By now, I’m sure most people will have already seen Guardians of the Galaxy. If no then, you’re surely well aware of the film from 2014 and its rather stark popularity. But my second title from the previous pair of LoveFilm DVD rentals is one you may not have heard of, despite being over a decade old… It stars Jim Carrey and so, it seemed like it was worth a punt.
I can still quite vividly remember seeing the trailers for Guardians of the Galaxy on numerous occasions at the cinema last summer. I’ve never been a huge comic book fan and have avoided the likes of X-Men, the Fantastic Four and Captain America. Although, I have to admit that the three Spider-Man films did impress me (I still don’t understand why they’re making more right now?!). That’s about as far as my interest in Marvel Comics has ever gone.
I’d certainly never heard of the Guardians or Starlord, let alone the lead actor, Chris Pratt. But it had clearly become quite popular by the time autumn fell in to place. I’d never felt an urgency to see it in the cinema but it when it popped up among my recommend list of rental titles, I decided to to give it a chance. Online review scores were higher than average and a couple of people I know had spoken highly of it.
This movie is a real joy to discover. It’s upbeat, full of color and imagination and it’s the kind of experience I was happy to watch a second time. I didn’t have the often expected feeling where I was feeling ‘tired‘ during my second watch or ‘waiting‘ for the end to come, so that I could move on with my life. It can be predictable at times but it’s highly enjoyable almost all throughout.
With the closing credits, there’s the suggestion that a sequel could be on the way and I’ll certainly be keeping an eye open for it!
What did Jim Carrey do between 1998’s The Truman Show and Bruce Almighty in 2003?
Along with one or two other less-comedic film roles, he starred in a film called The Majestic; where his lead character suffers amnesia following an incident early on in the movie and then begins to conveniently discover his new-old life.
There are elements of Carrey’s character in this film that reminded me of Truman Burbank. While at other times, I almost saw glimpses of Joel Barish from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It’s a great all-round performance from a man perhaps better known for his performances as Lloyd Christmas and Stanley Ipkiss.
There’s a heart-warming glow to this film, set in a small town during the early 1950s. Towards the end, I’d say it peters on to the edge of inspirational.
I can’t think of anything more to add without the risk of giving too much away so, thanks for reading!