Guardians of the Galaxy

I watched a movie and it was called Guardians of the Galaxy, directed by James Gunn and released in 2014. It stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel, to name a few. The story is about a group of misfit space travelers who have to save the world. That is basically it in a nutshell. I can’t really elucidate because that would kind of ruin the plot of the movie. I can tell you that this is based on a Marvel comic book series of books, though the characters have changed since their 1970’s release slightly, probably to fit with a more modern audience, though to be fair, the team was revamped in the late 2000’s, so it mostly that character roster. Confusing I know. This movie was really great actually and easy to watch though the story line is steeped deeply into Marvel history such as the Skree War and Nova Corps, just to tip the iceberg. I had grown up with Marvel animated cartoons and some of those comics so I was familiar with what was happening and what was at stake as the movie progressed. The filmmakers took a cue from Quentin Tarantino and made it all about the 70’s comfort soundtrack in both the trailers and in the movies itself, with megahit that everyone loves, Hooked on a Feeling by Blue Swede (which was also featured in Reservoir Dogs, released in 1992). The soundtrack also becomes a major character itself as it not only frames the action pieces but also is a link to Peter Quill, played by Chris Pratt, and his past on Earth. There is a lot of humour in this movie which took me by surprise, though from the trailer that was apparent. Christ Pratt is top notch here as the de facto hero of the movie, playing it as trying to be cool but getting in over his head many, many times. Two stand outs however are Rocket and Groot, voiced by Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel respectively. Bradley Cooper was amazing as the wise cracking Rocket who looks like a raccoon. Vin Diesel is great as Groot who only says one thing and is the muscle in the movie. The animation on them is amazingly detailed and you really felt their presence. All of the effects were pretty spectacular from ships to space to gun effects. Lee Pace played a great villain though it got tiresome after a bit and I am glad they made the focus more about the Guardians working as a team and with others, rather than focus on the nefarious plans of the villain.
Overall, it was a great film and I can see what made it so popular with audiences when it came out. I am anxious to see what happens if they make this into a franchise or at least a couple of other movies, though, this one is pretty great by itself.
And be sure and stay after the credit to get a stinger that is pretty funny.

Batman Returns

I watched a movie and it is called Batman Returns, directed by Tim Burton, released in 1992. It stars Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer and Christopher Walken. It is more a story about the “villians” of Batman’s rogues gallery, Penguin, played by Danny Devito and Catwoman, played by Michelle Pfeiffer and how they become who they are and how Batman fights them. It is darker (is that possible) that the 1989 Batman that came before it. It is a complex plot actually with many characters and how they interact with one another which I think turned a lot of people off when it was originally released. I saw this as a kid and it really didn’t resonate with me as much as the 1989 Batman for some reason. There is something off about this movie that kind of points to less creative control by Tim Burton and though the premise is great and it shows off more of Gotham and the Batman mythos on film, it still comes across as a bit over the top and not as memorable. The score is done once again by Danny Elfman who puts his usual spin on the strange music that is Batman and it fits nicely with the atmosphere. Devito is an interesting Penguin, as he is literally a freak and not just a deranged criminal as was in the comics and TV show of the 1960’s. He is also not very sympathetic despite being abandoned by his parents and mocked by society. Devito just makes you hate Penguin, which is fine but maybe too much. Michelle Pfeiffer is an interesting Catwoman and gets into the role completely. Before her transformation as Selina Kyle, she is quite mousy and you really believe how nerdy and awkward she is. She certainly didn’t need to be pushed out a window by the ruthless Max Schreck, played masterfully by Christopher Walken. Then again, it was just the push she needed to open up and become that person. Her costume is pretty interesting and put together in a unique way that hadn’t been featured in the comics yet (as far as I know) and having her “claws” actually come out of her glove and sticking into Batman’s body armor when fighting was a nice touch. Keaton is really toned down in performance in this one which is apparent but it is still solid as hell.
Overall, I think this movie is fair but you can already see a decline in quality and performance, on everyone’s part, trying to recapture the furor that was the 1989 Batman. It stands alone as a great and dark Batman film but when put against the others, it kind of sticks out terribly. Like I said, the concept of making the “villians” a main plot point was risky and they took that risk. It did establish some tropes that carried over into the Batman books but I think they had too many plot threads and not enough tied up.