Movie Review: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

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Marvel. They own the box office now. They have revolutionized marketing and summer blockbusters. Remember when Iron Man came out six years ago? People only knew of Robert Downey Jr. from his bad past (and maybe his recent performances in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Zodiac and A Scanner Darkly) and figured the man’s career was over. Plus, back in 2008, movie adaptations based on comic book characters were just a fanboy’s niche. However, Spider-Man was changing the game a bit. It was a summer blockbuster. The audiences were coming out in droves and Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 is still talked about as being one of the best sequels in modern film. Fast forward to now and The Avengers is in almost every person’s DVD or Blu-Ray collection. Marvel smartened up and decided to team up with film studios prior to the Disney buyout in order to keep the characters in one place. Marvel could play it safe – and let’s be honest, they still kind of are, but it is still early – and just stick to movies about the Avengers or well known “name characters”. Marvel could have easily thrown the characters known as the Guardians of the Galaxy into a second Avengers film to tie it to the character of Thanos. Instead, Marvel gambled not on only the characters but who was directing the film. The director of Guardians of the Galaxy is a Troma alumni that also wrote the screenplay for Scooby-Doo. Not to mention, the  previous film he did was a independent film about a man who wanted to be a hero called Super.

Well fiends, I’m here to tell you the gamble paid off. James Gunn has essentially made Marvel’s version of Star Wars but better. Guardians of the Galaxy is a triumph on many levels – as a story, as a film, as an adventure, but most of all, as a statement on what a truly visionary director can do given the opportunity. You can tell a lot of love was poured into this film. It’s not just another product of a corporation, it is a bonafide story of friendship and loyalty. The classic ragtag of misfits get together to fight what is right for mankind, well…and alienkind(?).

Chris Pratt does an amazing job at being humorous while staying the everyday kinda guy.  While I kind of wish we heard Drax speak a bit more – the “thesaurus” bit cracked me up – he is still relatable. Hell, a CGI homicidal raccoon is funny & relatable. When you get to that point, you know that you have a convincing film on your hands. Every character is very well rounded and the screenplay had to methodically be planned out. The only scene that sort of drags is when Star-Lord (Quill) goes to turn in the orb he stole. The city that he lands in doesn’t feel like it was real and might feel a bit like set dressing or just a insert of foreshadowing for what is to come in the climax. That’s just me being kind of nitpicky though.

Guardians of the Galaxy is not only the best Marvel released, I firmly believe the film is a game changer. A year ago, no one knew who these characters were but, by the time you walk out of the theater, you will want to not only know them more but buy everything related to the franchise. Seriously, the film is that good. Why are you still here? GO! Go buy a ticket now! See this immediately. No, go. Right. Now. I want to go see it again and you are holding me up.