Pop is eating itself.

Rating: 5/10 (8 August 2014)

In a previous review, one writer said that Marvel could have "played it safe, but went into a bold new direction".
Well I don't know about you, but filling a movie with pop culture references to hook the money-spending adult-child demographic of 30 and 40 somethings, in what is quite literally "just another sci-fi adventure", is NOT taking a risk.
From the very minute the film started I knew I was going to be manipulated in the most direct way, but even then sometimes you ask for it, like watching "Old Yeller" for example. But in the case of GOTG, it's pretty much shoveled in our mouths from the beginning, and with more than a spoonful of sugar.
Some have compared this movie to Star Wars (which it's not), and even while that film was derivative of Saturday morning serials and classic science fiction films and TV, what made Star Wars unique is the creative ways it tips it's hat at the genre, and more specifically how hard everyone worked to make it their own. There was more depth to it, and it left you wondering, "didn't we see that in something else"? However GOTG embellishes with pop culture, very much like the roller-coaster ride operator who turns on the top 40 or R&B station while he locks you in your seat. That's not creating something unique, it's hopping on the back of something that's previously established, and it takes no effort to do so, only money.
But don't take my word for it, see for yourself. In going through the other reviews, on almost every page someone writes their summary as "Hooked on a Feeling". If that doesn't resemble Pavlov's Dog, I don't know what else could.
I DID like Guardian's of the Galaxy for it's art design, effects, stunts, sound design, and the battered underscore by Tyler Bates which was brilliant. But with scenes in which we have Chris Pratt making Kevin Bacon sound like a universal liberator of man during a romantic scene with Zoe Saldana, (and who references his name later in the film like a punch line) this movie is the epitome of that age old prediction, "Pop Will Eat Itself".
Speaking of Pratt, I felt he's probably the weakest leading man I've ever encountered in a blockbuster film. He felt like a composite of Indiana Jones, Norma Rae and Oliver Twist all mixed into one. I cared not a single moment for his well being, his past or even his future.
So no, Marvel didn't play it safe. Not by a long shot. They knew what they were doing when they licensed these songs, filled the dialog with prime time nods and then threw a bunch of fireworks at us. Not having read the comic, if these same kinds of references are in there, I'm sure I will find out soon enough. But that just reinforces my argument anyway, and leaves one to ask if we should expect more depth of storytelling, character development and not-so-easy references to day to day life from big budget features (I do!), or is it safe to say that today's blockbuster films will sacrifice originality for commonality and we should just go with it?
Either way, since this is obviously the first in a new franchise, I'm sure we will find out what Marvel's priorities are in the next installment. Let's hope it's not just "The next Empire Strikes Back".