WGTB Reviews Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy

Marvel Studios' latest offering arrived in cinemas today, and while I'm positive many of you have already seen Guardians of the Galaxy, here's a quick review for those who haven't. It's abridged because I'm off to a wedding soon and has been divided into three categories: 1) Good, 2) Bad; and, 3) Post-Credit Scene. The two minutes at the end of the film warrant its own category because, let's face it, it has become as much a reason for going to Marvel films as the flick itself. 

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) Starring: Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Vin Disel, Bradley Cooper, Lee Pace & Glenn Close. Directed by James Gunn. RATED: PG-13,  TIME: 122 minutes 

The Good

Marvel has nailed the CGI and this film was a treat for the visual senses. Computer generated characters Groot and Rocket Raccoon were awesome and the many space scenes were as good as any I've ever seen. The acting, for the most part, was good too with Chris Pratt being a fantastic Peter Quill and Zoe Saldana and Dave Bautista excellent in their roles of Gamora and Drax the Destroyer. That said, the best character of the film was a witty, likable and very funny Rocket, voiced by Bradley Cooper. The origin story of Peter Quill was also very well written and is a great example of not needing an entire film to explain the beginnings of a Marvel character. Speaking of Marvel characters, the film did feature some awesome tidbits of Marvel's extensive mythology, with the MacGuffin of the story being a key element of it.   

The Bad

While the acting and parts of the plot were good, on the whole I found the storyline to be weak and at times seemed to simply jump from one battle to the next. Don't get me wrong, I love action as much as anyone, but I really thought there could have been a little more flow between the chapters of the story. Also, parts of the dialogue seemed clunky and there was also an unnecessary amount of foul language. Not swears per se but just stuff that shouldn't be heard by the legends of kids who will come out to see Guardians. I know that sounds a little old-fashioned, but that's how I feel.

  

After-Credit Scene 

Unfortunately, I actually found it to be weak. The joy of these scenes is they hint at a future film. But the character featured in this one just didn't seem to match and to walk into the cinema hoping for something from Avengers: Age of Ultron or Ant-Man meant that you left a little disappointed.  

So although this was an enjoyable film, it wasn't as good as I hoped, nor was it as good as its been reviewed. But let me know if you think I'm completely off-base because, after all, I was a blogger who liked Green Lantern a couple years back! In the meanwhile, Guardians of the Galaxy will get 3.5/5 STARS. 

WGTB Reviews Thor: The Dark World

As 2013's comic book movies go Thor: The Dark World was the one I was most looking forward to. As a long-time Thor fan (this blog was named after a Thor splash page) and someone who enjoyed the first film very much, I figured Marvel Studios would be able to capture the same magic in the bottle they did in 2011. Which is why, even though I'm a little late with this particular review, I felt compelled to write and give an opinion of the film. You see, I was very disappointed with Dark World finding it a convoluted mess plot-wise, loaded with gratuitous and needless destruction (yes, even for a comic book movie) and weighed down by weak and disappointing female leads.

Thor: The Dark World (2013) Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Huddleston, Stellan Ksarsgard, Christopher Eccleston, Rene Russo, Jaimie Alexander and Anthony Hopkins.  RATED: PG-13,  TIME: 112 Minutes 

(spoilers)

The plot tells the story of an ancient Dark Elf named Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) who, long ago having been conquered by the Asgardians, returns to look for a key source of his power, a weapon known as the Either. Taking place in modern London and Asgard, we learn that in ages past right to the present day, the Nine Realms occasionally converge to make it easier for travel between them. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and her fellow researcher Darcy (Kat Dennings) stumble into an area in the British capital where a gateway between worlds has opened and Jane is taken into one where she somehow merges with the Either. Thor shows up and takes Jane back to Asgard six hours later with the remainder of the story involving Malekith trying to get his weapon back and destroy his ancient enemies. 

To start the substantive portion of this review, let's look at the positives. The visuals of Dark World are fantastic (Asgard looks especially good) and the battle scenes were also very well done. Unfortunately, these elements could not make up for a plot that didn't make a whole lot of sense. Nobody explains why Foster acquired the Either or why all the doors between realms always happen to be exactly where the heroes need them to be, among so many other plot failings.

And, of course, no-one in the Marvel films has yet to explain why the Norse gods are real while the Greco-Roman, Egyptian, Japanese, Hindu, etc. pantheons are not or why the regions that originated the Norse gods have yet to be mentioned. I know filming in Oslo or Reykjavik might be cost prohibitive (and this point is somewhat tangential) but I'm really starting to get frustrated that the peoples who worshipped Thor, Odin, et al, are not mentioned in these films. Just a throw-away line about how the doorways to the Nine Realms of the ancient alien God-Heroes was once located in Scandinavia would do the trick. But I digress...

I found the real issue with Dark World is how plot takes a back-seat to gratuitous violence and destruction with no real point. Let me be clear: action scenes that drive the story forward are good and necessary for action films. But in Dark World we watch the Royal Naval College, one of the most spectacular locales in London get destroyed, but I still can't understand why except they needed a nice place to wreck. The 'all-star' nature of 2012's Avengers lent itself to the cataclysmic events of Manhattan being torn apart, but Dark World, like its summer cousin Man of Steel, didn't need so much violence to make the point. So I need to ask: has destroying large metropolitan areas become the pro forma climax of comic book films? Perhaps. But I think it's the wrong way to go. Both Marvel's and DC's characters are great and deserve writers who treat them as such. 

This magnificent structure, the Royal Navel College (now the University of Greenwich), was destroyed in Thor: The Dark World. It remains one of your humble blogger's favourite areas of London. 

I also found the female lead characters weak. Yes, there were some of the funny one-liners we now expect from Marvel’s movies and Kat Denning offered some comic relief that levitated the story. But Jane Foster was feeble and this is especially odd considering Natalie Portman is one of Hollywood's most intelligent and self-assured actors. Unfortunately, in Dark World, while not being devoid of strength, Foster comes across as a needy weakling who is hung-up on Thor. An example of this is seen early when, upon meeting Thor for the first time in two years, Foster slaps him in the face and seconds later appears hopelessly in love with him and starts talking about how she cried when he left. Also, Sif (Jaimie Alexander) while given a prominent position in the movie poster and subsequent marketing of the film, is a tertiary character at best and hardly the presence she is in the Marvel comic universe. Indeed, the strongest female character is Thor's mother, Frigga, Queen of Asgard and she dies mid way through the film. 

Consistent readers of this blog will know that I hate panning films. But I needed a cathartic release after this recent offering by Marvel Studios. If you think I'm off-base or missed something please leave a comment and I'll reply when I can. Things have been busy on this end, so I haven't been as frequent with the blog as I would like. But thank you never-the-less for reading and please keep visiting. The visuals save Thor: The Dark World but it still only gets a 2/5 STARS overall.

WGTB talks Iron Man 3 & Community

Like the previous two Iron Man and Avengers films, Iron Man 3 (released May 3rd) stars Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark, the billionaire industrial magnate turned superhero who's called upon to once again save the United States. This time, he squares off against the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) and his squad of biologically enhanced goons who have been augmented by the Extremis program, itself created by a scientific organization headed by Aldrich Killian (Guy Pierce). Gwyneth Paltrow reprises her role as Stark Industries chief and Tony's love interest, Pepper Potts while Jon Favreau and Don Cheadle return as Iron Man friends and allies, Happy Hogan and James Rhodes.  

Iron Man 3 stars Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Jon Favreau & Ben Kingsley. Directed by Shane Black. 130 minutes

Being a generally positive reviewer, I’ll begin with the visuals, which were in a word: stunning. There's a scene you’ve probably seen on TV where Iron Man saves people falling out of Air Force One and seeing this in 3D was simply breathtaking. As someone who has never exited a plane that wasn’t grounded, I have to say this is probably the closest I’ll ever come to skydiving. Other technological aspects of the film, including Iron Man's new armour and the climactic battle at the end were equally amazing, with a special note going to the various models of Iron Man suits which were awesome escapist fare for any comic book reader. 

 

Unfortunately, the positivity of this review ends there as the rest of the film was lacklustre and on the whole disappointing. Frankly, there were just too many plot holes and silly subplots to contain my suspension of disbelief and by mid-film I was waiting for the next battle because I had lost interest in the story. With regard to the actors, I also found their characters seemed tired and played-out to the point where they were just going through the motions to get a third film done. I know that's the Hollywood thing these days – a trilogy per character – but here it just seemed forced to the point where it was no longer necessary. I know this seems harsh, especially because Robert Downey, Jr. was so good in The Avengers and that film was fantastic. But here he just seemed fatigued and no amount of (admittedly) great action was enough to salvage a sub par performance or a stretched and pockmarked story. I hate giving bad reviews on this blog, but in this case the best I can do is 2.5/5 STARS.    

Community RENEWED! 

Somewhat tangentially but likely of note to many readers of this blog, last night we learned Community, NBC’s quirky single camera comedy was picked up for a fifth season. Being in the UK the past few years, I was a late convert to the show, but have since taken up the cause of Greendale with a relentless fervor. Suffice it to say, I was very pleased to hear this news. 

With Chevy Chase off the show and Joel McHale's character graduated, might we see an addition or two to the core cast of Community next year? Pictured here are Abed Nadir (Danny Pudi), Troy Barnes (Donald Glover), Ben Chang (Ken Jeong), Britta Perry (Gillian Jacobs), Shirley Bennett (Yvette Nicole Brown) & Annie Edison (Alison Brie). Photo from Community's Google+ site.

And while I’m certain the line-up will change as former regular Chevy Chase left the show in November 2012 and Joel McHale’s character graduated from Greendale at the end of Season 4, the core of the group is taking an Astronomy class together which means the same fun and (regularly) geek-themed antics we’ve come to love from the show. If you’re not familiar with Community, think of it as Arrested Development in a 90210 setting with a smattering of The Big Bang Theory thrown in for good measure. Except it's so much better than TBBT, that I can't for the life of me understand why it loses in the ratings battle. But that's for another blog...