Plot: A rag tag group of misfits, led by a human who calls himself “Star Lord,” must put aside their differences and work together to save the galaxy from a common enemy.
Review: Guardians of the Galaxy is an absolute pleasure. Thoroughly entertaining, humorous in all the right places, and with a surprising amount of charm, this is a true summer popcorn flick and has something for everyone.
If you go into Guardians expecting Academy Award-winning performances and a sophisticated plot, you’ll find the wrong movie. But if you can sit back and think of this as a pure indulgence, you’ll have a great time.
The film doesn’t want you to take it too seriously. Infiltrating harsh enemy worlds are often set to an upbeat outdated music track thanks to Star Lord’s 1980’s mix tapes. This is intentional. There is far less weight here than The Avengers or Iron Man, and yet there are stakes, there is drama and action, and we find ourselves laughing and excited at the same time.
The characters are the true heart to the movie.
I wasn’t all too familiar with any previous work of Chris Pratt, who plays Peter Quill, aka “Star Lord.” So I went in thinking he was going to be another bland token human hero. The trend with these epic action flicks these days is they tend to cast good looks, but no quirks, so these actors can be pretty interchangeable. I suppose that’s why we don’t see too much of Sam Worthington, Taylor Kitsch, or Garrett Hedlund these days.
But Pratt has a refreshingly strong presence, with a Han Solo charisma and an Indiana Jones physicality. He’s not the strongest or most skilled out there, but he always manages to find a way out of tough situations.
Gamora, played by Zoe Saldana, is layered. She’s out for herself, yet embraces the camaraderie. She clearly wants to love, but is afraid to let anyone in. For Saldana, the role isn’t too much of a stretch. We’ve seen her play similar notes before, the difference being she’s painted green instead of blue. She never quite lets us in and melts our hearts, whether that’s by design of the character, or Saldana’s interpretation, but the role is entertaining nonetheless.
Drax is a real surprise. I can’t remember the last time a character with such brute physicality also had such humor and heart, yet Dave Bautista nails it.
The CGI duo of Rocket and Groot steal the show.
Rocket, voiced by Bradley Cooper, is more than a mere talking raccoon. There’s life behind those eyes. He’s the most reluctant of the heroes, the most unwilling to volunteer for anything that could be misconstrued as doing good, and yet there he is, finding himself in the middle of a dogfight in the sky battling aliens trying to save the galaxy. He’s great comic relief, but he also has his moments to shine, which fully legitimizes the character. This is so tough to pull off when we’re talking CGI, and especially Disney, where the character could have skewed too far into play it safe warm and fuzzy territory. Instead, it’s the opposite. Will parents really buy a Rocket action figure for their children when he uses foul language a bit throughout the movie?
Of course they will.
That’s what is so much fun about this film. There’s an animated squirrel and a living tree walking around, and yet the movie is PG-13. It’s not afraid to add a little foul language in there. Growing up, I remember The Goonies, with Mikey’s mom saying, “What is that?” as she points to spilled potato chips, and thinking she’s referring to the figurine with the penis now glued on upside down, Chunk responds with, “Oh, shit, what?” And later, Mouth gives the housekeeper a tour of the house, translating into Spanish that the marijuana and the cocaine are in the top drawer, heroin in the bottom, and to always separate the drugs.
Kids today can use a little dose of that edge, harmlessly, and in Guardians of the Galaxy, it works perfectly.
Calling Groot the Chewbacca character isn’t all too fair, but like Han Solo’s sidekick, he is instantly lovable. Vin Diesel voices the character, who is only capable of speaking three words, and its hilarious. The character has heart and goodness oozing out of him, so much so that we wonder what in the world he’s even doing with this band of misfits. Does he owe Rocket a life debt and has vowed to follow him throughout the galaxy to ensure his protection? Seems to me, he wants his share of the loot too, though, and lets the others know it when they forget about him. What he does with that money, who the heck knows, and who the heck cares!
Following suit with the other Marvel movies, this introductory film is more about the characters and their interpersonal dynamics rather than focusing on a layered bad guy with a sophisticated agenda. I can’t even remember the name of the antagonist, nor does that bother me. Oh, that’s right, it’s Ronan. Ronan is a mere pawn, and falls into all the stereotypes, like too many speeches when he should be dealing deathly blows. Yet he’s just imposing enough to present a good “first movie” challenge for our heroes, and I suspect the sequel will up the ante.
Director, James Gunn, is confident and inspired with how he translated this material onto the big screen.
The music, composed by Tyler Bates, combines the heft of his Rambo score with the Disney-esque fun and excitement of a score by Michael Giacchino.
Guardians of the Galaxy is a must-see for the family, with a little something for everyone.
Grade: A-.