Guardians of the Galaxy
Guardians of the Galaxy
(2014)
A Review by Grant Kanigan
Directed by: James Gunn
Written by: James Gunn & Nicole Perlman, from
the comic by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista
Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, John C. Reilly
Rating: PG
Release Date: August 1st 2014
Release Date: August 1st 2014
 |
| Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Chris Pratt, Vin Diesel & Dave Bautista in Guardians of the Galaxy © 2013 - Marvel Studios |
Abducted from his home planet as a young child, Peter Quill, (Chris Pratt), has grown up to become a intergalactic outlaw, calling himself 'Starlord.' After falling in with a group of rogues much like himself, Quill finds himself in a race against time, in a group forced to work together, to save themselves, the planet that imprisoned them and even the galaxy itself. With a premise that epic, it's no wonder Gunn chose to aim for ridiculousness rather than seriousness.
Simultaneously a satire of the comic book genre as well as a celebration, Guardians of the Galaxy is enjoyable in a multitude of ways. The soundtrack, straight out of the 1980's, is fantastic. Featuring artists from all genres, the soundtrack fits the tone of the movie perfectly, even playing an important part certain scenes. Including tracks like "Hooked on a Feeling," "Cherry Bomb," "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and "Spirit in the Sky," it's likely the best classic rock film soundtrack since 2001's A Knight's Tale. Additionally, Chris Pratt, largely of "Parks and Rec" fame, is fantastic as the unofficial leader of the group of rogues. While Pratt is able to handle his goofy persona with his rugged heroism, the real star of Guardians of the Galaxy is WWE wrestler Dave Bautista.
Bautista, clad in steely makeup, plays Drax, an alien from a planet that doesn't understand sarcasm. Not only does Bautista bring pure brute strength to his role, his deadpan seriousness brings out some serious laughs. When asked if every joke goes over his head, Drax replies, "Nothing would go over my head. I am too tall." Even when the script asks Bautista's Drax to wallow in despair, Bautista perfectly plays it straight. He shows just the right amount of emotion. It's a testament to both Bautista's talent as an actor and Gunn's talent as a director that such a performance could come out of a former WWE star; for every Dwayne Johnson, we have dozens of duds like John Cena, Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin and Kane. Luckily Bautista falls into the former category.
Overall, Guardians is a fun comic book movie with just enough moments of sentimentality to keep it afloat. As well, the emphasis on using teamwork to solve issues works well and is completely believable here. Yet the film does have its problems. Some of the scenes aren't completely necessary, (which is ridiculous in what's really an overlong children's film), and the amount of differing characters in some scenes is overwhelming. Furthermore, having one female in the main cast, (Zoe Saldana), is awkward and unrealistic in this day and age - especially when Saldana's character Gamora's primary function is to serve as Quill's love interest. However, these issues aren't enough to sink a film that jovially celebrates it's goofiness. The cinematography is fantastic, (especially in 3D, which I usually loathe), and the often hilarious jokes help support such a whimsical odyssey. It's nowhere near perfect, but as far as big-budget entertainment goes, Guardians of the Galaxy is the most fun you'll have at the movies all year.
Grant's Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Breaking out of space-prison in Guardians of the Galaxy
Comments