Guardians Of The Galaxy Review

Guardians of the Galaxy is a well-executed love letter to 80s sci fi and music… that just so happens to be set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

What They Say:
Brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits — Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Peter discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand — with the galaxy’s fate in the balance.

The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
I can’t help but to think of Flash Gordon as I type this. There’s a genuine feeling of fun and wonder throughout the film. Writer / director James Gunn takes his audience on crazy journey into the unknown designed to educate veteran and newer comic movie fans alike.

The journey starts in Speilberg-ish fashion with a flashback to the late 80s, when young Peter Quill is pulled from the serenity of his Sony Walkman in order to say goodbye to his mother at the hospital. Soon after, mysterious lights appear in the sky and Peter is whisked away to parts unknown. We jump to present times in which Peter (Chris Pratt) is and adult scavenger working for Yondu (Michael Rooker). This is where the film gets lively as Peter goes to retrieve a small orb from its resting place and everything collapses in on him as a result.

Peter’s theft causes repercussions in ways he can’t possibly know about, which results in unwanted attentions from Gamora the assassin (Zoe Saldanna) , and bounty hunters known as Groot the talking tree (Vin Diesel) and Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper). Also, The Nova Corps, the governing body of the planet Xandar led by Nova Prime (Glenn Close) take an interest in things, though they have to deal with a fragile truce they’ve secured with the Kree Empire. This is constantly being threatened by an extremist named Ronan The Accuser (Lee Pace) who simply wants all Xandarians dead. Meanwhile, Peter meets a brute named Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista) who simply wants Ronan dead. Peter himself though just wants to sell this new orb he’s acquired and go on listening to his 80s music.

Part of the fun with this movie is learning the outer universe that’s being explored here. In Marvel comics, writer Jim Starlin is credited with creating many of the most pivotal elements of their cosmic mythology and in recent years, creators Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning have expanded the scene greatly to fan and critical acclaim on books like Annihilation, War of Kings and The Thanos Imperative. Abnett and Lanning are specifically credited at the end of this film as writers / influences.

The thing is with this movie, you don’t have to know any of that to enjoy what takes place. Co-writer Nicole Perlman knew nothing of these characters before developing this screenplay but she helped make a solid script here that anyone can jump into. You don’t even have to have seen any of the other Marvel films to date. Though it does touch on a certain storyline developing since The Avengers movie was released, Guardians tells enough of a tale to stand on its own.

Through his shot selection and effects teams, Gunn crafts an excellent universe that feels totally convincing, especially in the later action-heavy scenes. There are some nice backgrounds throughout, but Xandar in particular is beautifully rendered, and stands comfortably next to the likes of Blade Runner and The Fifth Element. Various creatures are also nicely realized here and add to the Star Wars-styled aesthetic. One in particular is the villainous Thanos (Josh Brolin) who is seen briefly but emanates such a powerful presence that you can tell he’s going to be a brutal bad guy in whichever future film he gets to be the main antagonist. Also, it’s fun seeing effect creations Rocket and Groot interact fully with practical presences of Peter, Gamora and Drax.

Speaking of the Guardians themselves, they’re an entertaining crew who kept me laughing the whole time. You can easily see Chris Pratt enjoys playing Peter with laid-back confidence and enthusiasm, even in some of the character’s most painful moments. Saldanna gives Gamorra sexiness and hellified fighting ability, but she’s equally effective as Gomorra tries to understand Peter’s odd Earth-based idiosyncrasies and habits. Rocket comes across as an odd combination of Han Solo and Doctor Who. Bradley Cooper’s performance and the visual effects team help Rocket steal this movie at times, especially whenever Rocket and Groot have their Han and Chewie vibe. Vin Diesel’s Groot also is a scene stealer in his own right at various points, enough that I can pretty much guarantee which of his toys will be a big hit at Christmas. Drax though is a bit strange here as I don’t think I’ve seen him act this way in the comics (or Bautista act this way in the WWE for that matter) but his assimilation into the Guardians is written well for an introductory movie and actually works within certain parameters of Marvel lore.

I’ve had people ask me if this really is the best Marvel movie to date. That…. is actually a bit tougher to answer than you might think. This is more to do with the film’s focus instead of its quality. The previous films have been about superheroes being extraordinary people taking on situations on ordinary Earth. Guardians is about an ordinary guy taking on the challenges of the universe and coming out ahead with friends, enough to make me want to sing “You Can’t Take The Sky From Me” after it was over. Though the stories connect, this movie has its own style, and gives you a good show with enough questions to make one come back for another installment (announced for July 2017).

So as to where I’d rank it compared to the rest of the movies to date… It’s definitely one of the top four besides Iron Man, The Avengers, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but not necessarily above or below those works; more off to the side. James Gunn and company have delivered a damned fine summer movie that deserves to be seen repeatedly. In fact, the screening I attended had none of the post-credit sequences that the Marvel movies have become known for, so I’ll be happily paying my money to see it again right alongside you guy, looking for more cameos and clues for future stories. But any way you slice it, Guardians of the Galaxy is definitely another winning entry into the Marvel cinematic universe.

Grade: A

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