Runtime: 2 hours, 1 minute
Rating: PG-13
Director: James Gunn
Quick Impressions:
At our house, July brought stress galore and constant adjusting and readjusting of expectations. My husband, kids, and I are now looking forward to taking our postponed trip to Disneyland at last, but to be honest, I feel like I’ve been riding one crazy emotional rollercoaster for the past three weeks. July has left me completely empty. I’m pretty sure I’ve already felt everything a human being can feel. If August is looking to impress, it’s come to the wrong person. For the moment, I am emotionally tapped out.
Last Tuesday, my dad (clinging to life through sheer willpower and the grace of God) survived a “very bloody” (so the doctors said) and very suspenseful (so says I) seven hour liver transplant. Meanwhile, I’ve been dealing with a lesser health scare of my own. (I will admit right now that I’m not exactly level headed. I’m anxious by nature and quite prone to panic, so when the nurse says, “Call this number immediately if you start to experience any of these symptoms,” I hear, “By the time you notice the symptoms, you will already be bleeding to death. In fact, you’re probably bleeding to death right now. Just try to relax because you’ll be dead soon enough and then this agony will be over.” So yes, I overreact.)
Between getting up early to get blood drawn and staying up late to visit my parents in ICU, I haven’t had the chance to review any movies lately—until now.
Guardians of the Galaxy. Back before I stopped registering emotion and slipped into what can generously be described as a mock catatonic stupor, I was really excited about Guardians of the Galaxy. And it is a great movie. Honestly I feel I should be more excited about it, so forgive me if this review seems devoid of enthusiasm. This is really a case where you shouldn’t take my word for it. Just go see this movie for yourself. I can’t possibly praise it adequately in the state I’m in, and it’s probably the best movie the entire family will enjoy that has been out all summer. Why they waited until August to release it is beyond me. (Why didn’t they put it out back in June when I still had emotions left?) Still, it is a pretty great movie.
The Good:
How did they manage to assemble such a fantastic cast?!
Well I know how. At this point, what actor wouldn’t want to sign on to a Marvel Studios project? Marvel’s movie ventures have been conspicuously successful so far, and if Guardians of the Galaxy is a fair indicator, then the studio’s exceptional streak of success wont’ be ending any time soon.
Still this movie has a cast and a half! I’m not a fan of the comics. In fact, until seeing previews for this movie, I’d never even heard of the Guardians of the Galaxy. My ignorance thus disclosed, I must say that from my point of view, the principal cast could not be stronger. The five Guardians have such wonderful chemistry together. They all seem perfect in their parts.
Over time, I’ve discovered that I really like Chris Pratt. He’s good in everything, so I’m glad to see him get the chance to play a live action leading man in his own successful film franchise. Peter Quill is an instantly likable character. He seems like a kid who grew up admiring Han Solo—until he got abducted by a bunch of jerks from outer space. Pratt pulls off Quill’s unique blend of vulnerability, courage, and goofy humor perfectly.
Zoe Saldana amazes me. At least, her career amazes me. She has been in so many screamingly successful film franchises. How does one actress manage to star in Pirates of the Caribbean, Avatar, Star Trek, and now a Marvel Studios hit? Think of all the actresses who can’t seem to land one decent part. Saldana must have the Midas touch or something. She’s clearly good luck. She’s also a very good actress, and she’s wonderful as Gamora, a refreshingly kick-ass female character.
Initially I was a bit skeptical about the concept of a cute little talking raccoon that was actually a hardened, wise-cracking, cynical opportunist. I haven’t forgotten how many people hated Howard the Duck. (My sister and I actually enjoyed it, but we were like eight and three or something, so what did we know?) I really worried that this project might unexpectedly self-destruct. But Bradley Cooper pulls off the character admirably.
And I can’t say enough good things about Dave Bautista as Drax. I remembered him right away. We saw him in Riddick not long ago. But I had no idea he had such great comic timing. He’s a much better actor than I ever realized, and the literal-minded Drax cracked me up more consistently than any other character.
My favorite, though, was Groot. (He was my daughter’s favorite, too.) It’s funny to realize that Vin Diesel is voicing Groot. The character has this wonderful, sweet, child-like quality—until he turns into a focused killing machine or shows wisdom far beyond that of his companions.
These five Guardians of the Galaxy work so well as an ensemble that I would gladly watch any number of installments of their future adventures, even if the adventures themselves are lackluster or pointless (which I don’t expect them to be). This is a very good group of characters, and it’s frankly refreshing to see some new superheroes up on the big screen. I mean, if we’re going to get nothing but superhero movies, it’s nice to see a relatively new group of heroes, at least. Spiderman and Batman are great and all, but…have you ever found yourself rooting against them just because you’re sick of the sight of their super suits? (Maybe that’s just me.)
What really impresses me, though, is the depth of the supporting cast. Lee Pace, Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, Benicio del Toro! Good grief! And those are just the most famous people. The entire cast is talented and engaging. I particularly liked Karen Gillan as Nebula.
Even though this is a superhero movie, Guardians of the Galaxy definitely has its own unique voice. My husband noted that it pulls off the blend of goofy humor and engaging action that the Transformers franchise wants so desperately to master. He’s right about that. This movie doesn’t take itself too seriously. The humor is virtually non-stop. And yet, it still has quite a bit of heart and moments of genuine suspense. I also loved the soundtrack, courtesy of the mix-tapes of mostly 70s hits that Peter Quill’s mother made for him. Guardians of the Galaxy easily distinguishes itself from other movies out there. It’s clearly its own thing, not some formulaic, copycat blockbuster.
Best Scene:
I absolutely love the moment when the Guardians first meet and fall all over themselves trying to capture each other. Their antic scramble reminded me of old Looney Tunes cartoons. The energy is incredible, and the humor is refreshing, yet there’s also a sense of real urgency, and we’re already invested in the characters. It’s all highly entertaining.
Best Action Sequence:
The escape from the prison is also very fast-paced and funny. Drax really shines in this sequence. Dave Bautista is a much better actor than I ever realized, and I also love the look of the character. I can’t tell if he’s wearing a body suit or make-up that takes forever to apply, but I love just about everything about Bautista’s Drax.
Best Scene Visually:
The movie looks good, but what makes it great is definitely the humor. There’s a lot of action, but much of it works because it’s funny and unexpected, not so much because it’s visually elegant. This is the kind of movie that always goes for the quick laugh. We feel like we’re watching a ragtag bunch of misfits, and we love it. If we were going to save the world ourselves, we would be a lot like the Guardians of the Galaxy (or so we think). Rocket gets a fantastic entrance in a spaceship, a great visual joke that works so well because it breaks a moment of high tension.
Probably the prettiest moment comes when Groot makes all his sparkly stuff. Groot is definitely the most visually arresting element of the movie. Since watching it, I keep seeing Groot everywhere. I walk around the park with my daughter and squint up at an odd-looking tree and think, Groot?
I really love Groot.
Also visually captivating is the self-sacrificing rescue scene in space. (As far as I’m concerned, that was probably the most tense, suspenseful scene in the movie. I believed the peril there much more than I did in any subsequent scenes.)
Funniest Sequence:
The truly funniest moments of the movie all belong to the central characters. Groot is a scene stealer that every child in the theater cooed over, and Drax cracks me up endlessly. But aside from the fabulous dynamic of the Guardians themselves, I did truly enjoy the way John C. Reilly relayed his conversation with Peter Quill to Nova Prime (Glenn Close).
The Negatives:
When are we ever going to see more of The Collector? Benicio Del Toro is such a high powered actor. Surely he’s good for more than a few minutes of minor interaction. I’m hoping that we’ll get much more with him in the next Avengers movie because to this point, they’ve definitely wasted him.
Djimon Hounsou is also criminally underutilized, but I hear that he wanted to take the part because his son is a Marvel fan, so maybe he’s content with having a relatively small role.
I’m not very impressed by Thanos so far, either. I know some really amazing Avengers plot is coming up, and so many comic book fans are insanely excited about it, so I’ll give Thanos a chance. But I thought the threat level in this movie was somewhat lacking. To be fair, though, I may feel that way simply because my own life has been so eventful and high-stakes recently. Maybe I’m just failing to engage with the movie properly.
I like Lee Pace in general, and I love his spooky voice and everything, but never at any point did I ever once fear that the protagonists would not succeed in every way. Actually, he was a whole lot scarier playing that eerily creepy elf in The Hobbit.
I thought the character of Nebula had a lot of potential (and not just because her look reminded me fondly of Evil Lynn). I found her much more interesting than Ronan. I particularly liked her line about hating her sister the least, and I wish we could have learned more about the backgrounds of both sisters. Michael Rooker’s character was also scarier (and more developed) than Ronan. I just never felt too scared of him. He seemed like the kind of guy who was destined to lose right from the start.
Overall:
Guardians of the Galaxy is that rare summer movie that will not disappoint its audience. You’ll fork over a ton of money so that you and your kids can have fun at the movies, and then to your shock, your little scheme will actually succeed for once.
Never taking itself too seriously, Guardians of the Galaxy still manages to engage us on every level. (Don’t ask me to name all these levels or explain this amazing simultaneous engagement. Just trust me. It’s a good movie. I promise.) I also promise that you’ll leave the theater eager to tell people, “I am Groot,” over and over again. That’s just really fun to say, even more satisfying once you’ve heard Groot say it. I love Groot.