Written By The Queen and King of Swag Vanessa and Jesse!
Hey All!
Let me get this off my chest and then get on with my review. Marvel’s Guardians of The Galaxy Is Mega Awesome! There I said it! I’ve seen the film 3 times now and it’s honestly a film I can see probably every day and not get sick of it. Now on to my review…
Marvel Studios presents its first space adventure in Guardians of the Galaxy. Like all Marvel films, Guardians of the Galaxy is based on the Marvel comic book of the same name. The Guardians in this film are not the original Guardians from the 1969 series. Our Guardians line up consists of Star-lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot. While these characters have their own rich history as individuals, they did not become a team in the comics until 2008 when Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning began using them in their epic cosmic story lines. In a short period the book accrued a huge cult following and was just rebooted a couple of years ago with the same team of characters but under the control of comic book writer superstar Brian Bendis.
Having been a fan of the series and characters, I was extremely excited when I first heard this film was being developed, but I was probably the only person I know that actually knew who the Guardians were back then. Fortunately for everyone, this film is not only accessible to audiences that have never picked up the comic, it’s also accessible to people that have never seen a Marvel movie. In fact, certain character’s origins are drastically different from their comic origins thus making prior knowledge irrelevant. While each Marvel film series can be enjoyed by themselves, there are references that can be lost on a viewer that has never seen a Marvel movie before, but Guardians does not have this issue. While Guardians of the Galaxy exists in the same universe as the other 9 films, the film takes place mostly off Earth. Guardians of the Galaxy stands on its own so much that it’s not even really a superhero film. It plays more like a space opera in the vein of the original Star Wars or Flash Gordon.
Director and co-writer James Gunn, known more for his quirky R-rated films like Slither or Super, injects the same fun and quirky energy into the PG-13 Guardians of the Galaxy. Though this is his largest undertaking as a director, this has also become my favorite film of his. Gunn makes the film a space adventure that is pure fun. With talking raccoons, walking trees, and hundreds of alien species, the film finds its grounding in Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord. The audience views the action through the eyes of Peter Quill (Chris Pratt best known from his role on Parks and Recreation) who calls himself Star-Lord, a young man who was kidnapped from Earth as a child. The only remnant Quill has from Earth is his Walkman which, like his jokes and references, are filled with songs from the 70’s and 80’s. Quill’s character is like Luke Skywalker if Luke grew up on Earth in the 1980’s.
The adult Peter Quill is an intergalactic thief that happens upon a score that throws him into something bigger than him and pits himself against major bad guys like the fanatical alien terrorist named Ronan (Lee Pace best recognized as the Pie-Maker from Pushing Daisies). Ronan sends his best assassin Gamora (Zoe Saldana from Star Trek and Avatar) to retrieve Quill’s score, but she is not the only one. Quill’s mentor Yondu (Michael Rooker best known from The Walking Dead television series) sets a bounty which draws the attention of Rocket (a CG Raccoon voices by Academy Award Nominee Bradley Cooper) and his partner Groot (a CG tree voiced by superstar Vin Diesel). Along the way the group is joined by Drax (former professional wrestler Dave Bautista) and the Nova Corps (a mix of actors including Glenn Close, John C. Reilly, and Peter Serafinowicz). What starts as a burglary gone awry, turns into an adventure that forces these misfits to join together to become the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Yes, the film has a PG-13 rating and while there are talking animals and adorable moments that are fun for the whole family, there is a bit of swearing and violence. But no more than any kids film had in the 80’s, for example Monster Squad! In my review for Captain America The Winter Soldier I stated it to be the most action packed Marvel movie to date, I still stand by that claim. Now for as action packed as Winter Soldier is, Guardians is as fun. It’s probably the most unique and funniest Marvel film to date. Furthermore, I think it’s safe to say that come August 1st, 2014, Guardians will be the most entertaining film in theaters and I strongly suggest everyone go see it.
This is the kind of unique and fun film we need more of and though Marvel has already announced Guardians of the Galaxy 2 for July 2017, it’s important the first film gets the support it deserves so they can continue to make more amazing films like this one. This film deserves all the support it can get as it truly is fantastic! The music alone takes the film to another level and will have you wanting to break out your old mix tapes.
On a side note, for fans of Marvel films and comics, I recommend taking a very close look in the background and foreground when the characters visit the Collector in his museum. The museum is a treasure trove of Easter eggs. I nearly fainted by what I saw in his collection!
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY is in theaters everywhere! Run and get your tickets now!
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Welcome!
Comments
I’m so pumped to see this one. We can’t get to it until Tuesday – but it should be a lot of fun!
loved this movie–I saw an advance screening!
We want to see this bad, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
This is not a movie I am dying to see, but my boy sure are. They can’t wait to go check it out.
I haven’t seen it yet. I’m hoping to go see it next weekend.