It’s rare that April and I get to go out to the movie theater on opening weekend anymore. The obvious reason is that our adorable daughter is still too young to take to the theater without getting the Luigi Death Stare from other patrons when she starts making noise. Last weekend though April’s sister agreed to watch the munchkin while we escaped to the movie theater.
Guardians of the Galaxy is a comic series that resides deep on Marvel’s bench. If one were to consider cosmic Marvel characters, Silver Surfer would come to mind, first, second, and a few times more before anyone thought of the Guardians. However, just because they are not prime-time players in the Marvel comic book universe doesn’t mean that they aren’t a cast of fun and interesting characters.
The movie is a bit different then the other nine in the Marvel Series. It cuts closer to straight adventure comedy then others do, including the very witty Iron Man 3. Additionally the movie has gotten very favorable comparisons to Star Wars and for good reason. The main difference here, is that the main character is not Luke Skywalker, but Chris Pratt’s Han Solo-channeling Peter Quill (aka Star-Lord).
The other actors to admirable jobs as well. Zoe Saldana plays the devestating Gamora, a strong warrior who is out to stop the villain, Ronan the Accuser. Wrestler Dave Bautista is perfectly cast as the hulking, and way too literal, Drax the Destroyer. Rounding out the Guardians are Vin Diesel, who voices Groot, a gigantic, but good natured bodyguard for Rocket Raccoon. Bradley Cooper voices Rocket, and his schtick was superb. He affected a faux-New York tough guy accent for the adorable little Rocket and did it with a soft enough touch that it never seemed to get old.
The visual effects are spectacular in this flick, most notably on how well Groot and Rocket were created. Neither feel “plastic” and their faces are filled with emotion from scene to scene.
Guardians of the Galaxy is light on plot. There are really only a few big beats in the movie, and they are wrapped up in superb and often extremely fun action sequences. You know what? Not every film has to have the most intricate of plots. In Guardians it’s the characters that really drive it home and make the entire adventure FUN.
Go see it. And if you are a Marvel/LucasFilm nerd, stick around after the credits for a bit of a chuckle.
If you need a recap on what’s happened in the Marvel movies prior to Guardians of the Galaxy, check out this video. Some minor spoilers.
If you are interested in seeing Guardians of the Galaxy, Fandango currently has an offer going for Sears ShopYourWay members available here: http://www.shopyourway.com/marvel
(Guardians of the Galaxy Review) My brother went to see this movie about a month ago and really liked it too-