my face).

Global box office is up to $503,597,268. The domestic gross is at $258,297,268 and is about to surpass The Winter Soldier's $259,766,572. It's currently at 92% on Rotten Tomatoes with an 83% rating amongst 'Top Critics'. Not bad for a movie based on a comic most people had never even heard of.

And to think, some people were predicting this would be Marvel's first flop. It's also quite funny that the latest rumours about the DC Cinematic Universe concern an alleged "no jokes" rule. And yet this, the most successful comic book movie of the year, is a comedy. :D

Quote from: johnnygobbs on Sat, 23 Aug  2014, 07:40My current top three are as follows:

1. The Avengers
2. Guardians of the Galaxy
3. Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier

I'm not sure how I'd rank them. My two favourite MCU films are definitely The Avengers Assemble (2012) and Captain America: The Winter Solider (2014). I think perhaps Cap 2 slightly edges out The Avengers for my top spot. I liked Iron Man (2008), Iron Man 3 (2013), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) more or less equally. The Thor films are definitely the weakest IMO. They're not bad, they're just not as good as the other MCU films.

Quote from: Silver Nemesis on Fri, 29 Aug  2014, 22:32
Global box office is up to $503,597,268. The domestic gross is at $258,297,268 and is about to surpass The Winter Soldier's $259,766,572. It's currently at 92% on Rotten Tomatoes with an 83% rating amongst 'Top Critics'. Not bad for a movie based on a comic most people had never even heard of.

Quote from: johnnygobbs on Sat, 23 Aug  2014, 07:40My current top three are as follows:

1. The Avengers
2. Guardians of the Galaxy
3. Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier

I'm not sure how I'd rank them. My two favourite MCU films are definitely The Avengers Assemble (2012) and Captain America: The Winter Solider (2014). I think perhaps Cap 2 slightly edges out The Avengers for my top spot. I liked Iron Man (2008), Iron Man 3 (2013), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) more or less equally. The Thor films are definitely the weakest IMO. They're not bad, they're just not as good as the other MCU films.

I agree with you about the 'Thor' films.  They're my least favourite in the MCU franchise too, although like you I still enjoy them.  Also, I think the first 'Iron Man' film is slightly below par.  I remember liking it at the cinema but not being dazzled by it (I may be one of the few people who slightly preferred the same summer's 'The Incredible Hulk', another MCU film, albeit one that seems to have been forgotten as such).  I saw it again recently on TV and I still feel the same way.  It's a great story but the direction is not always as assured and kinetic as the second and third 'Iron Man' films, far less the brilliant 'Captain America' movies, 'Avengers' and 'Guardians of the Galaxy'.

QuoteAnd to think, some people were predicting this would be Marvel's first flop. It's also quite funny that the latest rumours about the DC Cinematic Universe concern an alleged "no jokes" rule. And yet this, the most successful comic book movie of the year, is a comedy. :D

I read about that 'no jokes' policy rumour too.  I was going to bring it up on a thread here, seeing as this is a 'Batman' site and we're mainly concerned with DC films, despite the current, deserved success of many of the Marvel movies.

If this rumour has any truth to it that's a massive shame and demonstrates yet again why DC/Warner Bros seem to be completely clueless when it comes to how to handle their comic-book properties.  The DC characters have always been slightly more aloof, austere and less goofy than their Marvel counterparts, befitting of characters who are more god-like.  However, a little levity as Tim Burton and Richard Donner demonstrated most effectively in their respective Batman and Superman films (for me the two sets of live-action films that come closest to capturing the spirit of the entertaining comic-books) make for a much more enjoyable movie that the ponderous, oh-so-earnest and relative snore-fests of 'Superman Returns' and 'Man of Steel', and as good as 'The Dark Knight' films are I do wish we could move on and see a more fantastical Gotham on screen again.

If DC/Warner Bros want a perfect, successful template for the tone of their next set of films they could do far worse than look to 'Batman: The Animated Series' as their guide, the perfect blend of fun and serious.

Wow, even Pacino's a fan!

Quote"I just saw Guardians Of The Galaxy... It was amazing. I did find it the most entertaining, inventive, beautiful film."

http://comicbook.com/blog/2014/08/30/al-pacino-on-guardians-of-the-galaxy-it-was-amazing-/

Can you imagine Tony Montana sitting in a theatre laughing as he watches baby Groot dance to the Jackson 5?

I've been on a Pacino binge during the last month, rewatching Godfather I & II, Dog Day Afternoon and Serpico. He's one of the greatest living American actors IMO, if not the greatest. Imagine if Marvel could get him on board with the MCU. He played a comic book villain in Dick Tracy back in 1990. But what Marvel character could he play? It's got to be someone suitably epic to warrant his skills.

Quote from: johnnygobbs on Sat, 30 Aug  2014, 11:02Also, I think the first 'Iron Man' film is slightly below par.  I remember liking it at the cinema but not being dazzled by it (I may be one of the few people who slightly preferred the same summer's 'The Incredible Hulk', another MCU film, albeit one that seems to have been forgotten as such).  I saw it again recently on TV and I still feel the same way.  It's a great story but the direction is not always as assured and kinetic as the second and third 'Iron Man' films, far less the brilliant 'Captain America' movies, 'Avengers' and 'Guardians of the Galaxy'.

I sympathise to an extent. I think Iron Man 1 is a good film, but it's not one I particularly enjoy revisiting. I saw it on TV a couple of weeks ago, and I felt like I was reading the slow first chapter in a novel that gets more interesting later on. I didn't like the soundtrack much either. The inclusion of the Black Sabbath song was inevitable, but the rest of the score felt generic and bland. I'd have preferred it if they'd used the catchy theme from the nineties cartoon show.


But it's still a good film.

Quote from: johnnygobbs on Sat, 30 Aug  2014, 11:02If this rumour has any truth to it that's a massive shame and demonstrates yet again why DC/Warner Bros seem to be completely clueless when it comes to how to handle their comic-book properties. 

Warner Bros seem to think the key to beating Marvel is to make their own films as dark and miserable as possible. Their formula appears to be: furrowed brows + angst + overbearing percussive score + filters that drain all colour from the screen + cynical, po-faced script = epic masterpiece.

Then again, maybe these "no jokes" rumours are unfounded and we're underestimating them. I hope that's the case.

Is the no jokes rule a Nolan thing though? The Green Lantern film for all it's faults did have its fair share of humour.


In the comics I don't choose a side in the DC vs Marvel debate, Neither are far better than the other but in the films DC is getting destroyed. You'd think DC would clue in that rather than ground everything to make it ultra realistic they'd embrace their characters roots like Marvel is doing but it's very obvious their main concern is attracting non-comic fans vs pleasing the fans they already have.

I doubt the 'no jokes' rule is real. Particularly if the rumours about a Shazam movie are true. Superheroes are often described as being adolescent male power fantasies, and Captain Marvel exemplifies that notion more than any other hero. He's literally a kid who gets to say a magic word and transform into a superhero. It's every little boy's dream. A dark, humourless and cynical film isn't the right direction to go in with that character. A little humour and levity is essential.

I've just seen this one and... I really liked it. I came in wanting to see a fun comic book film and I got it.

The characters or the plot were nothing revolutionary, but they were handled well. Star Lord was likable and the first scene was really touching, the rest of the characters were good too, especially Rocket and Groot. Peter's fascination with the greatest pop songs was very funny and executed well for the comedy.

My only complaint would be the villain, Ronan. His character type has been done a million times on film, there's nothing memorable about him. He was passable as the "big bad" but that's it.

The story does become predictable after a while but that's not really a bad thing. Maybe I won't be able to watch the film again for too many times because it will feel bland, but that's not as important as enoying the film firsthand to me.

I was expecting Drax to die instead of Groot, I would've liked it better that way.

I'm guessing Peter Quill's alien father will be an important part of the sequel.

Quote from: Edd Grayson on Sat, 13 Sep  2014, 15:17My only complaint would be the villain, Ronan. His character type has been done a million times on film, there's nothing memorable about him. He was passable as the "big bad" but that's it.

IGN echoed this sentiment in an article this week: http://uk.ign.com/articles/2014/09/12/between-the-panels-why-superhero-movies-need-better-villains

I fully agree with this. Much as I enjoy the MCU films, they do need stronger villains. I think they should take a leaf from the Star Wars films and actually show the villains interacting with each other and pursuing their own subplots within the overarching narrative. And those subplots should be more than just the villains wanting to annihilate everything. They took a step in this direction in GotG with the scenes between Ronan and Thanos, but we need more of that sort of thing in future movies.

So far Loki is the only really memorable MCU antagonist to have made an impression. I'm not counting the Winter Soldier, since he's more of a gray character than a full-on bad guy. Hopefully D'Onofrio's Kingpin and Brolin's Thanos will set an improved standard for MCU villains.

I agree about the villains. Even Red Skull could have been better in captain america. I do find Tim Roths Abomination criminally underrated though.

DC does have much better villains than Marvel. Spidey is the only one with a solid rogue gallery and since his rights are separate from the avengers, it does hamper these films. That's why I didn't like them neutering the Mandarin. But on the flip side what Marvel is doing right where DC is failing is keeping the focus on the characters from the comics rather than create new ones nobody cares for.

Quote from: Edd Grayson on Sat, 13 Sep  2014, 15:17
I've just seen this one and... I really liked it. I came in wanting to see a fun comic book film and I got it.

The characters or the plot were nothing revolutionary, but they were handled well. Star Lord was likable and the first scene was really touching, the rest of the characters were good too, especially Rocket and Groot. Peter's fascination with the greatest pop songs was very funny and executed well for the comedy.

My only complaint would be the villain, Ronan. His character type has been done a million times on film, there's nothing memorable about him. He was passable as the "big bad" but that's it.

The story does become predictable after a while but that's not really a bad thing. Maybe I won't be able to watch the film again for too many times because it will feel bland, but that's not as important as enoying the film firsthand to me.

I was expecting Drax to die instead of Groot, I would've liked it better that way.

I'm guessing Peter Quill's alien father will be an important part of the sequel.

I'm glad you enjoyed the film Edd.  I look forward to more fun colourful comic-book movies like this in the future, as well as darker ones when the time calls for them.  I hope 'Ant-Man' carries across some o that funny, goofy tone, although Marvel also need to continue balancing things out with more serious comic-book movies like 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier'.

I really love the soundtrack, especially the song that plays during the opening credits, "Come and Get Your Love".  Peter Quill stomping around in the cave to that song really gets you in the upbeat mood.

I don't entirely agree with you about Ronan though.  I do think the film is establishing even more serious threats for the future, such as Thanos, and I can see Nebula returning for a future instalment as her 'death' wasn't very clear.  However, I enjoyed Ronan, and I particularly liked his confounded reaction to when Quill starts singing "O-o-o Child" just as Ronan is about to kill everyone.  I also enjoyed his petulant attitude towards Thanos, although like I said, I suspect and hope future villains will be better fleshed-out.

I also can see this fun film being one of the ones I return to often in the future, but only time will tell.

Plus, I disagree with you about Drax.  He was probably my favourite character, as excellent as the rest of the team were.  I knew going in that Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper as 'Rocket' and even 'Groot' would deliver, but Bautista as 'Drax' was the unknown quantity and the pleasant surprise.  He was also the heart of the team, along with 'Groot', and had the funniest lines: "Nothing goes over my head.  I would catch it."  ;D

Quote from: johnnygobbs on Sun, 14 Sep  2014, 20:02

Quote from: Edd Grayson on Sat, 13 Sep  2014, 15:17
I've just seen this one and... I really liked it. I came in wanting to see a fun comic book film and I got it.

The characters or the plot were nothing revolutionary, but they were handled well. Star Lord was likable and the first scene was really touching, the rest of the characters were good too, especially Rocket and Groot. Peter's fascination with the greatest pop songs was very funny and executed well for the comedy.

My only complaint would be the villain, Ronan. His character type has been done a million times on film, there's nothing memorable about him. He was passable as the "big bad" but that's it.

The story does become predictable after a while but that's not really a bad thing. Maybe I won't be able to watch the film again for too many times because it will feel bland, but that's not as important as enoying the film firsthand to me.

I was expecting Drax to die instead of Groot, I would've liked it better that way.

I'm guessing Peter Quill's alien father will be an important part of the sequel.

I'm glad you enjoyed the film Edd.  I look forward to more fun colourful comic-book movies like this in the future, as well as darker ones when the time calls for them.  I hope 'Ant-Man' carries across some o that funny, goofy tone, although Marvel also need to continue balancing things out with more serious comic-book movies like 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier'.

I really love the soundtrack, especially the song that plays during the opening credits, "Come and Get Your Love".  Peter Quill stomping around in the cave to that song really gets you in the upbeat mood.

I don't entirely agree with you about Ronan though.  I do think the film is establishing even more serious threats for the future, such as Thanos, and I can see Nebula returning for a future instalment as her 'death' wasn't very clear.  However, I enjoyed Ronan, and I particularly liked his confounded reaction to when Quill starts singing "O-o-o Child" just as Ronan is about to kill everyone.  I also enjoyed his petulant attitude towards Thanos, although like I said, I suspect and hope future villains will be better fleshed-out.

I also can see this fun film being one of the ones I return to often in the future, but only time will tell.

Plus, I disagree with you about Drax.  He was probably my favourite character, as excellent as the rest of the team were.  I knew going in that Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper as 'Rocket' and even 'Groot' would deliver, but Bautista as 'Drax' was the unknown quantity and the pleasant surprise.  He was also the heart of the team, along with 'Groot', and had the funniest lines: "Nothing goes over my head.  I would catch it."  ;D

Cap has never been a serious character but I think they will keep his character that way; for one thing it plays well having him contrast Stark but also they want Chris Evans to act differently from his Johnny Storm character.

Ant man should be interesting; Paul Rudd is mostly comedic but he's done dramatic roles too, never action though.

I don't hate Drax but he's not my favorite. Drax called Ronan and put everyone in danger. Also, at the end he wasn't even satisfied that Ronan was dead and wanted to kill Thanos. What for? Didn't Ronan kill his family? Also, isn't Thanos a god?  :-\

It's not that Ronan wasn't a serious threat, but this type of villain has been done on film for too many times. I've read that in the comics he valued honor, why couldn't they make him like that in the movie?