Guardians of the Galaxy is an immensely entertaining adventurous sci-fi filled with heart and joy!
With GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, the great sci-fi resurgence of 2014 continues, but this immensely entertaining James Gunn/Marvel collaboration is more of a throwback to joyful, adventurous sci-fi movies like STAR WARS, and while nearly the entire movie takes place in space, a game cast bring a real sense of humanity to the proceedings.
Based on the Marvel comic, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY features a lively Chris Pratt as loner (and thief for hire) Peter Quill (aka Star Lord). Abducted from Earth when he was just a young boy, Quill spends most of his days as a world trotting soldier of fortune. Upon successfully retrieving a mythical orb from a seemingly deserted planet, Quill soon discovers that this specific relic has other interested parties, and they will do just about anything to get their hands on it. Reluctantly, Star Lord joins forces with a team of intergalactic misfits, and together, this motley crew attempts to save the galaxy as we know it. Amongst this team of misfits are a fiercely independent Gamora (played by Zoe Saldana), a vengeful Drax (played by wrestler Dave Bautista), a benevolent Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), and a smart ass raccoon called Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper.)
A lot has been made of Marvel’s willingness to entrust writer/director James Gunn with his first big budget movie. Up until this point, Gunn has primarily been known for his low budget indies with Troma, the delightfully icky horror/sci-fi/comedy SLITHER, and the darkly hilarious superhero flick SUPER. The gamble paid off. Gunn is a perfect match for this lesser know Marvel property and while this is a big time sci-fi adventure with real spectacle, massive set pieces, and spectacular effects, Gunn also infuses the film with unexpected but perfectly fitting humor, colorfully eccentric characters, a perfectly comprised collection of 60’s and 70’s rock tunes, and a surprising amount of heart.
In terms of character, the blunt Rocket (fueled by a hilarious Cooper) and the child like Groot (Diesel delivers his complex dialogue with real aplomb) are absolute scene stealers, but Pratt emerges as a real movie star here injecting Quill with equal measures sarcasm, wit, and vulnerability. Saldana and Bautista bring their own dynamic energy to the table too. Gunn populates the rest of this energetic space opera with a roster of wonderful talent including Michael Rooker, Lee Pace, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, Karen Gillian, Djimon Hounsou, Gregg Henry, and Benicio Del Toro. A terrific ensemble right across the board.
I positively adore this movie! From the get go, I was hooked. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY opens with an emotional sucker punch and follows it up with a moment reminiscent of 1984’s THE LAST STARFIGHTER. What follows is a joyful adventure that immediately took me back to the days of STAR WARS, INDIANA JONES, and the early STAR TREK movies. I sat through the majority of this picture with a great big smile on my face and perhaps the biggest surprise here is just how damn funny this movie is. In a year full of weak comedies, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY emerges as a work of absolute hilarity–and it isn’t even a comedy. Or maybe it is. That’s the sheer beauty of what James Gunn and crew have pulled off here. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY is a multi-genre piece and it works on just about every level because it’s perfectly balanced. I suppose one would be quick to classify this as a science fiction movie, for obvious reasons. Hell, I even did that at the top of this review. Truth be told though, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY is a whole lot more.
At heart, this is a story about family, friendship, and the power of teamwork. But mostly, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY is just a great time at the movies. In short, this is one of the most entertaining films of the summer.
Side note; there is a stinger after the end credits roll, but those hoping for a big tie in to upcoming Marvel properties, don’t get your hopes up. Instead, this particular tease offers up a humorous if a tad bizarre cameo by one of Marvel’s more polarizing characters. I found the stinger funny, but the adorable sequence that occurs right as the end credits begin to roll is infinitely more memorable.
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