Saving The Galaxy...Twice

It was a very 'The-Future-By-Way-of-the-70s-and-80s'  weekend for me, and I couldn't be happier.

To begin with, I went with a bunch of my friends to see Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 on Friday night. It was welcome both for the camaraderie, and the fact that the majority of my day consisted of walking in a torrential downpour. A warm, dry theater full of Marvel Cinematic Universe geeks was just what the doctor ordered.

I loved the movie. Loved it. As much as the first. It was a bit more talky, and perhaps the character arc elements were handled in a somewhat heavy-handed way, but these minor flaws were expertly balanced by loads of action, humor, cool special effects, and more Easter Eggs than a church social on the third Sunday in April. 

While I have traditionally been more of a DC fan than a Marvel one as far as comics go, Guardians of the Galaxy is one of the Marvel properties I was really into as a kid. I mean, a team of outer space superheroes battling alien oppression in the distant future - what's not to like?

The more modern incarnation of the Guardians, which resembles the movie team a lot more, has also been pretty good overall, and so when the Marvel Cinematic Universe decides to mix both new and old together for a film, well, they're playing my song. 

In addition to seeing the movie, I got together with some friends I don't get to game with all that often to run a one-shot of Star Frontiers.

I modified one of the classic TSR modules, Mission to Alcazzar, and ran the three players through it with a focus on fast paced zany combat and snappy dialogue. Seeing Guardians of the Galaxy 2 obviously influenced my approach. 

Well that's all for now, back very soon with some additional musings on Space Opera Science Fiction role playing. 

Thrusters to Maximum!

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Barking Alien

Hooked On A Feeling

And you can be damn sure I'm high on believing!





Let me begin by saying how awesome this movie is.

OK, ready?

It's FREAKIN' AWESOME!

Guardians of the Galaxy, the latest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is a franchise born of good stock and strange bedfellows, and the resulting night of debauchery couldn't have resulted in a better illegitimate love child.

How's that for imagery, eh?

It is, at it's core, a Science Fiction action/adventure/comedy film, not a superhero movie, as one would assume based on its pedigree. Coming from the studio and company responsible for not only The Avengers, Iron Man, Thor and Captain America films (Winter Soldier was quite good if you haven't seen it), but also the comics behind those films (OK, maybe not directly, but you know what I mean. Marvel Comics created the characters. Well, people created the characters...it's all very complicated), you'd sort of expect a superhero movie in space. Well, that's not exactly what this is. It's not not that, but it's far more closely related to Star Wars and Farscape than Superman and Batman.

As you may or may not be aware, I am a huge fan of the second stringers and B, C, and even D-List superheroes that populate the Marvel and DC universes. I loved the original Guardians of the Galaxy team that was first introduced the month before I was born.

While not as much a Marvel fan as a DC one traditionally, I nonetheless caught the 'new' Guardians when they debuted in Marvel's Annilhilation: Conquest series. Made up of some old favorites I never expected to see again, including Bug of the Micronauts, Captain Universe, Star-Lord, and Rocket Raccoon, I was really curious to see where Marvel would go with this team. 

I'd been following and enjoying the comics featuring this incarnation of the team for a while, and as much as I liked them, I would never in a million light years think they would be the next motion picture to take the gold (the 'gold' being over $160 million dollars gross for it's opening weekend and a critical success!).

Anyway, I loved it. It had everything I want in a movie: Action, Humor, Cool and Interesting Characters, a Universe I want to go to and explore, and great Special Effects and Visual Designs. Plus, it had something I find to be a must for a good comic book film in my opinion (and it had it in spades). Fan love.

Guardians had fan love out the exhaust port. Cameos, name drops and easter eggs to make your head spin. Thank you Marvel. I care that you care that I care.

In conclusion, go see it. Enjoy it. Enjoy the hell out of it. While you're at it, get the soundtrack. Best soundtrack I've heard in forever.

Catch you later, Space Invader...

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I am Groot