Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014) - Film Review

Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista & Vin Diesel

Screenplay: James Gunn & Nicole Perlmann

Directed By: James Gunn

Certificate: 12

 

It's 2014, and by now the Marvel Cinematic Universe is firmly established as one of the most popular and successful film franchises there has ever been. The shared universe has been set up over the course of nine films, and many of the key characters have been introduced. Yet because I'm notorious for the number of films I've missed over the years, I'm afraid there's only three out of these nine films that I'm familiar with, specifically the Iron Man trilogy. However, Marvel's tenth film, Guardians Of The Galaxy, was one that I made sure to catch up on. This was not only because it looked great from the trailers, but because it looked like the first Marvel film that shifted focus onto something other than the Avengers, making it more accessible to someone like me. So how did Guardians Of The Galaxy fare, and did Marvel's risk in adapting a lesser-known bunch of comic book heroes pay off?

 

In 1988, after the death of his mother, a young Peter “Star-Lord” Quill is abducted from Earth. Years later, a grown-up Quill steals a powerful orb from the planet Morag, in the hopes of selling it on. However, he doesn't realize the value and power of the orb, and soon the Kree radical, Ronan the Accuser, pursues Quill in the hopes of taking the orb. Along his way, Quill meets several other outlaws who help him in his fight against Ronan, including Rocket, a genetically-engineered bounty hunter raccoon, and Groot, a tree-like humanoid. Together with Drax, a warrior seeking revenge against Ronan, and the assassin, Gamora, they come together to make the Guardians of the Galaxy.

 

Few films released this year can claim to be quite so colourful, vibrant and brimming with as much confidence as Guardians Of The Galaxy. Make no mistake, this is one rich and visually stunning film, with production values that just leap from the screen. As much as I love thought-provoking films that can have a sombre feel or a cool, dark look to them, I love Guardians Of The Galaxy for reminding people that cinema should be fun and enjoyable too. The film's more-than-healthy budget is plastered all over throughout the run-time, with frequent and elaborate set-pieces, and dynamic worlds brought to life through both CGI and practical effects. Guardians Of The Galaxy doesn't just throw money about randomly though, as there's a lot of skill and effort that's clearly gone into its making. Director James Gunn understands perfectly the characters and story he's working with, and his influence definitely comes across whilst watching. A lot of praise has also gone to the film's soundtrack, and understandably so. Artists ranging from Bowie, to the Jackson 5, to Marvin Gaye all feature on the soundtrack, and even by my niche and specific tastes in music, the old school 60s/70s sound suits the tone of the film really well.

 

Guardians Of The Galaxy also succeeds thanks to James Gunn and Nicole Perlmann's terrific screenplay. From what I have seen of Marvel, their films generally don't shy away from having a sense of humour, but Guardians Of The Galaxy may be their first film that you could call an outright comedy. Yes, obviously it's a superhero, sci-fi film too, but there is a ton of joking and laughing to be found here. The script is incredibly quotable and packed with witty dialogue, though never to the point where it starts trying too hard or becoming obnoxious. What save it from becoming an unlikeable kind of witty is probably its ability to laugh at and undermine itself. It's self-aware of the genre clichés it contains, and just look at that scene of Quill trying to distract Ronan after his grand speech … by challenging him to a dance-off! Given how much destruction and violence there is in Guardians Of The Galaxy once you strip it down, it's no wonder that it has a comedic side to lighten things up. While you'll likely spend the majority of Guardians Of The Galaxy with a huge smile on your face, the fun is expertly balanced with emotion and meaning as well. The opening scene of young Quill losing his mother before his abduction is truly sad, and then further in the film you have moments such as Groot's sacrifice (more on this later).

 

Speaking of the characters, it's worth mentioning that Guardians Of The Galaxy has a fantastic cast on its side, with great backstories and stellar performances from everyone involved. Chris Pratt leads the Guardians as Peter Quill, and even though I'd probably say he's the least interesting character here, that's less to do with him and more to do with just how exceptional everyone else is. He's still an incredibly fun and engaging presence, and Chris Pratt works really well with Zoe Saldana, who equally stands out and delivers an assured performance as Gamora. Dave Bautista gives another memorable performance as Drax, and like the film itself, he strikes a great balance between tragic and comedic. There are scenes where you feel genuinely sorry for Drax, but there are also scenes where you're in stitches due to how literally he takes everything, without even knowing it. It vaguely reminds me of Michael Rooker's performance as Yondu, as while he's not inherently good or bad, you still can't help really liking him.

 

While this covers the real-life actors and characters, we also have a duo brought to life through CGI, and it is of course Rocket and Groot. Having an anthropomorphic raccoon as one of your film's heroes could so easily have gone wrong, but both Bradley Cooper and the production team really make it work. He has a sympathetic backstory, a cynical streak that's actually justified, and most importantly of all, he's made to feel real. The same applies to Vin Diesel as Groot. He's a humanoid tree that can only say the same one sentence repeatedly … yet he's one of the best things about the film (I even have a Baby Groot keyring on my house keys). Unlike the other Guardians, Groot is the only innocent party, but as he goes on to prove, he can still be just as deadly as someone like Drax. (Spoiler Warning!) And when Groot is prepared to sacrifice himself near the end of the film to save his friends, you have to have a heart of stone to not find it an emotional moment. When a film can connect and get you attached to a CGI raccoon and a tree voiced by Vin Diesel, you know you're dealing with some incredibly proficient filmmakers.

 

The only underwhelming aspect to Guardians Of The Galaxy lies with its villains. It appears to be the general consensus that Marvel struggle a bit with their antagonists, and Guardians Of The Galaxy is no exception. Ronan serves as the film's primary bad guy, but he's a very bread-and-butter villain. He has moments where's he intimidating, Lee Pace gives a dark, serious performance and he has an occasionally good fight scene … but that's about it. Unlike the Guardians, he has very little backstory, very basic motives, and it feels like he could be exchanged for practically any other villain. We also have Thanos, who makes a brief appearance and is supposed to be an even bigger bad guy to Ronan. Although I've yet to watch The Avengers, I know that Thanos showed up briefly at its end, so his appearance here is probably a sign that the Guardians and the Avengers will crossover at some point in the future. However, beyond teasing what future films may have in store, Thanos has literally no purpose here, and just sits in a chair for about five minutes. The only villain who does show promise is Karen Gillan as Nebula. It's great to see such a different side to Karen Gillan, and she's clearly dedicated and excelling in the role. Nebula could've done with more screentime and further development, but from what we do get, she's easily the best of the film's three villains.

 

Beyond an underwhelming couple of villains however, it's honestly difficult to find fault with Guardians Of The Galaxy. It's by far one of the most fun and colourful films of the year and best of all, it's accessible to everyone, even those like me who haven't seen every Marvel film up till this point. Full of heart, laughs and emotion, with a fantastic cast and screenplay, together with incredible production design too – Guardians Of The Galaxy is one of the best films of the year.

 

 

Guardians Of The Galaxy

 

9/10