Couch: Doctor Who: New Series 8/Season 34 Episode 1: Deep Breath

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Summary:
It is Victorian Era London, and there is a strange sight: A confused Tyrannosaurus Rex walking around the city. To compound matters, the T-Rex coughs up a 1960's era london Police telephone box. When some denizens, consisting of two aliens and a young lady, investigate the box, who should it be but the frequent savior of the universe, The Doctor (Peter Capaldi), but with a new, much older face?
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So I think it's time (Pun intended) for a different kind of review. This is going to be a review of a specific episode of an ongoing TV show, one that has just started recently. If the crazy-sounding summary is any indication, expect tons of weirdness for this one, especially if you are not a fan of this show. This, readers, is my review of "Deep Breath": the first episode of the New 8th season/Overall 34th season of the long-running series Doctor Who.

The original 1963 logo

For those who are not aware, Doctor Who is a British science fiction/drama series that premiered in November 1963. The basic premise of the show is that it stars a time-travelling human-looking alien simply called "The Doctor" and using his time machine called "The TARDIS", he and his companions travel throughout time, space and the universe to go on adventures. While there are sometimes ongoing storylines and recurring enemies, it usually boils down to The Doctor and his friends touching down at a certain place, solving a mystery or resolving the conflict and saving the day.

The original 1963 intro theme

Because of its varied stories, Doctor Who is regarded as one of the greatest Science Fiction stories ever made. Its popularity in the UK during the 60's, 70's and 80's ensured that generations from then on would remember this show fondly. It later got brought over to the United States and other countries, and gained wider acclaim. After the show was cancelled in 1989 due to low ratings, the franchise as a TV series stayed dormant for many years. But its revival in 2005 gave the show renewed life and made it even more popular. With that, Doctor Who has effectively lasted for 50 years, and is definitely not going anywhere soon.

The current 2014 logo

To my annoyance, Doctor Who is not all that big here in the Philippines. From what I looked up, some of the old Filipino TV stations during the 1970's aired it, as well as Studio 23 during the 2000's, but it hasn't gained that big an appeal compared to other shows. While I can see why, as this show can get rather complicated at times, it's just a shame that the stations here don't want to even try. The show may be sci-fi oriented, but it also works great as a drama. I'm happy to at least see some progress, as the Fully Booked book chain started stocking Doctor Who books, some hobby shops started stocking Doctor Who merchandise, and there is a small but steady fanbase in Manila and Davao. From my own experience with the franchise I just recently became a fan, so to say I was hyped for this new season is an understatement. A fan of Doctor Who, known as a Whovian, would usually have their "First Doctor" and first series, and for me my first Doctor and first series is the 12th Doctor and New Series 8/Season 34. With this review I hope to introduce Doctor Who to many other newcomers and fans, and I really think this show deserves another shot and chance here in the Philippines. It's the least that could be done considering the Philippines has had a few mentions in Doctor Who in previous seasons.

The current 2014 intro theme

All in all this 1 hour 20 minute premiere episode was worth the wait and is a great start to the new season. It sets up the new Doctor perfectly, has an interesting and kind of creepy conflict to resolve, and paves way for things to come in the show. The episode drags a bit, but for me it was easy to follow. But as I am a fan, it's easy to follow. For newcomers...that depends. A newcomer to Doctor Who really must be the kind who is willing to get invested into the characters and the story. You can't just jump into any episode and expect to be caught up. Like any good TV show, you need to watch from the very beginning of a new series.

As always, what follows next is spoilers. So if you want to wait, or if you don't want to get bombarded with all the nerdy complications in the franchise, stay away.

The first thing to talk about is the aspect of regeneration. For those brave souls who've decided to read on and be exposed to the nerdiness, here's the low down:

Regeneration is an integral element to the show introduced when the original actor of The Doctor, William Hartnell, left the show. Rather than letting the show end then and there, the producers introduced this concept where, when the Doctor dies, his body reshapes, changes, and rejuvenates itself, complete with a new body structure, new face, and new personality. This is done to give a new actor who plays The Doctor new stories, and ensures the show continues even after another actor who plays The Doctor leaves. While he is technically the same character The Doctor, each personality is different and allows for a fresh take on the character. For example, the original Doctor is strict, taciturn and crotchety. The 2nd Doctor by contrast is eccentric and friendly, but has some darker depths to him. Then the 3rd Doctor is a suave, sophisticated scientist, the 4th Doctor a wandering bohemian loner, etc. And once again we have a new Doctor, the 12th, played by Peter Capaldi.

The 12 Doctors. From L-R:

William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker

Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann

Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi

Because of the shorter length of a TV episode, it's easier to divide the time in-between the five parts of Dramatic Structure: Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Denouement.

Typically, the first episode of a new Doctor starts with him trying to get used to his new form and going through post-regeneration stress, his memory scrambled, his personality and flux, and The Doctor in a state of delirium. As it should be, The Doctor is the strongest element in the episode across all five parts. His struggles as he comes to terms with who he is while solving the conflict of the episode come across as really natural. The Doctor really is the emotional core of this story, because he is newly regenerated and we the audience don't know what to make of it. The previous 11th Doctor, Matt Smith, came across as a giddy man-child that could be dark if necessary, but he was still young, fun and vibrant. The current 12th Doctor is much older but we don't know exactly who he is trying to be. Only by the end do we realize that the 12th Doctor is one who is not afraid to pull any punches, is willing to do whatever it takes, and will show no mercy. Yet you can sense that he is afraid of his own strength. While this type of behavior is not anything new when compared to the Classic series of 1963-1989, it certainly is different for the Revived series of 2005-present. And after consecutive young Doctors, I welcome this change of pace. Good stuff.

Fact: This is the first time since 1966 that the Doctor is (regularly) portrayed by an older fellow. Peter Capaldi is the same age as William Hartnell when he started out.

I mentioned previously that the audience doesn't know to make of this new situation. It is here where the Doctor's current companion, Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman), comes in. The companions are one of the most important parts of Doctor Who, as they serve as friends, support and possibly moral compasses to The Doctor, as well as act as the audience surrogate, ie, representing us the viewers. Clara again is strong throughout the episode. While she does help in resolving the conflict, her issue is coming to terms that the Doctor she is with is no longer the young man whom she had a possible infatuation with. She gets consoling and advice from the side characters, as well as a surprising cameo that I will get into detail later. Longtime viewers of the show may point how Clara acts really out of character because she met the previous Doctor's incarnations at various points and should know how to come to terms with it. I disagree there because while she may have seen the regenerations happen, it's completely different to experience it herself, especially after the Doctor she knew became such a radically different man. The companions are usually the characters that carry over from one Doctor to the next and they too went through what Clara experienced. Clara in this episode was great and I felt this to be a great continuation of her own struggles that started during the previous series with the 11th Doctor. Excellent job.

The first 11 Doctors and their many companions

Here is where we get to what I think is the only problem with this episode and what knocks it down a few notches: The side characters. This episode includes three characters that were established in previous series: Madame Vastra, a female of the alien species The Silurians, Vastra's human "wife" Jenny, and their butler, a alien Sontarn by the name of Strax. They are allies of the Doctor and helped his previous incarnation when he traveled to Victorian London. Don't get me wrong they were good characters that had their own evolution, and a lot of the humor of this episode came from Strax, but they really made the Exposition and Rising Action portions drag when we were seeing their antics and having them console Clara. They would later do good in the climax when they help The Doctor and Clara (Even getting the first time where Vastra and Jenny, a lesbian couple, kiss!), but they just made the beginning drag. It's not a particularly bad drag, but it's something noticeable and is usually the point of criticism among those who watched the episode as well. I attribute this problem to the longer running time of this episode as it is a premiere. Typically, an average episode of Doctor Who runs for 45 minutes.

From L-R: Madame Vastra, Strax, Jenny

The villains of this episode are pretty neat, and are definitely creepy. Other iconic elements of Doctor Who are the various villains he has fought across the franchise. Where Star Trek has the Klingons and Star Wars has the Stormtroopers, Doctor Who has the likes of the Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans and plenty of other weird creatures. In this episode we don't get any of them, but a lesser one, Clockwork Robots that first appeared in New Series 2 of the Revived show. They are robots that steal the flesh and body parts of humans to become whole again. Their leader, a robot with half a face, aims to get enough of these parts to find his paradise and create a ship that stays afloat by a balloon of human skin. *shudder*

Some of the iconic enemies in Doctor Who

The ending of this episode really makes you happy, sad, and puzzled. The Doctor and Clara eventually reunite in the TARDIS, once again redesigned to reflect the new Doctor. Clara and the The Doctor have a heartfelt talk where once again Clara doesn't know if she should trust him or not. Just then Clara receives a phone call from...The Doctor. Or, to be precise, the 11th Doctor. The 11th Doctor, right before his regeneration as seen in Time of the Doctor, calls Clara into the future to assure her that the 12th Doctor is just as afraid as she is and he needs a guiding hand to help him. I admit I teared up at this scene because it really felt like a passing of the torch. I also feel that this scene was put in to put those whining fangirls who are distraught at their "hot, younger sexy Doctor" becoming an older guy. One of the best parts of the episode for sure, and the 12th Doctor and Clara go off to have coffee.

The mystery deepens however when we see that the robot leader is revived in a fancy garden. See, earlier The Doctor and the robot leader fought in the sky, and we are unsure if the robot leader jumped to his death to be impaled onto the Big Ben spire, or if The Doctor pushed him off. But the robot leader has been revived and meets this woman, Missy who implies to know The Doctor as his boyfriend...the mystery and the new series begins.

Final thoughts:

All in all, this episode was just wonderful. As this is the first time I'm watching Doctor Who with everybody else in the world, I eagerly await what will happen. For my first new episode, it really was mysterious and action packed. The new Doctor really comes off like a new and darker person, and I couldn't be happier that this is my first Doctor. I await the next episode with great interest, and for those who also just became fans, welcome aboard.

My score: 4.5/5

Cinema: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)

Summary:
In New York City, the evil Foot Clan led by the menacing Shredder is terrorizing its citizens with crime and fear. Hotshot reporter April O'Neil (Megan Fox), unsatisfied with her low reporting jobs, tries to attain her big story when she witnesses something that changes her life forever: vigilantes fighting back against the Foot Clan: Leonardo, Rafael, Donatello, and Michelangelo, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
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In the history of pop culture icons that have endured to this day, I can't think of any with a sillier premise than Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It started out as an independent comic book made in 1984 by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird that parodied the dark and gritty comic book stories coming out at the time and was a success. It eventually became a cartoon in 1987, and from there it was launched into worldwide and pop culture history. The four Ninja Turtles, their master Splinter, reporter April O'Neil, and the sinister Shredder became household names and became well known among children, alongside a cast of wacky and crazy characters. Since then there have been other comic book stories, tons of toys, three separate TV incarnations in America, had their own version made in Japan...

SERIOUSLY

...and as of 2014, five movies. Three of them are a trilogy made during the 90's, the fourth was a CGI movie made in 2007, and the most recent one that is the subject of today's review.

Personally, I'm not that big a fan. While I am aware of some of the more famous characters and the popularity of the TV shows and movie franchises, I'm just not into TMNT like I am with other shows. Heck I wasn't even into Ninja Turtles when I was a kid and only got into it fairly recently. As such I'll give a basic run-down on a few things:

Favorite turtle: Donatello

Favorite villain: The Shredder (2012 version)

Favorite show: The 2012 version

Favorite movie: TMNT 2007

My first exposure to Ninja Turtles was the special "Turtles Forever", which led me to watching the 2012 show, and the only movie I watched until just recently, the 2007. The original Turtles trilogy I've heard mixed things about, and someday I may watch and review them. But for now, this newest movie, with an infamous name known to many attached to it as producer...Michael Bay.

Michael Bay is easily one of the most loathed directors/producers in Hollywood right now. Ever since Transformers he has gained a vocal hatred for a number of things, including but not limited to: being incredibly racist, having an obsession with filling his movies with shallow female characters, obsessing over explosions, hard-to-follow action sequences, and weak movie scripts & dialogue. So naturally when it was announced he'll be attached to this, hardcores were utterly outraged, and could be described as:

Personally I don't care that much, but I will admit that those problems are what put me off the Transformers movies after the second one. This new TMNT movie also got under fire when Megan Fox was cast, and there were other problems that abounded. With so many problems, you would think this movie is a massive bomb...

...and for me personally, it wasn't. Originally I wasn't even going to watch this movie, but the amount of hatred this movie seemed to get among critics and other fan circles really got me curious. So a buddy of mine and I saw it and we were pleasantly surprised. There were problems in this movie to be sure, but it was very enjoyable. It's certainly not "Best Movie of the Year" material, but it is still a fun film. I really do not get why people are really hating on it that much. But whatever, opinions. The movie had a fairly strong group of main characters that was offset by average villains, an easy-to-follow story that was offset by hard-to-follow action, nice production design that's offset by horrendous CGI designs, and fun character interactions that were offset by stupid moments. There are also aspects of this movie that really seemed superfluous, and could've been cut with no problems. In short, it's a rather unbalanced movie that could've been more. But for what we did get, considering who is attached to this, it's not that bad. It has problems, but it's not the total train wreck that some seem to be labeling it as.

The first thing to talk about is Megan Fox as April O'Neil. Considering her past experiences with Transformers you would think her character would be a total tool, nothing but over-sexualized eye-candy. I was surprised to find that she was an engaging character, staying true to her character's previous incarnations. Some may be put off because it doesn't focus on the Turtles instead but I didn't mind. And April's an important character in the franchise's history anyway. Her acting could've been better at times, but it could've been worse. Another strong point is the Turtles themselves. When they are on screen they really make a big presence. True to form each of the Turtles personas shine: Leonardo is the stoic leader, Rafael is the nutcase loner, Donatello is the science guy, and Michelangelo is the party animal. Their brotherhood is completely believable, and they actually do act like teenagers. I can honestly put that aspect of their portrayal over some of the other Turtles incarnations I've seen. Splinter (Tony Shaloub, Monk), the Turtle's father and Sensei, was also OK, acting stern, wise, but also caring and loving. I really like the angle they did with April inadvertently being the cause of their existence during the movie's past and makes it more connected. This angle is one not seen in the past, and it's welcome.

The side characters and the villains unfortunately, as said before, really offset that. Vern (Will Arnett, The LEGO Movie) was just...there. He had his moments and was funny at times but was just there. Whoppi Goldberg's character wasn't in there for very long, and might as well not have existed. And then we have the villains. While The Shredder looked really cool with a sort of mechanized look that was not often seen in the past, he felt rather generic. His backstory and motivations are rather unclear too, with just him wanting to rule New York...because? This is further supported by the character of Eric Sacks (William Fichtner, The Lone Ranger). He is apparently Shredder's student or something? And he handles the business side of things while Shredder does all the muscle work? And when Shredder succeeds with his plan, he gets rich? His actor did a good job with it, but again, cut him and nothing would've been lost. Heck if he wasn't there to begin with Shredder might've been a stronger villain. It's a shame because The Shredder is really the big baddie and archnemesis of the Turtles, and while he certainly did some badass stuff in the movie, he didn't have any personality or moments with just him planning and scheming. Disappointing.

The story is simplistic, understandable, and fun in a goofy, TMNT sort of way. April wants a scoop, meets Turtles, finds conspiracy, Turtles get captured, rescue them, stop the Shredder.As said previously though the evil plan is rather haphazard: Rule New York and get rich. The execution of the plan is nice, but the thought process behind it is rather weak. So then where does that leave the action? And this is where I'm really mixed. It's not until the second half of the movie where I was at the edge of my seat and acting like a kid again. Until then though it's mostly exposition that, while interesting, doesn't lend its way to engaging action. And the action we got in the first half was hard to follow because of the shaking camera and nauseating speed. The highlights of the movie for me are everything after the fight in the Turtles's HQ, where we really got to see the characters shine interact, have tons of funny and stupid moments, and see some high octane action. The snow scene in particular deserves mention because of the creativity, allowing for 10 minutes of some of the most exciting action sequences so far this year. The climactic battle between the Turtles and Shredder atop the Sacks building is also exciting, but not much to talk about. I'd say, if it wasn't for the snow scene, this movie would've gone down a ton of notches for me, because all the other action is just there, and hard to follow.

The overall look of the movie is nice, capturing that feel of New York that's both inviting and repulsive, and the design of the Turtles's lair looks very homegrown, as expected from a bunch of mutated animals living away from society. It's very haphazard and cobbled together from so many things, from multiple-sized screens to pizza-box furniture. The CGI though...oy vey. I'll give them credit for at least making the Turtles really different and distinguishable from each other by their designs and muscular structure, but those FACES...

Usually I'm not one to talk about special effects, but uuuuuuuuuuuugh. Utterly horrible face designs. What were they thinking? Even taking aside comparisons to past TMNT movie incarnations, that is just horrendous! If they want to aim for realistic...is there ANYTHING about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that is realistic? Then there's Splinter's design.

Still looks ugly, but much like Rocket Raccoon in Guardians of the Galaxy, I praise them for the details. The CGI everywhere else like action scenes is OK. It's just...those designs. WHY? Eventually you get used to them but it still doesn't deny the fact that the faces of the Turtles look like garbage.

The interactions with the characters deserve mention. At least the interactions among the Turtles. April doesn't do much when she is with them, but when the Turtles are together, swapping banter, cracking jokes and other aspects, they are really great and cement that they are brothers. There are TONS of funny and stupid moments in the movie, and adds that cheese that TMNT is sometimes known for. Unfortunately I think they really overplayed it at times. Moments like tempting Michelangelo with pizza, the first appearance of the Turtles, the snow scene, and the Turtles when they were younger were all great and funny, but other scenes like Michelangelo hitting on April, beatboxing in the elevator, and hiding on the bra of a Victoria's Secret advertisement was just too much and really padded out the movie.

And that leads one of my big complaints: padding. On its own I think the movie is good to an extent and fun, but if you shave off some elements and make other aspects stronger, it could've been a lot better. Cutting out a few stupid scenes, the side characters, some of the villains, and other things probably would've made this very good, possibly even great. But alas, it just barely makes it into OK-decent-not bad.

Final thoughts:
On the whole, this new Ninja Turtles movie is very enjoyable if you're willing to give leeway on a lot of things. When it's good, it's very good, but when it's bad it's bad. It's a very "extreme" movie in a sense that the good moments really shine through, but it is offset by the bad elements that make it way too obvious. I'm glad I watched it, and I'm glad it's not a total trainwreck. But at the same time, it could've been really good if they just attached a much better person to it besides Michael Bay. While I'm not happy with the amount of money this movie is making, I'm glad a sequel is coming out in 2016. Maybe they can have time to iron out a few creases, make a better script, add more characters, etc. You really got a feeling that they were playing it safe with this movie, and it shows. I liked it and thought it was good though. I recommend it to those looking for a movie to sit back and relax to, as well as any Turtles fan who wants to broaden their horizon beyond the incarnations you grew up with.

My score: 3.1/5

Trailer thoughts:

The Equalizer-Pretty standard with a retired military guy jumping in one last time to save a troubled soul from some evil men. Looks like nothing all that special.

Annie-Still really weirds me out. Why is this set in present day? Why is Annie and Mr. Warbucks Black? Why is Cameron Diaz playing Ms, Hannigan? Why is this even being made? I like the original well enough but it has so many elements about it that make it work. Translating these elements into present day...doesn't make it work, to say the least.

Disney's/Marvel's Big Hero 6-As said previously, I'm MASSIVELY excited for this one. Frozen has put Disney back into the limelight for me and I think others, so I eagerly await Disney's next big animated movie. Plus, it's a Disney movie based off a Marvel comic. What's not to love?

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day-I remember reading the book this movie is based off of, and while it looks funny, I don't see how this premise can lead to a full length movie. Heck the message "Always roll with the bad days to appreciate the good days even more" is already given in the trailer, so I can't see what else can happen in this besides wacky hinjinks with Steve Carell.

The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water-No...no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Why make another Spongebob movie? I have nothing but apathy for this character and his show because it ruined Avatar: The Legend of Korra. I'll give the movie this for having a more interesting premise than the first movie, but still...no.

VIDEO REVIEW: Guardians of the Galaxy

My first ever video review for Guardians of the Galaxy.

INTRODUCTION TO VLOGS

NO SPOILERS-GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY REVIEW

SPOILERS-GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY REVIEW PART 1

SPOILERS-GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY REVIEW PART 2

SPOILERS-GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY REVIEW PART 3

Cinema: Guardians of the Galaxy

Summary:
The galaxy stands on the brink when the fanatical warlord Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace, The Hobbit Trilogy) attains a powerful artifact capable of annihilating entire planets. Therefore, who better to stop him than the outlaw Star-Lord (Chris Pratt, The LEGO Movie), the assassin Gamora (Zoe Saldana, Star Trek), the warrior Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista, WWE), the genetic experiment Rocket (Bradley Cooper, The Hangover Trilogy), and the tree alien Groot (Vin Diesel)? Because this group of a-holes known as the Guardians of the Galaxy are certainly the first heroes you turn to, right?
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To say that Guardians of the Galaxy is one of the riskiest comic book properties to adapt is an understatement. By Marvel standards this group of alien heroes is still relatively new, having been released in 2008, whereas past properties relating to The Avengers came out during the 60's-70's. As such, when it was announced that the Marvel Cinematic Universe would make a movie based around the group, casual audiences were confused and hardcore audiences were baffled. Many from both sides agreed that, while superheroes by their very definition are silly, there's a certain line to be drawn. The heroes from Marvel that we have seen these past few years have had their silliness but they were able to work. Or, at the very least, they were able to star a predominantly human cast set on Earth and in a reality were are familiar with.

Guardians of the Galaxy had MANY things going against it. For starters, it is not set on Earth and takes place on alien planets. None of the immediate recognizable Marvel characters are present in the movie in any shape or form, and it has so many fantastical, weird creatures, none the least being two of our headliners: a giant talking tree thing and a raccoon with a machine gun.

Despite these hurdles though, I believe Guardians of the Galaxy succeeded. I wouldn't go as far to say to say it's the best Marvel movie so far, but it is still good. It is also not a piece that is meant to make you reflect, examine and question the greater meaning of life or anything like that. Guardians of the Galaxy is pure, enjoyable, fun. It can also get stupid at times. REALLY stupid. But again, it is the fun kind of stupid, the kind that makes you laugh and not the kind that personally offends you. There are some flaws in it to be sure, but they can be overlooked if you're willing to have an open mind. After all, an open mind is what you will need if you really want to enjoy or even go into this movie, as this is the most bizarre and different Marvel movie to date.

And because it's been eight years since the start of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and people STILL haven't taken a hint:

STAY UNTIL THE END OF THE CREDITS

And now, the spoiler reviews. I'll be going through important parts of the movie and talking about each of the characters of the titular group, as, unlike the Avengers, all the members of this group are introduced in one single movie.

The story takes place primarily in space and on alien worlds. We follow the mercenary Peter Quill/Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), as he steals a seemingly unimportant sphere from a devastated planet. Right off the bat we acclimate to Star-Lord. At the beginning of the movie we see him as a child on Earth, losing his mother to cancer, and being abducted by aliens. We're interested in him emotionally, and it is contrasted with seeing him as an adult: Star-Lord is a Han Solo-esque type character who's in the job for the money, sleeps with alien women, frequently turns his back on his boss Yondu (Michael Rooker, The Walking Dead) and is a cocky bastard. And like many characters of his type, we see levels of depth with Star-Lord: he's kind at the core and serves as the emotional center of the ragtag band of misfits that he will eventually become a part of. All in all a good character with a good performance with little complaints. A lot of the humor in the movie also comes from him as he's the only really human character in the movie; frequently listening to music on his cassette player when he's pulling heists.

We then meet our villain of this movie, Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace), a member of the Kree alien species who wants to destroy the planet of the Nova Corp space police because of a botched treaty or something like that. Working with Ronan are the assassins Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and Nebula (Karen Gillan, Doctor Who). Gamora is later ordered by Ronan to retrieve the orb from Star-Lord, but we later discover that she planned to double cross him. Gamora in my opinion is probably the member of the group that has the least going for her. She does have a tragic backstory and a relationship with Star-Lord that leads her to be less abrasive, but that's about it. Not a bad role, nor is it badly acted, it's just OK.

When then get into the mystery of what the orb is, because Star-Lord is facing problems selling upon buyers discovering Ronan desires it. We then meet the two characters that stole the entire movie: Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and Groot (Vin Diesel). Yondu and his group are pissed off at Star-Lord's betrayal and have sent out a bounty on him. Rocket is the best character in the movie for me because, for a CGI raccoon creature thing, he has a surprising amount of depth to him. He's a greedy creature, even more than Star-Lord, and he has absolutely no cares in the world except for Groot and money. But as we progress in the movie we discover there is more to Rocket than we were led to think. He has serious issues about being a genetic experiment and really takes offense at getting involved in things that don't concern him, but he eventually sees the errors of his ways and becomes a hero.

Groot is also a character that has a whole lot. Despite having only six words in the entire movie, his silence, mannerisms and expressions really sell us on the character. He's the gentle giant, much similar to the titular character of The Iron Giant, also voiced by Vin Diesel. Groot and Rocket stole the show and it is not unwarranted. They effects done on them were incredibly top-notch, their voices gave them emotional depth, and their character evolution is easy to follow and natural. They easily could've been silly cartoon characters for the little kiddies to eat up, but when even the adults like the pair, you know Marvel did something right.

Through a series of events, Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket and Groot get arrested and sent to space prison where we meet Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista).  If Rocket is my favorite character, Drax is my second. We learn that Drax is out for Ronan's head because of the death of his family at Ronan's hands, and doesn't get along with Gamora because of her association with Ronan. Star-Lord is the one to talk them out of this and work together, and we learn more about Drax. He is, at heart, a simple man who takes words or phrases literally. Sometimes he doesn't think straight or considers the consequences of his actions because he is caught up in hatred. He is however fiercely loyal to those around him and towards the climax of the movie he becomes more than dumb muscle. Drax becomes a true compatriot to Star-Lord and sometimes humors at the inopportune time. Some felt that Dave Bautista's acting was the weak link among the others (Which seems to be a pattern for wrestlers that go into anything besides wrestling), but I think he did alright here. If Bautista was in any other role in this movie he would've bombed it, but he suited Drax's character perfectly.

After the group escapes from prison here is where we start to see the greater connection to the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Gamora takes the group to a colony where another potential buyer who can keep the orb safe resides: Taneleer Tivan/The Collector (Benico Del Toro, Fear and Loathing in Los Vegas). You may remember Tivan from the post-credits scene in Thor: The Dark World. Tivan is not in this movie for very long but is important for providing why the orb is sought after. Inside the orb is an Infinity Stone, a jewel of immeasurable power. Each stone has different properties and on their own are powerful. Together however one can have the universe at his/her fingertips. Building up on said scene in Thor: The Dark World, the Tesseract and Aether that have appeared in the past movies are two such stones, and here we have another.

We thus know why Ronan desires it so, so that he can destroy whatever planet he wants. He and Nebula turn their backs on the space titan Thanos (Josh Brolin, Men in Black 3) after they ambush our heroes and he steals the stone. For a huge Marvel fan like me it is wonderful to finally see Thanos, the sinister grinning man at the end of The Avengers. Again he wasn't in it for long, but his presence carries so much weight that you don't mind.

The climax has our heroes teaming up with Yondu and the Nova Corp to stop Ronan. Through an exciting climax reminiscent of Star Wars, Nebula is defeated and retreats, Groot sacrifices himself to save the group from disaster, Star-Lord destroys Ronan by channeling the power of the Infinity Stone, and the galaxy is saved. In the end, our heroes now call themselves the Guardians of the Galaxy, Groot is reveled to be alive again, and our heroes blast off to new space adventures.

There are two problems I have with the movie. First is the pacing. Throughout the movie we're told and shown that the Guardians are not the best heroes out there, always bickering, fighting, shouting, and yelling at each other. At first it's OK, but it starts to get tiresome when they keep doing it and it hammers in that this group will eventually see our heroes become true friends and whatnot. In theory the idea is fine, but I just wish the execution was better.

The second problem is the same one that plagues other Marvel movies: The villains. Ronan in the grand scheme didn't do a whole lot. We see him talk, we see him fight briefly, but that's it. I wish Nebula was the main villain because she had more depth, more action, etc. But the fact that she lives to fight another day makes me hopeful for the future. And admittedly, Ronan is not as bad as some of the villains we've seen in the past.

The production design of the movie is good too. Set in space, we are given a wide variety of locations, aliens and sets. You really do feel like you are in space. Secondary characters like Nova Prime (Glenn Close) and Dey (John C Riley, Wreck-It Ralph) also give life to this world that we see. It goes to show that, beyond Earth, there is much more to the Marvel Universe. The design continues to build upon what Thor started, and makes you yearn for more. The soundtrack is mostly real songs and we frequently hear them play throughout the movie. In any other Marvel movie it would be out of place, but because of the silly nature of the movie, it works.

The final thing to talk about for the movie is the post-credits scene, of which there are two, but only one is of any major significance. The first has a growing twig-like Groot dancing to the movie's credits song. The second however...

Oh boy...

We see Tivan in the ruins of his collection, which destroyed by the Infinity Stone. As he is having a space Martini, he is chatting it up with what appears to be an alien duck creature. And just to hammer it in who we thought it was, it shows "HOWARD THE DUCK created by...". It implies that Howard may be getting a movie down the line, which I'm torn on. On one hand, the last time we got a Howard the Duck movie it was a freaking horrible piece of junk. On the other, because of Marvel's track record lately, it may actually be good. I'm looking forward to a possible Howard movie, but it's more a morbid curiosity than actual hype or excitement.

Final Thoughts:
All in all, Guardians of the Galaxy is a fun ride from start to finish. A few dull or disappointing parts on the roller coaster don't detract from two hours of high octane action, humor, stupid, and just pure fun. Don't go into this movie expecting a gigantic and grand adventure, or a movie that delves into the psyche or personal struggle. Just expect fun, pure unadulterated fun for all ages, and you'll have a wonderful time.

My score: 3.9/5

Trailer thoughts:
The Equalizer: A movie with Denzel Washington saving a girl from the Russian Mafia. Looks action-packed. Won't watch.

Planes: Fire & Rescue: I think I've said my piece in my past entries on why I'm not looking forward to this money-grubbing waste.

Big Hero 6: REALLY looking forward to this one. Disney and Marvel together can only be a good recipe. Looks like it'll have adventure, humor, drama, etc.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: May or may not watch this, admittedly just to see how much of a trainwreck it'll be. But it might be good, who knows.