Marvel studios (ever heard of them?) gambled the entire
summer on “Guardians of the Galaxy,” a movie based on one of their C-list comic
book titles. Not only is this property obscure by fanboy standards, but the
film’s two biggest stars, Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel, are used only to voice
a CGI raccoon and a talking tree, while the physically present lead characters
are cast from sit-coms and televised wrestling. But it’s the against-all-odds
weirdness of this concoction and the risk the studio was willing take on it
that kind of gives the entire movie its anarchistic charge and underdog
illusion. I say illusion of course because what the success of Guardians really
proves is the apparent indestructibility of Marvel’s box-office brand and the
strength of their classic studio approach.
What
writer/director James Gunn understands about this material is that the plot can
be as simple and as unambitious as it is here, so long as we are on board with
the characters and their journey. Having
come from the world of cult-horror and exploitation cinema, such as “Tromeo and
Juliet” and “Slither,” as well as low-budget superhero parodies such as “Super”
and “The Specials,” he knows exactly where to pitch the difficult tone of this
idiosyncratic genre-meld. As a fan, Gunn
celebrates all of the movie’s disparate components—space-opera, buddy-comedy,
superhero blockbuster—and weaves them together seamlessly, keeping everything
anchored by his love for the characters and the individual comedic textures
brought by the movie’s diverse cast.
Chris
Pratt plays Peter Quill/Starlord, a human abducted from earth at the age of
nine and raised in space by a group of criminals. While attempting to steal a
magic crystal to sell on the intergalactic black market he inadvertently gets
thrown into the middle of a political war between the space military and an
evil zealot named Ronan (Lee Pace), working for a purple giant called Thanos. Defiant
daughter of Thanos, Gamora (Zoe Saldana), a vengeance-seeking warrior named
Drax (Dave Batista) and the aforementioned tree Groot (Deisel) and his partner
Rocket Raccoon (Cooper) also come along on the adventure to capture the
powerful stone, with the hopes to find closure, make some money, and maybe save
the galaxy from the god-like tyrant.
Though ripped and 60 pounds lighter, “Parks
and Recreation” actor Chris Pratt uses his familiar loveable bone-head shtick and
applies it to a type of Han Solo charisma, with very appealing results. Likewise,
Batista juxtaposes his stone-faced wrestler physicality with the script’s
brilliant dry humor and the kids will no doubt respond to Cooper’s loud-mouth
Rocket Raccoon and his amorphous bodyguard Groot who is only able to say the
words “I AM GROOT,” while Rocket translates his limited language to the rest of
the misfits. Every actor has a scene or
two to steal and the movie breaths enough between the set-pieces to build on
their relationships. Unfortunately, Zoe Saldana as the green-painted,
super-assassin Gamora doesn’t get as
much of a chance to fool-around as the other boys, and having seen her in space
more than we haven’t her inclusion feels considerably less inspired. But by no
means does this slow the momentum of this wildly imaginative comedy.
The plot of
“Guardians of the Galaxy” is elementary, the climax is too big and overly
drawn-out for its own good, losing some focus in its overreaching for
epic-ness, but the majority of this multi-million dollar oddity is
overwhelmingly entertaining; the take away being the ensemble, their
interactions and the humor that comes from their uncanny chemistry. Like any
competent summer movie, the special effects do their job and most of the action
is character-driven, but it’s the movie’s ‘70s soft-rock soundtrack and
brightly colored look that perfectly mirrors the enthusiastic energy exhibited
by the wickedly talented James Gunn and his weirdo cast.
Grade: B+
Originally published in the Idaho State Journal/Aug-2014
Grade: B+
Originally published in the Idaho State Journal/Aug-2014
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