Director: James Gunn
Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Lee Pace, Glenn Close, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, John C. Reilly, Djimon Hounsou, Benicio Del Toro
Plot: After young Peter Quill is abducted from Earth by aliens he begins a life as a space pirate. After snatching an ancient relic he sets off a chain of events bringing war between two planets he bands together with a gang of criminals to protect the galaxy from destructive forces.
Review: Let’s get one thing out of the way early. Guardians of the Galaxy is krutacking awesome.
Over the cours of almost a dozen movies the Marvel cinematic canon has been building a universe centred around The Avengers. We’ve been drip fed information about the Asgardians, the super-soldier program, SHIELD and the like. In the space of one movie GotG manages to build three times as much mythology without making the audience feel lost. The Kree, the Accusers, Thanos, Nova Corps and more are thrown into the mix but a tight script and ambitious directing from Gunn makes it work. There are multiple factions at play throughout the movie and it slots neatly into the existing Marvel universe while setting up the big bad for The Avengers 3.
And ‘Doctor Who’s’ Karen Gillan being ultra-cool and kinda scary while kicking ass.
At the core of it all is the five members of the Guardians. Peter ‘Star Lord’ Quill, an Earthling grifting his way through the universe who has spent his life on the run from the law and the loss he experienced as a child. He’s not hero material but when it comes down to the wire he’ll do the right thing. Rocket is a genetically enhanced and cybernetic enhanced raccoon collecting bounties with his living tree companion Groot. Neither of them seem capable of fitting in anywhere they go, with Rocket’s outward hostility the result. Drax ‘The Destroyer’ is a dangerously literal maniac seeking revenge on the murder of his family, something he will put ahead of the safety of everyone else. Finally there’s Gamora, the surrogate daughter of Thanos who has been raised as a living weapon and no longer willing to function as one.
There are exactly as awesome as a psychotic raccoon and sentient tree can be.
These five are the strength of the movie, with each being given a strong character with a sense of history and motivation. The performances are spot on, with Star Lord (Pratt) and Gamora (Saldana) front and center. From the marketing we thought the romance between the two might be a token effort but they really do sell it. Although Rocket and Groot are added digitally the dynamic between all the characters is electric. The performers bounce of each with a great sense of humor and genuine drama. Dave Bautista is surprisingly fun as Drax the Destroyer, delivery some of the funniest lines without losing his menace. Drax also deserves a mention for being the only comic book character who is more tank in real life than on the page.
Make sure you don’t drink much before seeing this movie because there is not a single dull moment. From Star Lord dancing his way through a ruined city to the grooving pot moves this is none stop action, excitement, comedy and awesome. It’s a rare thing to see a movie that ties everything together so neatly. James Gunn deserves recognition for making such a slick action movies that introduces so much material and sells the oddball characters as genuine people/aliens/plants/raccoons.
We would be reluctant to hand out a perfect score for anything, but they included a cameo from my favourite GotG comic character: Cosmo the Space Dog.
Score: TEN out of TEN. Nailed it.
Oh, and after the credits. You’re not going to get any clues about the next Marvel movie but…well…just watch it.
Great job, team!