GUARDIANS
OF THE GALAXY
2014
Director: James Gunn
Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin
Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou,
John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin
Genre : Action, Adventure, Sci-fi
Opens : 31 July 2014
Rating : PG13
Run time: 121 mins
Phase
2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is drawing to a close, the release of The Avengers: Age of Ultron imminent.
With Guardians of the Galaxy, the MCU
heads, to quote Dragonheart’s Draco, “to
the stars”. Peter Quill/Star-Lord (Pratt), taken from earth as a child, is in
search of a prized orb. His treasure hunt sets him on a collision course with some
rather colourful characters. These include Gamora (Saldana), an assassin and
the adopted daughter of the intergalactic tyrant Thanos (Brolin), Drax
(Bautista), hungry for vengeance after his wife and child are slain, Rocket
(Cooper), a smart-mouthed, cybernetically-enhanced raccoon and Groot (Diesel),
a humanoid tree creature. This unlikely band calls themselves “the Guardians of
the Galaxy”, confronting bounty hunter Korath (Hounsou), treacherous zealot
Ronan (Pace) and Gamora’s jealous adopted sister Nebula (Gillan) in order to
prevent Ronan from getting his hands on a cataclysmic weapon.
Following
the departure of director Edgar Wright and actor Patrick Wilson from the
upcoming Ant-Man, murmurs have begun
to swirl that the executives at Marvel Studios are exercising too much creative
control over their films. That Guardians
of the Galaxy even got made assuages those fears at least a little.
Producer Kevin Feige says this is the “riskiest movie [he’s] done since Iron Man” and that is not hyperbole. In
the hands of maverick director James Gunn, he of Slither, James Gunn’s PG Porn
and Troma Pictures fame, GotG is wild, woolly and drastically different from
everything else that has come before in the MCU. If Thor, drawing on Norse
mythology, was outré, this is certainly even more so. The screenplay which Gunn
co-wrote with Nicole Perlman is sharp and consistently funny, irreverent yet
far from cynical and alienating (hee) as it well could’ve been.
In an
age where it feels Hollywood has gotten more and more homogenised, it is
refreshing to see a big-budget, mass-market blockbuster that is, well, this
refreshing. Spectacle is not in short supply, the world-building on display
truly dazzling and electric. For at least a few kids out there, this is going
to be their Star Wars: Xandar,
Knowhere, the Kyln, the Dark Aster their Tatoonie, Bespin, Hoth or Death Star. These
are colourful worlds but they still retain grit and believability. The visual
effects work, the character animation on Rocket and Groot in particular, is very
commendable. The tree-creature and the talking raccoon both convincingly
inhabit the same space as the flesh-and-blood actors, their expressions and
movements nuanced and even genuinely moving.
Chris
Pratt is proving himself to be an unlikely but most deserving leading man,
shedding the pounds and putting on the muscle to play Star-Lord. His comedic
timing and roguish charm combine to make him an ideal protagonist, reminiscent
of Han Solo in the best way possible. Saldana continues to hold her own as the
capable, commanding action girl of the moment and Bautista brings heart and
warmth to the literal-minded, muscle-bound Drax. Taking Vin Diesel and Bradley
Cooper, arguably two of the bigger names of the cast, and having them provide
voices for animated characters can be seen as yet another intentionally
unorthodox move on the part of the filmmakers. Saying “I am Groot” repeated ad
nauseam may sound like an easy paycheck but Diesel, who broke our hearts as the
Iron Giant back in 1999, brings that same basso profundo kindness to Groot –
and sounds great angry, too. Hollywood superstars with little real voice-acting
experience often “die in the booth” –Cooper does not. As the irascible raccoon,
he is amusing but also makes the character far more than the requisite funny
talking animal and is certainly a better choice than Adam Sandler or Jim
Carrey, rumoured to be attached to the part.
Unfortunately,
the film suffers slightly in the villains’ department. Lee Pace delights in
being showy and menacing, Karen Gillan is still a knockout playing against
type, even painted blue and with a bald head and Josh Brolin’s appearance as Thanos
is but a teaser for his later involvement in the MCU. All quite serviceable, it’s
just that their confrontations with our heroes are not as dramatic and
explosive as they could’ve been. Still, this is at the expense of character
development for the titular team and this is more than forgivable. The eclectic
supporting cast including names as disparate as Glenn Close, Benicio del Toro
and Michael Rooker add a distinct flavour to the proceedings as well.
Guardians of the Galaxy is everything
this reviewer loves about movies, particularly movies that defined his tastes
during childhood. There’s action, adventure, humour, visual fireworks and just
enough heartstring-tugging sentiment. The soundtrack is excellent as well,
Star-Lord viewing his mix-tapes as precious family heirlooms and the only
physical reminder of his late mother he has left. And ultimately, this is a
movie about a ragtag bunch that may be far-out but are still relatable and are
totally the kinds of people (and raccoons and tree-creatures) you’d want to sit
in a cantina with and just hang out. Oh, and the post-credit scene for this one
is the biggest treat any hard-core fan of the weirder corners of the Marvel
Universe could ever want.
Summary: Out of this world.
RATING:
4.5 out of 5 Stars
.JPG)
