I FINALLY got to see Guardians of the Galaxy (twice as a matter of fact), and It. Was. Amazing. The cast was absolutely superb (who would have ever thought Chris Pratt would be so phenomenal in this roll?), the musical choices, spot on. And the one liners, wow!
But more importantly, this film shows us, as so many have before, that the geniuses at Marvel know exactly what they're doing. Where DC Comics scrambles around making one blunder after another (with, of course, the notable exception of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight series), Marvel learned from their 2003 Hulk flop and recognized that the key to cinematic success was collaboration and cohesion.
For it's a cohesive Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) we're seeing now. No longer does each series stand alone . . . Thor blends together with Iron Man, ABC's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. reacts to the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and so on. All these films and TV shows are part of a intricate and complex world that Marvel execs have determined to bring together in one cinematic cosmos. And how fortuitous, they already had a vehicle in place that could blend the many different threads together into one complex fabric -- the Avengers team.
The use of the Avengers allows MCU to delve into a vast array of different comic book superheroes while still maintaining an overarching storyline. Iron Man, Captain America . . . all roads lead to the ultimate endgame, Avengers 3. And that's where Guardians of the Galaxy takes it's place, giving us the first (non-post credit) glimpse of the final film's antagonist.
Basically, Marvel is a genius. And with their Disney merger in 2009, they've become even stronger. If only they could get Fox and Sony on board, MCU could take over the world!
Glad you finally saw it! I'm seeing it again this coming weekend.
ReplyDeleteMarvel's handling of their characters and storylines has bordered on genius. Avengers 3 is going to be so over the top awesome when they bring everyone together.
I cannot wait to see what they have planned for Avengers 3!
DeleteTo be fair, the Ang Lee Hulk was prior to the actual formation of Marvel Studios as its own production entity. However, it was partly due to Hulk that they formed Marvel Studios.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's sort of what I meant by learning from their mistakes and recognizing the need for cohesion. Which I think they've done admirably.
DeleteSure, sure, but did you ever consider that the first Hulk movie came out before they decided to bring everything in house and make all of the Marvel Comics movies part of one big universe?
DeleteI think if you would have addressed that in your blog post, it would have made for a stronger overall impact. Just sayin'.
Loving the Mansplaining comments Swalls, uh, I mean "anonymous". Clearly my post was riddled with flaws.
DeleteAnd did I mention how much better Marvel is than DC? Marvel's shows, movies, comics, online presence... their whole ubiquitous universe. Flat out better than DC. Even their characters are better. Like, and I'm just pulling random examples here, Quicksilver vs. The Flash. Quicksilver is clearly the superior character here. You know what I mean?
I don't know that I'd go so far as to say that there were multiple flaws, but it certainly had the one glaring flaw. I mean, I came here to offer constructive criticism, and honestly I'm feeling so attacked right now.
DeleteP.S. low blow...
Haha, as I said, I just couldn't help myself. And to be clear, I do actually like The Flash...ALMOST as much as Quicksilver.
DeleteP.S. Hilarious meme.
I don't agree that DC constantly blunders. Marvel has an advantage in that it gets to link everything right away, so fans have a reason to care for things they wouldn't necessarily care about (this is the only way Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor could have supported movies, much less popular ones).
ReplyDeleteI don't actually dislike DC, but I do think they made some serious miscalculations. They had an opportunity with The Justice League (much as Marvel did with Avenges) that they've missed out on over the years. They lack the cohesion that's proved so successful for Marvel, but there's still a chance for that. But unfortunately I detest The Arrow TV series, don't have high hopes for The Flash series OR Batman vs. Superman. But like I said, the Dark Knight series was superb.
Deletewow people love the comics:) I saw the Hulk and I think it went way over the top to make him so huge. I prefer Lou Ferrigno..just sayin:) I want to see Guardians as it sounds like a fun flick just like the Avengers and Iron Man. They have a great flair for fun, great lines, great scenes and camaraderie. I love it that the raccoon is such a kick-ass and that Mr. Tree has so few words since he is played by Vin Diesel who I don't think will ever win an Olivier award:)
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