Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillian, Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reiley, Benicio Del Toro & Glenn Close
Writers: James Gunn & Nicole Perlman
Director: James Gunn
Viewed: Friday 01 August 2014 @ Event Cinemas Glendale, Newcastle.
“Comic book movies” are taking over the cinematic world. With major studies locking in multiple release dates per year for their money-printing commodities up to 2019, barely three months seems to go by before we are back at the cinemas seeing a superhero (or two, or five) on the screen. Up until now though, it’s mainly been the reliable, well-known heroes being brought back again and again. That changes with Guardians of the Galaxy. Marvel is taking a gamble with a set of characters many of us have never heard of, and it’s one that pays off in spades.
What a bunch of A-holes
When Peter Quill (Chris Pratt, Delivery Man), who was taken from Earth as a boy and raised by a gang of space scavengers, comes into possession of a mysterious MacGuffin orb, he unwittingly becomes the target of the evil Ronan (Lee Pace, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug) who needs to trade the orb with Thanos (Josh Brolin, No Country for Old Men) for the destruction of a planet against which Ronan wants revenge, as well as Ronan’s minion (and Thanos’ adopted daughter) Gamora (Zoe Saldana, Star Trek Into Darkness) who might not be exactly what she seems, and a couple of bounty hunters, Rocket the raccoon (Bradley Cooper, American Hustle) and Groot the tree (Vin Diesel, Pitch Black). When Quill, Gamora, Rocket and Groot end up in prison together they form an uneasy alliance, along with Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista, Riddick) to escape and sell the orb to The Collector (Benicio Del Toro, Sin City). As the newly formed team travel across the galaxy they attempt to keep the orb, and themselves, from the clutches of evil all while learning that sometimes you find family in the most unlikely of places .
It’s officially. 2014 is the year of Marvel Studios. With the release of their two greatest movies to date, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and now Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel is smashing the competition out of the park. Everything about this film is fantastic. Amazing. Is it Marvel’s BEST movie though? In its own way, definitely. It’s certainly the funniest. It has the best soundtrack. It has the best character development. It has the most evil villain. It has the most heart. Everything seems to have been executed exactly as it should have been. There wasn’t a moment when I thought something should or could have been done differently. It also works at a tremendous pace. Savour the opening five minutes on Earth because they are the calmest (and most solemn). You’ll spend the next two hours blasting through space and blasting through storyline. From the opening credits the laughs and the action never let up. So much happens and it’s all great stuff. Pratt’s introduction as Star-Lord, the scene where the four main characters first meet, the escape from prison, the establishing of Ronan as a formidable enemy, the tying in to the greater Marvel Universe including our first, small sample of Brolin as Thanos, the feat of bringing different worlds and species across the galaxy to life, the pop-culture references which are already dated so they’ll never seem dated, the moments of beauty and heart (especially towards the end, such as when Groot’s true talents shine). It’s all perfectly done.
Director/writer James Gunn (Super) and co-writer Nicole Perlman have truly worked magic in the way they have taken these characters I, and many others I’m sure, didn’t know and were very unsure of (come on, a tree?!) when hearing about this movie and created my favourite Marvel film of them all so far. If I’m completely honest I think I’m more excited about seeing these guys in another adventure than I am about seeing The Avengers assemble again. That’s saying something. For all these reasons I give Guardians of the Galaxy 5 Rant and Rave points.
Don’t forget to Like us on Facebook
Please comment below or email rantandravereviews@gmail.com
Show your support for Rant and Rave reviews by clicking the Follow button at the top of the page
Rant and Rave Reviews 