10: guardians of the galaxy

Main takeaways:

• Aly: This movie is like a staple of the MCU for me. It was the very first Marvel movie I saw growing up, so to me, it feels like the start of my MCU journey. I felt nostalgic watching this movie back since the memories I had while watching it for the first time were from so long ago. This movie is hilarious, and really engaging. I love the 90’s music – it truly strengthens the movie, rather than just being a random part. This movie is one of the better ones in the MCU – a good watch for the whole family, and truly a gem. This movie is a great “fun and easy” watch, but it isn’t my favorite in terms of being a “Marvel” movie. It’s more of a Sunday afternoon, kick back with some popcorn and relax movie, which is more than I can say for movies like Thor or Captain America. 
• Ally: I really enjoy this movie – I’ve only seen this once before so it was fun to watch it again and see what else I noticed this time around. The one thing that stands out to me about this movie is that it doesn’t feel like it’s part of the MCU. Maybe it’s because it takes place in outer space, or because none of the characters are related to anyone we already know (at this point in the timeline), but it has a different vibe. That’s not a bad thing, because I still love this movie, but the Guardians as a group feel entirely removed from the Avengers. Aside from that, this movie has the best soundtrack of any MCU movie and arguably one of the best cinema soundtracks in recent years. Peter Quill is a likable protagonist and Gamora is one of the greatest characters – I love a female assassin, obviously. The entire crew meshes well together by the end, even if it is a little choppy throughout. On the whole, this movie is super fun to watch and has a completely different feel than most superhero movies.

Favorite scene:

• Aly: My favorite scene is when all of them decide to band together. Gamora at the beginning said that she was going to die with the biggest idiots in the galaxy. After they all banded together to protect each other, though, she felt like they were all friends. Once they all decided to fight together, she said they were friends. And the group was henceforth known as the Guardians of the Galaxy. Boom!!!
• Ally: I like the prison break scene, because it’s the first time that our heroes are really working together and we get to see the dynamic between them. Rocket requesting the prosthetic leg is my favorite part of the movie because when it’s revealed that he did it out of cruelty we really get to see his personality. Groot initiating the prison break early is very representative of his character, which is impressive considering he cannot speak more than three words and therefore has very little to help aid his character development. 

Favorite / least favorite character:

• Aly: My favorite character is Groot!!!!! Adult Groot is so kind – you can really see this in the scene with the young beggar kids. He doesn’t have money to give them, but he grows a flower and gives it to a young girl.. Groot stole my heart 🙂 live love Groot. And now he’s Baby Groot!!! My least favorite character – Ronan. He’s jsut so annoying. I know Thanos is actually the worse character, but Ronan is just so much more annoying. Any time he talks he just thinks he’s the best person ever – I guess that ego is what allows him to be a villain, but he just pushes my buttons. Boooooo Ronan.
• Ally: Rocket is my favorite Guardian because he has so much attitude and brings a lot of humor. Thank you Bradley Cooper. To be fair, the entire crew is hilarious and Quill is also one of the funniest characters in the MCU. As for least favorite characters, I don’t think there’s anyone in this movie that I strongly dislike. Maybe that’s because I watched this late at night and was a little disoriented and couldn’t really keep the storyline between Ronan and Yondu and the Nova Corps and who was betraying who and who was working for her and how many units they were going to get for what item straight. I guess Ronan is the villain and he didn’t have any redeeming qualities like humor to keep him interesting, so I’ll give him my vote.

Ranking (out of 10):

• Aly: I’d give this movie a 9.5/10. It’s just an overall fun movie – a light watch, with good action that keeps you engaged. I’d recommend this movie 
• Ally: 9/10. I love this movie because it’s a fun experience all around, even if it doesn’t feel much like a Marvel movie.