Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper
Moments after being orphaned, Peter Quill (Wyatt Oleff, Pratt) was abducted by aliens. Twenty-six years later, Peter travels the universe, accompanied by a mix-tape of 70's hits, stealing treasures and trying to become known as the "Star Lord". After stealing a powerful orb, Quill os tracked down by the dangerous Gamora (Saldana) and both are imprisoned, joining up and breaking free with Rocket (Cooper) a genetically-altered, short-tempered and ammo-loving raccoon, Rocky's sentient tree bodyguard and houseplant, Groot (Vin Diesel) and Drax (Dave Bautista) an articulate alien on a quest for vengeance. Teaming up, they fight to protect the orb from the grasp of evil.
Credit where credit's due to the Marvel film franchise. In the last several years of establishing a cinematic franchise, the comic book company (and their quietly hard working friends at Disney) have done their utmost to ensure that each of the heroes they've represented has their own tone and style whilst complimenting the related films. Guardians Of The Galaxy, the latest from Marvel, is probably the most radical gear shift yet. For one thing, unlike Its cousins, its status as a "superhero" movie is really stretched. What we have is a comic space opera (that fanciful sci-fi subgenre that places less emphasis on science and more on adventure and fantasy; think Buck Rodgers, Flash Gordon and Star Wars) and possibly Marvel's strongest effort to date.
Marvel have always had a way with scope and scale, but here, it's taken on a whole new level. Everything about this film's design feels massive, almost too big, and fits with the film's sense of self-aware flamboyance. This is no place for subtlety and the film works all the better for that. That being said, the designs of the film are not particularly remarkable with many of the aliens looking like Star Trek cast-offs without much in the way of originality.
The characters are the film's biggest asset. Our four "Guardians" are all very well-defined and entertaining in how they're written and performed. As Peter Quill, Chris Pratt is clearly having a great time concocting a character that is a mash-up of Han Solo and a buffed-up Jack Black. Zoe Saldana brings enough enough emotion and skill to Gamora to allow her to escape the peril of being just another sci-fi action-woman. Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel make a humorous duo as Rocket and Groot, whilst professional wrestler Dave Bautista has a surprisingly good and understated comedic sensibility of his own as a well-spoken brute with no understanding of metaphor. Karen Gillan also stands out amongst the supporting cast, constantly switching between stoic observance and other-the-top yelling making her both formidable and funny.
The 3D enhances the film on a visual level but is in no way an essential part of the viewing experience. The music is very impressive, both in the dynamic score and in an array of hits Peter's mix-tape which includes the likes of Blue Swede ("Hooked On A Feelin'"), The Runaways ("Cherry Bomb") and The Raspberries ("Go All The Way"), which will make the inevitable soundtrack album a real treat. Those looking for a superhero film or something dark and brooding might feel a little short-changed by Guardians, but for sheer fun this is a really hard film to beat.
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