Movie Review : Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Everybody and their moms have seen Guardians of the Galaxy this summer. The aforementioned groups of people and the women who gave them birth seem to have enjoyed it, too. That poses an interesting set of questions to this reviewer: should I even bother seeing the movie and if I do, will I have anything original to say about it?
Guardians of the Galaxy and I were a fatality, I suppose. It was bound to happen. Relax if you think I'm going to destroy the movie, because I won't. It's a competent summer blockbuster and an above average Marvel movie. You have to appreciate a movie that juggles a major budget, several Hollywood egos, another comic book legacy and manages not to fuck up.
I didn't even know the guardians of the galaxy existed before seeing the movie, so you'll excuse me the potential inaccuracies, here. Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), better known as Star Lord, is a Earthling space pirate on a mission to steal a mysterious orb. When the deed is done, he travels to the Nova Empire capital of Xandar, back to his client in order to exchange the orb for financial compensation. Before he can conclude the deal, he is ambushed by Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), and two bounty hunters: a transgenic raccoon named Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and a freakin' talking and moving tree named Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel). They are all thrown in jail for behaving like belligerent assholes on Xandar, but the reward is too great for the four new companions to remain idle. There is a market for the mysterious orb, and at the top of it, there is Ronan (Lee Pace) a genocidal freak in bed with Thanos (Josh Brolin), one of the most powerful and evil beings in the galaxy.
I enjoyed Guardians of the Galaxy like every other person in America. I mean, what is there to dislike? It's a space epic with a complicated, sprawling world, a star-studded cast who are visibly enjoying themselves and a tremendous sense of humour. Perhaps, this was the ace Guardians of the Galaxyhad in its sleeve. I laughed out loud several times in the theater and I don't usually do that. A comedy for the sake of a comedy is one thing, but give a varnish of humour to an adventure story and you get something layered and ultimately more profound. Whoever can insert comedy into something that wasn't meant to be funny at first has writing talent, and the screenwriting team of Guardians of the Galaxy have apparently mad skills. The strongest asset of this movie is its strong and keen screenplay.
Drax (Dave Bautista) made me laugh out loud several time in the theater. Guardians of the Galaxy was meant to be enjoyed by large amounts of people. It's great, but it's also a little safe. I can already hear you say: ''But Beeeennn, it's the nature of a summer blockbuster to be safe. It's a movie where you're supposed to shut your brain down and enjoy the chaos.'' Well, not necessarily and I believe Christopher Nolan made a point out of it by reimagining Batman and suffering the wrath of a legion of internet nerds. He also directed an original summer blockbuster about dream within dreams. So it's possible to be daring and successful with a budget.
Guardians of the Galaxy takes its cues from the comic books (obviously) but also from Star Trek: Into Darkness another successful, space-themed summer blockbuster. Someone could've told me that Guardians of the Galaxy has been directed by J.J Abrams and I would've believe it. Maybe I would've seen it sooner. It's not a bad thing to aim for ''safe'', the more people who invest in the project, the safer you want it to be. It doesn't detract from the overall quality of the movie.
Guardians of the Galaxy is still a great film, it's just a tiny notch below the three aforementioned titles in this paragraph. Guardians of the Galaxy is about the perfect group movie. Whether you're bringing a date, eight friends or your kids to see it, it's going to be a hit with every demographic and it was meant to be so. It's a brilliantly written movie that stays within itself, and doesn't try to reinvent the wheel. I'm the farthest thing you can imagine from a comic book buff and I enjoyed it. The biggest comic book buffs I know also happened to have enjoyed it. I watch movies to challenge me and alter my perception of art, but I can acknowledge that some movies can be good without doing that and Guardians of the Galaxyis one of these movies. It's just a good story about putting loyalty above survival (I can get behind that. I'd rather die with Josie than live, knowing that I left her behind), and a movie full of explosions and space stuff.
It's not lazy and self-indulgent the way Michael Bay movies are. It's a well-crafted, detailed universe filled with fun characters. It was just not meant to move anybody over 12 years old and it's fine because Guardians of the Galaxy is a movie that understands its nature of being a consensual pleasure
