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Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and more.

Let's begin with the posters. True to space opera form, heroes (and heroines, and animals) in crisis/action poses. Robots, spaceships, good vs. evil. Standard stuff.




Moving to shot comparison, the inevitable, obvious one, referencing Raiders, clearly done less as plagiarism and much more as homage.




Moving back to Star Wars, Han Solo and Star Lord are mercenaries. Both are - at first - in it for the money. Indiana Jones has a higher calling/purpose - which will end with him never knowing what's inside the box/ark - just like we don't learn (until the very end) the meaning of Kane's "Rosebud" (some claim it's not about the sled but about Marion's sex).

The parallels between Raider's closing shot and Citizen Kane's closing shot have been well established. Here are the two closing shots, just in case.




Which brings us back to Han and Star. Heroic. Ready. Gunslingers.



In another era, say fifty eight years ago, John Ford might have directed John Wayne in a similar get up. In fact, he did...in The Searchers, and many more. We are talking about America's rugged, self-reliant, individualist. The guy who goes it alone. The world's cop. Self-interested, un-hitched (no family, no women, no kids, no parents, etc...), but morally centered, if a little (or a lot) conflicted.


Somewhere in between John Wayne and Chris Pratt (via Harrison Ford) we cannot forget Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven. Again, a conflicted man, in it for the money, but in the end the world's cop, bringing justice and empathy to the prostitutes and ridding a small town of its malevolent, corrupt sheriff (Gene Hackman).



So we can agree that Guardians has a history of archetypes. Especially if you consider Chewbacca and Groot.



The warm hearted, venerable sidekick. Strong but able to feel. Walter Brennan might have fit that bill in John Ford's world. Trustworthy, feeling. A solid ally. But vulnerable.



In our post feminist era, we have gone from Carrie Fisher in a white gown to Zoe Saldana in spandex (keep in mind that Jane Fonda had already done Barbarella - which seems to suggest that Guardians, with its tongue and cheek approach to sci-fi, is not the first film to send up the genre in this particular way). To George Lucas's credit, Carrie did wield a weapon and there are plenty of shots of the Princess committing acts of violence. Still, he felt she needed a gown - which gown, like the capes in The Incredibles, have since disappeared. Only when Leia finds herself imprisoned and part of a Harem does Lucas take her clothes off.






Fitting (ahem...) that the last word shall go to Brad Bird...No capes!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M68ndaZSKa8

--

Ah, it seems I'm not alone in drawing parallels.

http://www.vulture.com/2014/08/how-guardians-of-the-galaxy-is-like-star-wars.html

http://comicbook.com/blog/2014/07/05/guardians-of-the-galaxy-draws-comparisons-to-raiders-of-lost-ark/

http://time.com/3062890/guardians-of-the-galaxy-review-a-bratty-star-wars/

http://www.firstpost.com/bollywood/guardians-galaxy-review-generations-star-wars-1655267.html

http://www.starwars.com/news/the-cinema-behind-star-wars-guardians-of-the-galaxy











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