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| OH ITS SO GLORIOUS |
That just misses the point of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, that lets terrific filmmakers tell exquisite stories in a universe that just happens to contain some other superheroes. The likes of Joss Whedon, Jon Favreau, The Russo Brothers and Shane Black have created compelling movies that manage to not only co-exist together, but also have unique identities. Guardians of The Galaxy is one of the best examples of this so far, as director and writer (writing credits are shared with Nicole Perlman) James Gunn takes you into a cosmic adventure that is one of the strangest big budget adventures to emerge in ages. It's also one of the funniest, richest, exhilarating and emotionally powerful films in recent times.
Most big sci-fi movies in recent times have overdosed on mythology, leaving one feeling more overwhelmed than thrilled (even sci-fi flicks I feel are supremely under appreciated like Pacific Rim and John Carter suffer from this to a mild degree). Guardians of The Galaxy has an insane amount of mythology to set up, especially since we haven't met these characters until now. Luckily, they do a great job at keeping things simple, and more importantly, fun to watch. One of my favorite AV Club commentors, Cookie Monster (he speaks in the extremely distinct syntax of that beloved character) made the excellent claim that the reason that the Star Wars movies are so successful is because they keep things simple and easy to remember. Sure, Hoth is a planet called Hoth with a large backstory, but as he perfectly pointed out, it can also just be called an ice planet and that works fine for the stories and characters at hand.
Gunn smartly goes for a similar tactic here. For instance, the movies main baddie Ronan The Accuser (played in giddy over-the-top fashion by Lee Pace) is a rogue Kree radical wants to wipe out Xandarian culture due to their people being responsible for the deaths of many of his ancestors. His rampage is cued up by a recent peace treaty his Kree people have signed with the Xandarian people. The film does address all that, but instead of in a ham-fisted voiced over, it's shown on a television report, while Ronan mentions various aspects of it over the course of the film. But really, as long as you get that the blue dude with the giant hammer is bad, while Glenn Close and her space cops are nice, then you're good to go.
And remember the fun I mentioned? Oh my God, this movie is just pure fun. This movie is pretty much Christmas morning for anyone whose a fan of cinema that manages to do thrilling moments without resorting to Michael Bay-esque idiocy. You see, the film manages to create a lot of these fun moments by making sure all the characters are super well rounded and enjoyable. Seriously, I'm amazed at the particular feat that there isn't a single dud in this group. No one in the Guardians is boring, or pointless to the story, they all get action and comedic moments that you'll be quoting for days to come.
Peter Quill, an Earth human, is our guide to the world, and we couldn't get a better person to guide us through this world. Chris Pratt plays Quill with equal parts casualness and wonder, which lead to numerous phenomenal moments. Smartly, they make sure we care about him before they go forth into the films many amazing action scenes, by giving him some items from Earth. Sometimes they're played for laughs, but many times they really do play a big role in making certain scenes. A scene where Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and Peter chit chat could have been cliche, but the melody of Fooled Around And Fell In Love, along with some humorous dialogue, the fact that these two are actually well developed and a certain movie from the 80's help make the scene one of the more engaging of the film.
I love how Zoe Saldana plays Gamora so thoughtfully to the point where I never once remembered her roles in Avatar and Star Trek, which also required her to enter the sci-fi role (Avatar also required her to be alien, though that was courtesy of motion capture, and not the splendid makeup she gets here) She plays the part more bitter than those two past roles, which helps sell not only her great emotional bits but also allows us to get some nice insight into cosmic Marvel baddie Thanos (who has a massive connection to Gamora). Pratt and Saldana are excellent of course, but I must say the biggest surprise of the cast was Dave Bautista as Drax The Destroyer. I didn't expect the character to have as much hubris as he lacks in upper body clothing, but it's a remarkable choice that contrasts beautifully with his more violent ambitions. He and Gamora have a brother/sister relationship in the film that ensures many conflicts that have hilarious results.
Before this movie came out, even a diehard Marvel fan like myself wondered how in the hell Rocket Raccoon and Groot would be accomplished in this movie. I should not have worried at all because oh my God guys, they've pulled them off. Perfectly. Rocket and Groot have this good cop/bad cop sort of thing going for them that's super entertaining to watch. However, the best part is how Gunn and Perlman embrace the inherent ridiculousness of the duo in order to make sure their moments of action and gravitas are as terrific as possible. Oh don't get me wrong, Rocket has numerous moments in combats that made me want to cheer, but my favorite part about him is how excellent the emotional moments surrounding him go. This bit involving him drunk in a bar broke my heart and demonstrated more tragedy around the character than anyone could have suspected. As for Groot, well, he can toss a punch with ease, but he's also a lovable dude whose easily the most friendly of the group.
Much of the success of these two lie in their voice actors. Bradley Cooper came under a lot of fire for being chosen for Rocket, but honestly he's perfect for the role. He plays the critter in an unrecognizable voice that reinforces his spunkiness, but also sometimes sneaks in a smidge of vulnerability into the performance. Vin Diesel, speaking only three words in the film excels as well by similarly managing to make Groot a competely different character instead of just Vin Diesel. Both Cooper and Diesel obviously get the more intricate aspects of voice acting, and major praise to both for turning in such top-notch performances.
Well, I've gone into way too much detail on these Guardians. So how's the dude corralling 'em all, director James Gunn fare? Beautifully. I've only seen one of Gunns other movies (Super, which I found odd but clever), but you can see a lot of the filmmaker in the movie. I'm especially impressed with his ability to blend some very well-known tunes to the table, namely the one that heavily features Hooked On A Feeling. There's this incredible balance between the music and the visuals that really is awesome, and that balance extends to the way he merges more out-there material with uber effective nuances and pathos that enrich the films wide roster of characters. See, it's the emotional stuff is what really makes me love the movie, since the movie is willing to depict tragedy in such a successful manner it blows me away. And yet, it's also got an overload of tremendous moments of glorious fun that'll blow you away. The finale just blends well written characters and amazing spectacle in such a manner to make the likes of Zack Snyder weep.
There are one or two small nitpicks I have with the movie (namely how Djimon Hounsous character, Korath, is the one person in the movie that really feels extraneous, a pity given Hounsous talent) My advice to you, whoever you are reading this is to go see Guardians of The Galaxy in an IMAX 3D screen where you can take in all of its colorful visuals and its engrossing sound and music right this second. Bringing wonder, captivating characters and astounding fun to the proceedings. Guardians of the Galaxy is a production I saw with extremely high expectations that were still shattered. Perhaps the highest praise I can bestow upon the movie is how it's ending reminded me more of the final Calvin and Hobbes comic more than anything else. It is indeed a magical world (multiple magical worlds in fact!) these Guardians inhabit, and every second they explore or defend it is one that is nothing short of unforgettable.
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