Hmm.
Well, regular readers at SciFiHistory.Net will know my Number One Confession: I grew up a DC guy. For clarity's sake, I'm not necessarily passive or disinterested in All Things Marvel; it's just that I'm not as familiar and/or "connected" to their various properties. I do think that -- in a general sense -- they make some pretty kick-ass movies, though not all of them have been up to what I suggest is the "smell test." For this reason, I don't regularly review their motion pictures as I think that there are folks far better skilled than I to do so, but from time-to-time I will post some random thoughts on their latest release.
In that vein, I did see Guardians of the Galaxy 2 over the Memorial Day weekend, and -- despite how visually exciting all of it was -- I ended up feeling largely "meh" once all was said and done.
As much as I love cocky characters, even this franchise's first installment left me a bit puzzled. I think the cast is exceptional, and I think that writer/director James Gunn does some pretty spiffy stuff with all of them. Chris Pratt is certainly a box office star in-the-making, and Dave Bautista's Drax is probably my favorite consistent laugh in both of the flicks. I couldn't say 'why' exactly but Zoe Saldana just doesn't seem all that comfortable in her role, and the talking raccoon and Groot really seem tired one-note inspirations as the adventures wear on. (Again, I'm not trying to pick a fight with any Marvel regulars; I'm just giving my honest reaction.)
What worked amazingly well in the sequel, however, was the ongoing sentiments of "family" tied to each and every character. Gunn's script very cleverly found ways to involve all of his players into that theme, and that thread alone probably makes the film worth a single viewing even if comic book films aren't always too your liking. When so much of your feature relies on computer generated graphics, it's nice that these players are ultimately telling you a story centered on humanness in such a convincing way.
And Kurt Russell? He's the bomb. I've been a fan of his work all the way back to his days with Walt Disney in the 1970's, and kudos on his casting as I'm at a loss to suggest another actor who might have been able to handle so much misdirected menace from his character Ego and still come off as likeable when the script required it. Granted, I'm not entirely certain Gunn thought all of these elements through (why would a god who could make stuff out of thin air still keep corpses hidden on his world for others to find?), but it's all told with such glee you probably won't even notice a few missteps here and there.
So again ... not a review ... but just a few thoughts about Guardians.
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
Well, regular readers at SciFiHistory.Net will know my Number One Confession: I grew up a DC guy. For clarity's sake, I'm not necessarily passive or disinterested in All Things Marvel; it's just that I'm not as familiar and/or "connected" to their various properties. I do think that -- in a general sense -- they make some pretty kick-ass movies, though not all of them have been up to what I suggest is the "smell test." For this reason, I don't regularly review their motion pictures as I think that there are folks far better skilled than I to do so, but from time-to-time I will post some random thoughts on their latest release.
In that vein, I did see Guardians of the Galaxy 2 over the Memorial Day weekend, and -- despite how visually exciting all of it was -- I ended up feeling largely "meh" once all was said and done.
As much as I love cocky characters, even this franchise's first installment left me a bit puzzled. I think the cast is exceptional, and I think that writer/director James Gunn does some pretty spiffy stuff with all of them. Chris Pratt is certainly a box office star in-the-making, and Dave Bautista's Drax is probably my favorite consistent laugh in both of the flicks. I couldn't say 'why' exactly but Zoe Saldana just doesn't seem all that comfortable in her role, and the talking raccoon and Groot really seem tired one-note inspirations as the adventures wear on. (Again, I'm not trying to pick a fight with any Marvel regulars; I'm just giving my honest reaction.)
What worked amazingly well in the sequel, however, was the ongoing sentiments of "family" tied to each and every character. Gunn's script very cleverly found ways to involve all of his players into that theme, and that thread alone probably makes the film worth a single viewing even if comic book films aren't always too your liking. When so much of your feature relies on computer generated graphics, it's nice that these players are ultimately telling you a story centered on humanness in such a convincing way.
And Kurt Russell? He's the bomb. I've been a fan of his work all the way back to his days with Walt Disney in the 1970's, and kudos on his casting as I'm at a loss to suggest another actor who might have been able to handle so much misdirected menace from his character Ego and still come off as likeable when the script required it. Granted, I'm not entirely certain Gunn thought all of these elements through (why would a god who could make stuff out of thin air still keep corpses hidden on his world for others to find?), but it's all told with such glee you probably won't even notice a few missteps here and there.
So again ... not a review ... but just a few thoughts about Guardians.
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
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