2) Guardians of the Galaxy – Hooked On a Feeling
Many of you reading this may not remember cassette tapes very well… and that’s the most painful sentence I’ve ever had to write. Urgh. Anyway, those of you who do remember cassette tapes will be aware of how irritating they were. Not only did you have to flip the tape over halfway through an album, but sometimes the tape would accidentally come out of the cassette and become tangled with the player. More often than not, this would result in the cassette breaking completely. All that pocket money wasted…
So, why on earth am I discussing retro technology right now? Well, a key plot point in Guardians of the Galaxy revolves around the mix tape that Peter Quill’s mother gave to him at a young age. Surprisingly, the Awesome Mix Vol 1 is responsible for a number of poignant moments throughout the film as well as that awesome dance sequence in the movie’s opening, but its very existence also opens up a huge gaping plot hole that’s hard to ignore.
Those familiar with the technology may have been surprised to see that the tape lasted twenty years or more completely intact. Throughout his life, Quill repeatedly plays the mix to maintain a connection with his dead mother, even swapping the tape between a walkman and a cassette player in his ship. In reality, the tape would have worn out years before, but a flashback to a younger Quill crying over the tangled remains of a tape would probably have had less emotional impact.
Maybe in space, they have magic equipment that can fix cassette tapes, like a screwdriver.