Credible Credits
Year: 2014
Director: James Gunn
Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, and Lee Pace
Tagline: All Heroes Start Somewhere
Synopsis: After a stolen artifact puts entire worlds in danger, an unlikely group of misfits comes together, puts aside their differences, and saves the galaxy.
Synopsis: After a stolen artifact puts entire worlds in danger, an unlikely group of misfits comes together, puts aside their differences, and saves the galaxy.
Review
From the start, I had my reservations about Guardians of the Galaxy. It looked like a far cry from the Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America I was used to. And then the trailers came out ... and I was even more leery about what the movie was going to be like. But, I decided to trust in Marvel (and the 92% on Rotten Tomatoes). I'm so glad I did.
Guardians of the Galaxy is terrific. It's definitely one of the most entertaining movies I've seen all year. And it is just plain fun from start to wacky finish.
Before I rave about all it did so awesomely right, let me just mention that it did have some things I could have done without. I was surprised at how much swearing there was. It wasn't horrendous, but it was certainly more than I was expecting based on previous Marvel films. And of course there was Peter Quill's crude gesture, which was not "censored" like it was in the trailer. Seriously? Did we need that? No.
I was afraid most of the humor would be along the lines of the above. Not so. The movie was seriously hilarious. I laughed so many times. Practically every scene had some quotable line or funny interaction between characters. It was tough picking just a few for the section below. And it was never forced jokes or laughs either. It came from the characters being themselves and from the absurdity of some of the situations (e.g., a humanoid tree whose entire vocabulary consists of "I," "am," and "Groot," in that order). Where Iron Man is snarky and Loki is clever, the Guardians are just sorta nuts and crazy. And it works. Where else could the range of jokes include references to Kevin Bacon, John Stamos, and Jackson Pollock.
As with all Marvel movies, the special effects in Guardians of the Galaxy were terrific. The film is beautiful to watch and the various worlds and ships are exquisitely imagined. They feel like real places. Seriously, the attention to every detail is almost mind-boggling. They also do a great job making Groot and Rocket totally believable. And considering one is a humanoid tree and the other is a talking, trigger-happy raccoon, that's no small task.
I was pretty dubious when "Hooked on a Feeling" was the music for the first trailer. All I could think was, "Seriously?" But what was a little strange in the trailer worked perfectly in the final execution. Those 70s and 80s songs are an integral part of Peter Quill's character, as the audience almost immediately learns. They suit him and they suit the story. They also serve as a constant reminder that, even though the film takes place in a far off galaxy, Quill is human and relatable.
In a couple of ways, Guardians of the Galaxy is a bit like The Lego Movie. For starters, Chris Pratt is the main character in both and plays an unlikely hero. But both films also had somewhat misleading trailers. The trailers certainly showed that their respective movies would be zany and funny. But none of the trailers intimated at how much heart was in the films. I expected the various "Guardians" to be funny. I didn't expect to care about them as much as I did.
From the very opening scene, the film pulls you in emotionally. And while you then spend a lot of time having fun, you also get to know and gradually understand each of the characters. You can see why these characters have come to that point, and why they are ready to come together in a crazy alliance. None of them is just comic relief. They are each genuine, with anger and hurt. Well, except Groot. Groot only gets angry when his friends are in peril. Most of the time he has a childlike innocence, which is quite refreshing next to the other characters. Groot is simply good. And in many ways, it is he who brings the other Guardians together and keeps them together ... all with his limited vocabulary. [Vin Diesel apparently recorded 1,000 variations of "I am Groot."]
Basically Guardians of the Galaxy is what you'd expect if Looney Tunes were crossed with the Avengers and then got thrown into the Star Wars universe. And if you are a fan of any one of those things, you should check it out, preferably on the big screen.
***Spoiler Section***
Hands down, one of the greatest moments in the film is when Ronan the Accuser has crash landed on the planet Xandar and he gives his very typical, very evil, I'm-going-to-destroy-you-all monologue. And then Quill just starts singing and grooving. The juxtaposition is perfect. Ronan is so utterly dumbfounded by this man he views as an imbecile, all he can do is stammer, "What are you doing?" It's so unexpected for Ronan and for the audience. Who breaks out into a dance-off when an entire world is at stake? Peter Quill. That's who. And the method to his madness is that he's serving as a distraction. Brilliant.
My favorite moment, though, has to be earlier on when the ragtag group is trying to escape from prison. Rocket is explaining to Quill and Gamora what items he needs to execute their escape. While they're arguing, Groot, in the background of the shot, is calmly in the process of acquiring one of the "impossible to retrieve" things they need. It's a fantastic use of staging and timing.
Guardians of the Galaxy is terrific. It's definitely one of the most entertaining movies I've seen all year. And it is just plain fun from start to wacky finish.
Before I rave about all it did so awesomely right, let me just mention that it did have some things I could have done without. I was surprised at how much swearing there was. It wasn't horrendous, but it was certainly more than I was expecting based on previous Marvel films. And of course there was Peter Quill's crude gesture, which was not "censored" like it was in the trailer. Seriously? Did we need that? No.
I was afraid most of the humor would be along the lines of the above. Not so. The movie was seriously hilarious. I laughed so many times. Practically every scene had some quotable line or funny interaction between characters. It was tough picking just a few for the section below. And it was never forced jokes or laughs either. It came from the characters being themselves and from the absurdity of some of the situations (e.g., a humanoid tree whose entire vocabulary consists of "I," "am," and "Groot," in that order). Where Iron Man is snarky and Loki is clever, the Guardians are just sorta nuts and crazy. And it works. Where else could the range of jokes include references to Kevin Bacon, John Stamos, and Jackson Pollock.
As with all Marvel movies, the special effects in Guardians of the Galaxy were terrific. The film is beautiful to watch and the various worlds and ships are exquisitely imagined. They feel like real places. Seriously, the attention to every detail is almost mind-boggling. They also do a great job making Groot and Rocket totally believable. And considering one is a humanoid tree and the other is a talking, trigger-happy raccoon, that's no small task.
I was pretty dubious when "Hooked on a Feeling" was the music for the first trailer. All I could think was, "Seriously?" But what was a little strange in the trailer worked perfectly in the final execution. Those 70s and 80s songs are an integral part of Peter Quill's character, as the audience almost immediately learns. They suit him and they suit the story. They also serve as a constant reminder that, even though the film takes place in a far off galaxy, Quill is human and relatable.
In a couple of ways, Guardians of the Galaxy is a bit like The Lego Movie. For starters, Chris Pratt is the main character in both and plays an unlikely hero. But both films also had somewhat misleading trailers. The trailers certainly showed that their respective movies would be zany and funny. But none of the trailers intimated at how much heart was in the films. I expected the various "Guardians" to be funny. I didn't expect to care about them as much as I did.
From the very opening scene, the film pulls you in emotionally. And while you then spend a lot of time having fun, you also get to know and gradually understand each of the characters. You can see why these characters have come to that point, and why they are ready to come together in a crazy alliance. None of them is just comic relief. They are each genuine, with anger and hurt. Well, except Groot. Groot only gets angry when his friends are in peril. Most of the time he has a childlike innocence, which is quite refreshing next to the other characters. Groot is simply good. And in many ways, it is he who brings the other Guardians together and keeps them together ... all with his limited vocabulary. [Vin Diesel apparently recorded 1,000 variations of "I am Groot."]
Basically Guardians of the Galaxy is what you'd expect if Looney Tunes were crossed with the Avengers and then got thrown into the Star Wars universe. And if you are a fan of any one of those things, you should check it out, preferably on the big screen.
***Spoiler Section***
Hands down, one of the greatest moments in the film is when Ronan the Accuser has crash landed on the planet Xandar and he gives his very typical, very evil, I'm-going-to-destroy-you-all monologue. And then Quill just starts singing and grooving. The juxtaposition is perfect. Ronan is so utterly dumbfounded by this man he views as an imbecile, all he can do is stammer, "What are you doing?" It's so unexpected for Ronan and for the audience. Who breaks out into a dance-off when an entire world is at stake? Peter Quill. That's who. And the method to his madness is that he's serving as a distraction. Brilliant.
My favorite moment, though, has to be earlier on when the ragtag group is trying to escape from prison. Rocket is explaining to Quill and Gamora what items he needs to execute their escape. While they're arguing, Groot, in the background of the shot, is calmly in the process of acquiring one of the "impossible to retrieve" things they need. It's a fantastic use of staging and timing.
Quotable Quotes
- "I am Groot." -- Groot
- "We've already established that you destroying the ship I'm on is not saving me!" -- Quill to Drax
- "Metaphors go over his head." "Nothing goes over my head! My reflexes are too fast ... I would catch it." -- Rocket and Drax
- "I have lived most of my life surrounded by my enemies. I would be grateful to die surrounded by my friends." -- Gamora
- "What! What are you doing?" -- Ronan the Accuser
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