Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014) - Movie Review

Official Score = 4 Devils

So far I have to say that I am pretty impressed with what Marvel has been doing in it's continuous creation of mega-box office smash hits from the comics that helped bring Marvel in to the world of popularity!

Let's take, The Avengers (2012), besides the fact that this movie is the culmination of a lot of the truly fantastic Marvel Super Hero franchises that have come out in the new millennium, (including: Iron Man, The Hulk, Thor & Captain America,) this movie has helped catapult these stars and their respective independent movie series in to the stratosphere!

And you know what? Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014) is another ultra successful notch in Marvel's prolific collection of mega hits!

The movie poster for: Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014).

Written by: Nicole Perlman (Thor), James Gunn (Dawn Of The Dead) & Directed by: James Gunn. Starring: Chris Pratt (Jurassic World), Zoe Saldana (Star Trek), Dave Bautista (Riddick), Vin Diesel (The Last Witch Hunter), Bradley Cooper (American Sniper), Michael Rooker (Slither), Karen Gillan (Doctor Who), Glenn Close (Mars Attacks!).

"Well he don't know talkin' good like me and you, so his vocabulistics is limited to "I" and "am" and "Groot," exclusively in that order."

- Rocket Raccoon (A quote from: Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014))

Now this awesome tale, tells the story of how an intergalactic thief, (and the only human traveling in outer space), Peter Quill (Chris Pratt steals a rare precious orb for a privateer who intends to sell it... The only thing is that, 'Ronan: The Accuser' (Lee Pace), who also happens to be working for a secret benefactor, (who has a dark desire to acquire it,) also is trying to get it as well!

During this time, Peter ends up being imprisoned with, 'Rocket Raccoon' (Bradley Cooper), Groot (Vin Diesel), (Both of whom had helped get Peter arrested on Nova Prime,) Gamora (Zoe Saldana) & Drax: The Destroyer (Dave Bautista)...  Initially they escape with the intention of selling the orb.

The Guardians Of The Galaxy... Their first mission... Escape from prison!

But when they find out what the orb is, and with the impending danger to the Nova Empire, they make themselves 'The Guardians Of The Galaxy', and decide to deliver the orb to the heart of the Nova Empire, and stop Ronan: The Accuser before he can deliver it to his master!

Now I will be honest and say that when I first heard of this movie I had not held out much hope for it... Don't get me wrong, I knew it would be good, I just didn't know how good! I mean everything about this movie was so well done, that I can totally see why this became one of the highest grossing movies of 2014!

Star Trek (2009) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_325" align="alignright" width="263"] Official Score = 3 Devils[/caption]

Being a huge Star Trek fan I was saddened when I heard that after the failures of the last 2 Star Trek The Next Generation movies and the failure of, 'Enterprise' that Paramount was putting a moratorium on any future Star Trek show (A moratorium being a hold on any future Star Trek TV project,) and that with the disaster that was, Star Trek: Nemesis (2002), that there was going to be nothing more from Star Trek...

The reason for this is that not only did they deprive the world of some truly awesome entertainment, but Star Trek has always stood for the idea that instead of only being able to see the problems that mankind faces, and will face in the future, it put forth the idea of what life could be like if mankind is able to get past it's petty squabbles...

But there was light at the end of the tunnel for us Star Trek fans out there... That light being when they release the re-booted series by going back to the beginning with Star Trek (2009)!

[caption id="attachment_2103" align="aligncenter" width="450"] A scene from, 'Star Trek' (2009)![/caption]

Directed by: J.J. Abrams (Super 8) and Starring: Chris Pine (This Means War), Zachary Quinto (Heroes), Simon Pegg (Shaun Of The Dead), Leonard Nimoy (Invasion Of The Body Snatchers), Eric Bana (Hulk), Bruce Greenwood (Double Jeopardy), Karl Urban (Dredd), Zoe Saldana (Colombiana), John Cho (American Pie), Anton Yelchin (Fright Night) & Chris Hemsworth (Thor).

Now I could tell you that the acting was great... (It was!), I could tell you that the Sound Effects were spectacular (they were), but the truth is, is my favorite thing about this movie is the story!

You see this story is truly an interesting twist on rebooting a franchise right! What I mean by this is that instead of the classic remake that would have inevitably butchered the series they took the story in a whole different direction...

In this movie, on the day that the future Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) is born... As a matter of fact while his mother is giving birth to him... The U.S.S. Kelvin is confronted with a Romulan ship that has just traveled to the past from the future... A ship that is being commanded by Captain Nero (Eric Bana)...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="512"] The ship that changed the future of, 'James T. Kirk'![/caption]

You see Captain Nero is looking for Ambassador Spock (Leonard Nimoy) who had ended up going back through time to the past (At this point in the Star Trek Universe, everything is moving the way it would have through out all of the previous movies and TV shows.)

Anyway Nero pushes to try and find Spock, but when he realizes that he went to far back in time, he ends up destroying the Kelvin... Fortunately just about everyone (including the newborn Jim Kirk and his mother Winona) escape the ships destruction... The only problem is that the only one left is the new born Jim Kirk's dad (who ended up saving the Kelvin survivors from Nero...

Now things are different, instead of young Kirk working his way to becoming the legend that he would have eventually become, he is a drunk, and a looser... That is until Kirk is confronted by a friend of his father's by the name of Captain Christopher Pike (Greenwood), who convinces him to at least give him a try.

During his initial run at Starfleet Academy, Vulcan is being attacked by Nero... Who has hatched a master plan that would eventual destroy the Federation of the past (A.K.A. the world of today.)

And now it will be up to the, until recently Jim Kirk that would not become the legend that he would have been in the previous time line, to finally own up to the man he was always meant to be and along with the crew oft he U.S.S. Enterprise, stop Nero, before Nero destroys the Federation!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Kirk & McCoy as they head toward their, 'destiny'...[/caption]

Really my main problem (and I know from talking to to other Trekkies out there that I am not the only one who thinks this), but the problem is, is that as good as this story is, it does have some disjointed continuity errors (well I won't bore you with the details, but if you are a trekkie, you probably will know which ones that I am talking about.)

But regardless, this movie is a fun one, and I thought it was well worth it, and if you give it a try, you might find the same thing as well!

http://youtu.be/SyJszxnJydA