Review of 'Guardians of the Galaxy'
A traumatized young boy is abducted by aliens shortly after witnessing the death of his mother. Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) grows up to become a mercenary for hire who acquires a mysterious orb that a nasty alien Ronan (Lee Pace) wants for himself. An altercation with a bounty hunter raccoon-like creature Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) aided by his faithful walking-tree companion Groot (voiced hilariously by Vin Diesel whose dialog throughout the entire movie is “I am Groot” – albeit said with different inflections) and a green-skinned alien Gomora (Zoe Saldana) gets them all sent to a penitentiary where they meet up with the final member of the team - the powerful Drax (Dave Bautista) who has a score to settle with Ronan. Of course, they manage to escape their prison and learn the orb must be kept out of the hands of Ronan at all costs…to protect the universe.
A lot of hype has surrounded this movie and I am here to say it is well-founded. A new Marvel universe populated by interesting aliens and a group of losers who by chance are tasked with protecting it. The effects are incredible - the massive amount spent by Marvel is clear to see all over the screen - no expense spared in fully bringing to life this new, alien, universe. The story is very well thought out. The acting is spot on. The action is often frenetic (in IMAX 3D it is often almost too much to take in at once) and amazing looking. Most surprisingly of all there is humour throughout and not only that, it fits within the storyline.
The ending of his movie makes it perfectly clear Marvel intend this to be a franchise (the words “The Guardians of the Galaxy will return” on the screen make this perfectly clear) and it seems they are onto a winner. For my money, a refreshing relief from the likes of Iron Man and the Avengers which tend to take themselves far to seriously - Here is a movie where the characters are self-deprecating and down to earth with obvious flaws doing nothing to seek out attention or fame. Bring on chapter two…
Rating: “I have absolutely no complaints”
Review Date: 2014-08-01
Directed by: James Gunn
Studio: Marvel Studios
Year: 2014
Length: 121 minutes
Genre: Science Fiction
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2015381/
Other reviewed films by James Gunn:
- The Suicide Squad (2021)