Here's my Guardians of the Galaxy Review:
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Normally, experiencing something different is scary; you take a leap of faith and hope you don’t fall flat on your face.
In this case, Marvel’s “different” was Guardians of the Galaxy and giving James Gunn creative control to create a whole new world.
This time, different, was a home run.
26 years after being abducted from earth, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) finds himself on a distant planet in possession of a mystical orb. Unbeknownst to him what this orb contains or can do, all he wants to do is sell it for some change. As word gets around that this artifact is on the loose, a bounty is put on Quill’s head. As the green-skinned Gamora (Zoe Saldana), adoptive daughter of the evil Thanos, goes to take out the self-proclaimed Star-Lord, she’s met by a feisty half-machine and half-raccoon named Rocket (Bradley Cooper) whose been experimented on and pulled apart and put back together again and his side kick a big tree named Groot (Vin Diesel) who can only utter three syllables.
After a lengthy public battle in the center of the city, they are all arrested and sent to prison. Fortunately for them, Rocket has broken out of 22 prison’s and doesn’t plan on staying in the current one they are in. Inside, they meet a muscular freak with red ink tattooed on his body named Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista). Through hilarious dry humor and non-stop action the five outcasts realize they have a common goal: keep the orb in their hands, and kill Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace).
Thinking outside the box is what made comics come to life in the first place, this time, Marvel gave the reigns to Gunn and allowed him to take the superhero genre further than it has ever gone before. Anchored by a fantastic soundtrack filled with 70’s and 80’s pop hits, non-stop intergalactic action that would make Star Wars and Trek blush, Guardians of the Galaxy is an event more so than just a movie.
There are a multitude of things that stood out in this film. First and foremost was the comedy. This is by far the funniest superhero film ever, with perfect comedic timing and delivery from Drax, Rocket, Quill and even Groot. I’ve never laughed that hard and that loud at any Marvel or DC picture, it was so unexpected. And when complimenting the comedy, I have to give a major kudos to Gunn who wrote the film along with Nicole Perlman. The two of them weren’t scared to push the language boundary and really brought out immense character out of each Guardian. By the end of the film we not only had a connection to the gang of misfits, but we understood each of their personalities on a level we’ve never seen before in a film, which focused on more than one hero.
I can emphatically say that Guardians of the Galaxy was the most fun I’ve had at the movies this year.
Next I must praise Pratt, who lost 60 lbs for the role, got absolutely shredded and was determined to really be Star-Lord. Well not only did he look the part, but his charisma and commitment translated so well on the silver screen that I have no doubt that Pratt is about to become the next big A-Lister in Hollywood. His version of Quill was a blend of Luke Skywalker and Indiana Jones packed with a bunch of funny. The Parks and Recreation alum has proven he can tackle any and every role given to him, and now that he’s in a Marvel film that will be seen all over the world, I think there will be a line outside his agent’s office with scripts galore.
Finally it’s time to talk about the characters themselves.
Never before have we seen a Bad News Bears hodgepodge of a team like this, and that’s what made this film so damn awesome.
Rocket Raccoon’s arrogance and smart mouth could only be matched by Tony Stark, yet Bradley Cooper used such a magnificent range of vocals to bring him to life that he will go down as a legend. Cooper says he used Joe Pesci’s character Tommy DeVito from Goodfellas as a base for the voice. Half the time you can’t even tell it’s Cooper. But the character is now iconic, at least to me. He’s feisty, has an attitude problem, absurdly funny, but most of all, he really develops over the course of the two hour film.
On top of his stand-alone greatness, Rocket’s character is amplified tenfold by his houseplant / muscle Groot. Vin Diesel recorded over 1000 versions of his notorious line “I Am Groot,” and each time it’s uttered in the film you can’t help but crack up. Rocket and Groot have an amazing Hans Solo and Chewbacca like relationship that takes the film to soaring heights.
Dave Bautista left the WWE ring for the Hollywood spotlight, and absolutely crushed his role as Drax. His character is from a place where they are very literal and don’t do sarcasm, this allows for gut busting comedy. Bautista’s timing is perfect and you can tell he took this role very seriously. Then we have Saldana, who seems very comfortable in different colored skin. Her Gamora takes no nonsense and is a ***-kicking machine. Her desire for vengeance is strong, and her hard exterior is something Quill spends time to crack, specifically using the power of music.
The creative team did an awesome job designing the look for Pace’s Ronan, he looks like an even more badass Sith Lord with armor. Michael Rooker’s Yondu is almost like a blue offshoot of his The Walking Dead character, except this time he has a sick metal mohawk. While a ton of CGI was used, it never became distracting or took away from the film. While the characters of Benicio Del Toro, Djimon Honsou, John C. Reilly, and Glenn Close are minimal, and at times a bit wasteful, it’s really a testament to how powerful our leads are, since we don’t mind the smaller roles being tucked away.
The only other possible gripe I can find with the film is the lack of Thanos. Marvel brought in Josh Brolin to play the role, yet we see Thanos for about one minute and never again. Since The Avengers we have heard about the mad titan and there is no emphasis on introducing the character as being a real force. Ronan and Nebula (Karen Gillan) put up a good fight but really aren’t formidable opponents. Development of villains has been a big issue for Marvel sans Loki, along with the inability to close films with a bang. The final action sequence prior to the big close didn’t feel grand enough here, same went for Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Going forward, I expect to get a lot more backstory on all our Guardians and a much richer plot in the sequel that’s tentatively planned for July 28th, 2017.
It really is commendable of Kevin Feige, the head honcho at Marvel Studios, to let Gunn make such a wild and free film filled with colors, bombastic lead characters, and the sharpest script to date.
While it’s not of the same ilk as The Dark Knight or The Dark Knight Rises, Guardians of the Galaxy is by far my favorite Marvel film to date and it’s not really close.
The likability of Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket, Groot and Drax individually will sell tons of toys, posters, and lunch boxes. The likability of them all together is what will make this film unforgettable. The amazing cohesiveness of the five is going to propel sequels and cause this film to be the benchmark for all superhero films going forward.
Rating: A