How Would a Guardians of the Galaxy Movie Work?

With The Avengers come and gone, Marvel Studios prepare to enter 'Phase 2′ of their cinematic universe. With Iron Man, Thor and Captain America all due sequels, it was tough to see what Marvel's mystery project in 2014 could be. Was it Black Panther, Ant-Man? Well our questions have been answered, and Marvel's first film away from the Avengers universe is set to be Guardians of the Galaxy!

But wait? Who are the Guardians of the Galaxy and how would a movie work? The team originally debuted in 1969, although far less familiar than the modern team seen today. Dwelling on the 31st Century, the original team focused on obscure characters like Starhawk and Major Victory. It wasn't until 2008; when sci-fi writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (or DNA for short) took the team into new heights post Marvel's mega-cosmic event 'Annihilation'.

Essentially making the team 'Space Avengers' DNA made GOTG one of Marvel's best books, featuring iconic characters such as Adam Warlock, Drax the Destroyer and talking rodent Rocket Racoon. It was a high-adrenaline affair that had been missing from comics since the 90′s. The Avengers books had long focused on street heroes and New York, while Thor was in the process of being rebooted after a brief hiatus. Marvel was missing a cosmic universe, and DNA responded by creating one that easily rivalled DC's own Green Lantern universe.

1) Control the humour.

One of the main reasons Avengers worked is because it took a tricky concept, and grounded it in reality by using humour. How else would icons such as Iron Man, Thor and Cap work together if there wasn't some bickering involved? The problem with GOTG is that it's a much more grand concept, and over-using the humour could almost make the film more self-parody than action-blockbuster.

That doesn't mean limit the jokes altogether though. After all, it's a film featuring a talking racoon.

2) Streamlined Narrative

DNA's cosmic books tended to require full concentration from the reader in order to truly understand what was going on. They weren't always the most accessible books for new readers, and as a result Marvel didn't give the book the publicity it deserved. A movie can't rick alienating (excuse the pun) audiences unfamiliar with the team by throwing alternative universes and shifting-timelines at them.

The movie's script is rumoured to be based on DNA's swansong event 'The Thanos Imperative'. Take this with a pinch of salt, as that book couldn't really be streamlined at all for new audiences. For inspiration, Marvel should look at James Cameron's sci-fi epic 'Avatar'. The film had quite a basic plot, but was carried by the thrill of seeing a new extraordinary universe and as a result it's now the highest-grossing movie of all time. With the GOTG there is the potential to do what Marvel's last fantasy film Thor failed to do by fully exploring new worlds and not just their glossy interiors. What are the moons of Titan? Are their other Titans that live there besides Thanos? Where does Rocket Raccoon come from? These are questions a GOTG movie could explore making it much more adventurous than your average comic book movie. The plot does not have to be convoluted. Even it was just Thanos showing up threatening to conquer the galaxy it would work.

3) Who are these characters?

Where The Avengers truly succeeded is that it gave every character a voice. No one felt too out of place (Hawkeye slightly) and each character got his or her chance to shine. The Guardians needs that exact treatment in order for it to feel different. For instance leader of the Guardians Star-Lord/Peter Quill is not a Steve Rogers stand-in. He's more of a Han Solo character, with a bit of Rogers thrown in. With Robert Downey Jr. unable to play Iron Man for much longer, Star-Lord would easily fill the void into the cinematic universe.

Movie Review of The Lucky One

Call me crazy, but I'm starting to think that Nicholas Sparks needs to either: A) stop turning his books into movies, or B) locate and keep on speed dial the person who was responsible for the screen adaptation of 'The Notebook', because frankly, you can only expect audiences to hope for a life changing love story so many times before they stop giving you the benefit of the doubt.

THE GOOD: A grown up and---if I may be perfectly frank---smoking hot Zac Efron plays Logan Thibault, a young Marine who has survived three tours of duty in Iraq, when many around him haven't been as fortunate. He believes he owes this miracle to the photo of a young woman-Beth (played by Taylor Schilling) that he stumbled across in combat. When his tour is over, he sets out to find her and thank her for saving his life. It's a simple thing to say, really, when he finally locates her, yet for some reason that's never quite clear, he can't do it. Instead he ends up working for her and her grandmother at the dog shelter and obedience school they own. By the time she learns about the real purpose of his appearance in her life, his explanation seems flimsy. Throw in Beth's bully of an ex-husband, Keith (played by Jay R. Ferguson), along with a steamy shower scene and Efron flexing his biceps as he lifts bags of dog food, and you have the makings of a great love story.....right? Well, not particularly.

THE BAD: I need to point out here that, although I don't always read a book before it's made into a movie, I did with this one... and that might have been a mistake, because I couldn't help but feel irritated at how WRONG they got it. The casting was pretty solid, although I never felt much chemistry between Logan and Beth---but that may have just been because I was thinking the whole time how much I would have liked to play Schilling's part. But I suppose that's not integral to this review.

To be fair, I completely understand that it's not feasible to put every element of a book into it's film adaptation. But the main problem I had with this one was WHAT they chose to leave out. Throw aside some of the "beautiful scenery shots", cut out 2 of the THREE bedroom scenes (we get it-Logan is totally buff, but let's not run this thing into the ground), and for the love of all that is holy, PLEASE get rid of the cheesy line he mumbles to Beth about kissing that isn't even IN the book. But why they would choose to remove a key moment in the story that shows what a dirtbag Keith is escapes me. Tack a few extra minutes onto the movie and develop those characters so the dialogue actually means something when they say it.

THE UGLY: With Taylor Schilling and Zac Efron on the screen, there isn't a whole lot of ugly to be found, but some short scenes of domestic violence are certainly ugly enough to leave you hoping you'll see a ---with any luck, shirtless----Logan, swinging a shovel at Keith's big noggin.

For all the hype of this film being another "Notebook" or "The Vow", you'd have to be a pretty die hard Nicholas Sparks fan to actually compare it to either of those films. It lacks the charm and depth of either of those stories, which is a shame because there's nothing quite like a love story to make life seem more worthwhile. This movie just made my popcorn and diet soda seem a little more special.

Romantic Movies for a Modern Age

Ah, the romantic comedy, it's an enduring genre that truly has stood the test of time. Many of us have grown up with classics like Breakfast at Tiffany's or colourful musicals such as Easter Parade or My Fair Lady. These movies capture the beauty of romance. They have idealised ideas about finding 'the one'; Boy meets girl on a chance encounter, boy and girl must overcome obstacles to be together, girl is eventually swept off her feet - cue long, lingering Hollywood kiss.

Romantic comedies today adopt a similar plot structure. However, the 'boy meets girl' part is shown to be decidedly more difficult. Modern romantic comedies take a more cynical view of the trials and tribulations of finding someone to love. Below are some of the best modern romance movies.

No.1 - Bridget Jones (2001)

When Bridget Jones was adapted to the big screen from Helen Fielding's book of the same name, it seemed to define an entire generation of thirty-something women haunted by their loudly ticking biological clock and 'smug married' friends. Bridget, played by Renee Zellweger, is single and desperately looking for love. She's overweight, her biological clock is ticking and she records her hopes, dreams, frustrations and failings in a journal. She also sleeps with her philandering boss, blinded by his charm. She then meets a handsome family friend, the aptly named Mr (Mark) Darcy (Colin Firth), a man she immediately detests, but who she comes to realise is just the kind of man she was searching for all along.

Bridget's search for love demonstrates how hard it can be to meet people in a modern society and the stigma once attached to single men and women of a certain age, while simultaneously liberating them to embrace their singleness - which if we're to believe Bridget, will eventually lead to love. After all, she makes many mistakes along the way, but she still gets her man in the end!

No. 2 - Must Love Dogs (2005)

This very modern romantic comedy delves into love in the age of the internet, with a forty-something women seeking the man of her dreams. Like Bridget Jones, Sarah (Diane Lane) is looking for love and finding it increasingly difficult. She thought she had found her man for life, until he left. Spurred on by her interfering family, she decides to try online dating. After some bizarre and unsuccessful dates - including accidentally answering her own father's personal add - she comes to realise that the first man she met online, Jake (John Cusack), is actually the man for her. Like Bridget, Sarah struggles through the trials and tribulations of finding 'the one' but she too gets her man in the end; proving that in this day and age you need to kiss (or flirt online) with a lot of frogs before you find your prince.

No. 3 - Hitch (2005)

Will Smith plays Alex Hitchens (Hitch), a 'date doctor' who trains men unlucky in love in the art of wooing the opposite sex. However, he is shown to struggle himself when it comes to finding love. For example, when he meets the stunning Sarah (Eva Mendes), his elaborate choice of date venues fall apart and his silver tongue fails to empress, so Hitchins begins to question whether his way is the right way to find love. Hitch contradicts the idea that one can just be 'lucky in love.' The idea of paying for help to find 'the one' provides an interesting insight into the difficulties of finding a sustainable relationship nowadays. Using a date doctor to coach you in the art of dating is especially contrived. This way of finding a relationship is an extreme and typically modern solution that is shown to also be a failing one, as in the end, Hitch gets his girl just by being himself.

No. 4 - He's Just Not That In to You (2009)

We all remember that scene in Sex and The City where Miranda over hears two ladies talking about a man who isn't calling and informs them that 'He's just not that into you' - well this is similar to that, but with 120 minutes worth. In He's Just Not That In to You, a movie actually inspired by a self-help book, Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin) is looking for love and sets out on a series of fruitless dates. She repeatedly misinterprets the signs that these men are not interested in her, thinking that they are. This is until she gets some much-needed advice from Alex (Justin Long). As he helps her to be 'in the know' about what men really mean when they text but never call or continually give her false hope, they eventually fall for one another. Gigi inspires the other characters in the movie to tackle problems in their own relationships. He's Just Not That In To You shows that love is now a complicated game and the importance of reading between the lines and what it means to understand the opposite sex - and how all of this can lead to difficulties in finding love.

No. 5 - Bridesmaids (2011)

Bridesmaids is the most recent on this list and arguably the most successful and unique, but perhaps that's because it's not primarily about love but friendship. Annie (Kristen Wiig) is yet another character who is unsuccessful in love. Her boyfriend left her when she lost her business and since then she's been having casual sex with a disinterested man. Although this film is primarily about friendship amongst women, as Annie struggles with the mammoth task of organising her best friend's wedding against the interference of another friend, Annie's loneliness and struggle to find love is paramount. She eventually meets Nathan (Chris O'Dowd) and despite turning him down, realises her mistakes and gets her man. Bridesmaids also demonstrates - as does Sex and The City - that while seeking love in the fast paced world of today you need good gals by your side - from the trials and tribulations of the early stages down to orchestrating the madness of your big day!