Galaxians

 Of course, like a good sci-fi junkie that I am, watched (with initial trepidation) Guardians of the Galaxy recently, like most Americans did.  Let me tell you, it's campy at times.. and great!  It's not as cheesy as I thought it would be!  The characters grow into a sense of nobility and there's a nice, full-on, bard-attack technique at the end (always have a bard in your party). 

  Arguably, the collateral damage is ignored by the Xandarian citizens and the Klyn Prison's inmates are destroyed and forgotten.  Not enough time for pathos when characters' lives are saved, gotta move-on I guess.  At 2 hours even, it's a long watch, yet not even close to being long enough.  I wouldn't have minded a 4 hour version to fill-in some of the humanities here, but you still get to glimpse it here and there as if unspoken.  If only time was spent on it a little more?  At least it's no JJ.Abrams rollercoaster-of-ambivalence and heartless one-dimensionalism.  The characters have interesting depth and the actors emote them further, giving satisfactory depth in an almost Firefly Joss Whedonesque attempt (though, we all admit, Joss has character development nailed-down as the "standard" for this generation, if not the best character director of the last 20, no 30 years!) [Alfred Hitchcock we hardly new ye, and you're sorely missed.]  The director allowed this extension by the actors and it works as it did for John Carpenter in the early 1980's.  This formula is successful.  Are you listening Hollywood?  Let your actors act!  In this case, director James Gunn does, and well.

  Overall a great watch, and while X-Men:Days of Future-Past is arguably the best movie of the year, Guardians of the Galaxy are a close second in a different kind of way.  Youth growing into a sense of nobility and honor.  Characters' backgrounds are mysterious as Snake Plissken's "Opearation Black Light" of Escape from New York, mentioned only briefly in that film by Hauk's Lee Van Cleef yielding a massive, extensive, open-past, expertly directed by John Carpenter.  Such casualness mentioned was potentially the most suggestive and deep past and character-creation of any movie of all-time.  

Karen Gillan as Gamora's sister, Nebula is painfully haaawwwwtttt!!!!!  Here, chippy-chippy!  Do you want your gold star?

 
  Hidden feature Marvel-esque "Easter Eggs" include staying the credits for Howard the Duck, though the Marvel comic version, not so much the George Lucas film version, comic-character anamorphic correctly done very properly and a nod of approval by moi (though I was completely annoyed that the punk-ass Gen-Zero kid behind me whined, "That was a waste of time."  Hey kid?  F*ck you, loser!  (sorry kids, PG-13 rating by me still in-tact?)

Original Howard the Duck in Guardians of the Galaxy end-credits.

  Beta-Ray-Bill's skeleton is picked-up by Starlord towards the beginning and is considered.  The "Collector" has a head of a Celestial in his arsenal, which is actually a pretty big deal.  There's a dark-elf from Thor in his collection as well as an The Avengers Chitauri soldier who somehow survived the incident at New York in that film, and, of course obviously Cosmo the Space Dog of Earth-616 who is actually quite powerful.  The ship's name, "The Milano" is named after young Alyssa Milano specifically from Who's the Boss? (1984-1992) simply because it was the director's childhood crush.  (Worthy crush, sir.)

Beta-Ray-Bill (yes, he looks like Thor for quite intentional reasons)

  Enjoy the film as Marvel brings this fringe series to a great light and makes it worthwhile.  Soundtrack nods to Ennio Morricone at times, and Lost in Space (1965) at others, borrowing from the best works of the 1960's and 1970's, and a nod to itself from the 1969 original comic and Earth-691.

Josh Brolin, expertly as Thanos is very effective.

  Listen starting at 05:18 and tell me if you hear The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly feel in this score?  It's when suddenly they start coming together in battle and it works.  Reminds me of various times in Space Command I've worked when a crew just suddenly jives, something the Russians can't dare to come close to.  It's what makes us Americans in the military, ya know?  It's a rare thing but some crews suddenly just work together expertly.  Ever hear of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly?  If not, or you have no idea, it's the best Western film ever made, period.  It's what Tarantino tries to emulate, and hopefully with his new film, The Hateful Eight.  We'll see.  Enjoy!

                                 


Out (and Excelsior).