Guardians of the Galaxy

[KnightWing]

It makes sense with the comics version of the character, given that she's known for sleeping around quite a bit. Zoe Saldana even said that she consciously chose to make Gamora's fighting moves more "seductive" and had to argue with the fight coordinators about that.

But then the movie character kinda goes in a very different direction on the whole. Gamora in the comics is a lot more devil-may-care and outright murderous; the movie basically portrays her as the moral conscience of the group.

[Venneh]

Unless Gamora was known to sleep around with people in the context of the movie (and that is what I am talking about here, movie context only), that line still makes no sense given Drax's literalism.

[Dan]

There were many liberties taken (Star-Lord's and Drax's backgrounds are both very different from their comic book counterparts), so the fact that Gamora's sexuality is more pronounced in the comics than in the movie shouldn't explain Drax calling her a whore when she gave abslutely no reason for him to do that.

[KnightWing]

I'm wondering if there are a ton of scenes on the cutting room floor. Because initially, Gamora looks to be pretty similar to her comics counterpart, what with the entire prison calling her out as a mass murderer.

And now that I think about it, in the first GOTG trailer there was that one shot showing a shirtless Gamora from the back, possibly post-coital. It might have been from the prison scene where they all change clothes, but I don't quite remember that from there.

So maybe they should have cut the whore line in the final edit, but maybe they didn't have a good alternate take by then?

[Koete]

Maybe they fucked up?

[Dan]

Having a scene on the cutting room floor is basically as pertinent to the completed film as how she's portrayed in the comics. What we were presented over the course of a two hour movie is someone who at no point accepts money in exchange for sexual favors, which is the only reason a character who is entirely literal in everything he says would have called her a whore. Even if the film portrayed her as promiscuous, which it absolutely does not, it doesn't make her a prostitute. End of.

[JackFetch]

it was said in the movie that she had a reputation and that everyone knew who she was, but they never said what that reputation was. A throwaway joke with no explanation doesn't ruin anything for me.

[KnightWing]

Having a scene on the cutting room floor is basically as pertinent to the completed film as how she's portrayed in the comics. What we were presented over the course of a two hour movie is someone who at no point accepts money in exchange for sexual favors, which is the only reason a character who is entirely literal in everything he says would have called her a whore. Even if the film portrayed her as promiscuous, which it absolutely does not, it doesn't make her a prostitute. End of.

Wait, if I say "end of" at the end of all my paragraphs, does that mean I win discussions? Sweet. I'll have to remember that one for later.

My point was that the line is probably a remnant of editing, and though it is somewhat of an error, it's not a mind-bogglingly horrible thing. It's like Jack said, Gamora has a huge reputation in the Kyln that never really gets any deep explanation. She's said to be an assassin and wanted for over a dozen murders, but it seems like she'd have to do way more than that to get the rep she has. There's obviously a lot more going on with her than we ever see.

And hey, if Drax is perfectly literal and says she's a whore, maybe he's actually right. Or maybe he misunderstood something someone said about her, which is totally in character for him too. Either way, not a big problem.

[dc20willsave]

Or maybe you should notice when you're wading into a sensitive area and that sometimes you should let an argument die.Or notice when a mod is the one saying end of discussion. It's a badly written line. Maybe it's a relic of a previous draft? Who knows? It's a single line in a movie full of dialogue. Let's move on.

[Molly]

Well, I was gonna come say how much I liked the film, but this thread kind of sucks now.

[Venneh]

Going to see this again on Thursday with a friend who's just moved into town. Looking forward to it.

[Missy]

Wait, if I say "end of" at the end of all my paragraphs, does that mean I win discussions? Sweet. I'll have to remember that one for later.

It doesn't mean anyone wins. However, when it comes from a mod, it means everyone needs to move on.

When it comes from me, it means I'm about to lock the thread. In this case, I don't want to do that, so I'll say this: We all have our own take on that one line. Said takes have been expressed. We don't all agree. Done. Now, let's continue to discuss the movie as a whole.

[JackFetch]

James Gunn addressing the people knocking the science of the movie:

Hello fellow nerds.

Sometimes people's incorrect beliefs about science gained from past works of fiction - such as that a person will explode in outer space without a spacesuit - can often make them believe the correct science within another work of fiction is inaccurate. This is just a little about the science of Guardians of the Galaxy, which has been much debated.

There are minor SPOILERS TO FOLLOW, as well as in the attached article, so be wary...

Firstly, BadAsss Digest is right in the following article, I was making first and foremost a space fantasy or space opera, a pulp film, and that fun trumps everything. That said I wanted to make sure the film was as scientifically accurate as it could be. So I consulted with a NASA scientist throughout the film. One of my questions was whether Peter Quill could survive in outer space without a spacesuit, and without the top of his head and hands covered. The answer is yes, for a short amount of time, if he had oxygen. And, without a mask, if he released all oxygen from his lungs, for a significantly shorter amount of time.

Throughout test screenings, people would be upset when Quill saves Gamora and both of them survive in space for a short amount of time without space suits or oxygen. But I had to stick to my guns in the editing of the film, as it was completely possible. In addition to the reasons the article states, there are a few more why Quill and Gamora survive -

-Gamora is genetically and cybernetically enhanced, allowing her to stay alive longer than Quill would.

-When Quill is in outer space outside both the Kyln and Knowhere, there is no anti-gravity, but there is residual atmosphere from those places. Rocket even mentions it to Quill outside Knowhere. This lessens the impact of space.

-Much of the scene is shot in slow motion, meaning it takes up more time on screen than it would in real life.

-The airlock within the Eclector (Yondu's ship) has regenerative properties, which is why both Quill and Gamora are all good when they are pulled into the ship. After all, the Ravagers are a bunch of thrill-seeking idiots. One of Kraglin's favorite pastimes is probably jumping out into outer space completely nude for a few seconds and quickly clamoring back in.

EDIT - MORE QUESTIONS ANSWERED -

How does Quill get batteries for his Walkman?
This one I don't get at all. They've mastered anti-gravity. I think they can figure out a power source for his Walkman.
How does everyone speak English?
They don't. In the mug shot sequence, you'll see that Quill has a translator in his neck.

I also have reasons for why the Milano and other vehicles are able to travel between planets at such fast speeds, but I'll probably save that for later on. [smiley face]

I'll admit, the surviving in space thing crossed my mind. Then I remembered it was a movie and I didn't care anymore.

[Dan]

I know that people get very meticulous about scientific accuracy, but... talking raccoon with a machine gun. I'll forgive a lot.

[dc20willsave]

Ditto. That was one of my only nitpicks (more for how fast he started freezing than the atmosphere thing) but then I remembered I was watching a movie with a cybernetic raccoon.

[Missy]

Also, as the movie notes,

his father is an unknown, ancient alien. With that in mind, Star-Lord's ability to survive in space isn't necessarily the same as someone who's 100% human.

[Dread]

I spoilered that for you, Mike.

[Missy]

Thanks, Des. I figured it was safe to say by now, but you're right.

[Dread]

I guess, to be fair, after the movie comes out, no one should be going into a thread expecting not to be spoiled.

[slothian]

Saw this a few hours ago - thoughts, as ever, in Comic Reel-lief, but it's safe to say that I found it immensely enjoyable, and a welcome breath of fresh air after a Phase 2 dependant on sequels.

Through no-one's fault, I accidentally got spoiled on the final post-credits scene when I randomly came across the Howard the Duck film on Wikipedia, and the cameo got mentioned in the article somewhere.

[dc20willsave]

Anyone else think it would be awesome if they got Kevin Bacon for the next film, either as Peter Quill's father or maybe as the villain? I think he would make an awesome Korvac!

[Missy]

I was thinking the same thing. Are there any cosmic characters with dance-centric powers?

[Dan]

Space Dazzler!

[James D.]

Holy shit, what an awesome movie!

I'll be honest--I think the thing I liked the most about it (and this is going to sound incredibly weird considering the characters involved) is that all of it felt totally natural and not contrived. The dialogue flowed perfectly and sounded exactly how a group of friends who bust each other's balls (or ovaries?) would talk. Whoever the scriptwriter was gets an A+ from me.

Yeah, I'd readily see it again.

[Dread]

James Gunn wrote it. With his wife, I think.

Edit: Wrong. I assumed she was his wife in a dickish manner because she had no other film credits. Really, she's an up-and-coming screenwriter Marvel is trying out.

Edit again: To be fair, though. The thought process wasn't misogynistic; it was "who the fuck would give an untested screenwriter the scripting duties to a 200 million dollar film?" But that was before the answer was screaming so obviously in my head: "The same guy who gave the film to the director of Tromeo & Juliet."