Movie Review: Guardians of the Galaxy - Just Go See It!
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- August 1, 2014
By Danny F. Santos (doddleNEWS)
In Marvel Studio’s Guardians of the Galaxy, director James Gunn has done something quite remarkable: he’s made a film that is both goofy and heartfelt, and is very satisfying. While the film is constructed in a way that’s not to be taken too seriously, it does so with a big heart. It doesn’t shy away from dramatic moments, while recognizing that we’re in a crazy space romp.
There’s quite a bit of Flash Gordon in this film, and I mean that in the best possible way. There’s a lot of campy silliness that no other Marvel film has quite touched on before and it gives Guardians a very different feel. Of all the Marvel films so far, this is the first one that really stands alone in an almost entirely separate universe.
And yet… And yet it still fits into the over-arching mythology of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Gunn has made an almost impossible feat where the film feels both part of, and separated from, the MCU. Part of that may have to do with the fact that the characters are, for the most part, not super powered at all.
The film starts off in a very poignant scene involving a young Peter Quill and his mother. If the scene doesn’t make you tear up, I’m not sure you’re human. From that point it jumps to present day and takes on a more comedic flavor as we watch an adult Quill, played by Chris Pratt, look for treasure while listening to a walkman. Afterwards, the film continues at a good clip and there’s never a dull moment.
Family is the thematic heart of this film, and it’s not just about losing a family, but about creating one from scratch. There’s something really sweet about the disparate characters coming together slowly over the course of the film, and caring about one another.
This of course doesn’t happen quickly, and there’s a scene where Rocket and Drax get into a fight midway through the story that is heartbreaking. The group hasn’t come together as a whole, but they’re already fighting like a family.
The bottom line is that Guardians of the Galaxy, unlike most other Marvel films, is about the people who should not be the ones to save the galaxy at all. None of the characters are uniquely qualified or super-powered to deal with the menace that’s facing them which is a super-powered character named Ronan the Accuser.
No one knows Peter Quill by the name of Star-Lord at the beginning of the film, but they know who he is by the end of it.
Guardians of the Galaxy gets 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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