Just having watching The Winter Soldier, which I thought was one of the best Marvel movies so far, I was very excited to continue my journey with some new characters, but still connected to the same Universe. (I am amazed at how MCU manages to tie all of these movies together, even if it's just in some small way.) I had actually caught a snippet of this movie before and it had me in stitches. It was the scene not far from the beginning of the movie where the adult Peter Quill was movin' and groovin' to the music. It gave me high hopes for the entire movie. (For the most part, the music was one of my favorite aspects of this movie. I even started singing along and dancing in my seat at the end when Baby Groot was dancing to "I Want You Back".)
The opening scene where young Peter was with his dying mother was very touching and I was horrified when he was abducted. Of course, this had to happen in order for the story line to unfold and the way I felt was a testament to outstanding writing and acting. After that, I was met with a lot of disappointment.
Maybe it's because I love trees, but Groot was my favorite character. I was sad that he was killed off in his very first movie. I did like that he began to grow again, but can he really be replaced? Well, I suppose he isn't being completely replaced since it's a part of him that was used to grow another Groot. But still. A part of me felt like they were trying to replace him with something that will never be completely him again. (I'm probably reading into this way too much, but that was something I had trouble overcoming.)
I also had trouble connecting with most of the other characters. I liked Peter and I liked Groot, but I didn't feel connected to the others. Mostly, I had trouble taking Rocket's character seriously. (To the movie's credit, I probably wasn't supposed to.)
When I'm unable to connect with the characters, it hinders my ability to connect with the movie as a whole and follow it. The plot was okay, but nothing special. I didn't even have the desire to watch the movie a second time to give it another chance. That's saying something, because I've watched the other Marvel movies prior to this one at least twice, even my least favorite ones.
One other aspect of this movie that bothered me was the foul language. The other Marvel movies before this one have some foul language in them, but this one had more. I guess it was done for a reason, but I always feel like a point and impact can be made on viewers without the use of foul language. That was a major turnoff for me in this movie.
I am not ready to give up on MCU, though. I've come this far and I will see it through. The next movie in line is the follow-up to the Avengers. I am really looking forward to seeing my "friends" again in that one!
It's even more touching when you realize the music is inspired by the tapes Peter received from his mom.
ReplyDeleteI always assumed it's the same Groot, just reverted back to a baby form. And now he has to go through all the stages of life before he's back to his lovable self.
The only character I connected to was Ronan, but only for the fact that he was the only character I had previous knowledge of.
The spaceships were cool!
Mihail, I agree about the inspiration from the tapes being received from his mom. I like your assumption of Groot being the same Groot, just in baby form. However, to me, he looked female in the baby form. I guess that's why it didn't cross my mind that it could be the same Groot. I have to admit, I am looking forward to the sequel to this movie, if only to see what happens to this character. :-)
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