Some have called
Guardians of the Galaxy a real risk for Marvel, arguably the biggest they have
taken since they released Iron Man
back in 2008. But for me, as DC guy, this has been the Marvel film that I’ve
been looking forward to the most, more so than any other Phase Two film (the
films after The Avengers that will
build into The Avengers: Age of Ultron),
purely because they were trying something new and they had complete faith in
what they were doing and in these characters.
With the
success and good will that Marvel currently has going, they have chosen to the
right time to introduce the more galactic element of their cinematic universe,
something that is going to play into their long term plans, especially when you
consider the growing presence of Thanos. Even if dragging his big moment out
could risk him looking borderline incompetent after a couple of his emissaries
have been defeated by the heroes.
So the basic
idea of GOTG is of a group of five loveable losers, including a talking tree
and gun toting Raccoon, who come together, at first for individual gain and
then to save a planet from a warlord (probably the easiest way to describe
him). It's safe to say that the film is more interested in character than plot
and by going with a relatively straight forward story, it really allows the
characters to shine.
The stand out
characters in GOTG are Peter Quill aka Starlord (Chris Pratt), Groot (voiced by
Vin Diesel) and Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper). Starlord, he'd prefer it if
I called him that, is the main character and our "in" for this story
and it's through him that we have the characters and worlds explained to us.
Starlord comes across as an arrogant Han Solo mixed with Uncharted's Nathan Drake.
He's charismatic, funny and doesn’t always know when he to be serious (a scene
with Ronan towards the end is bizarre to say the least, but fits the character
perfectly).
Rocket and
Groot, possibly the oddest couple you'll come across, start off as a kind of
comic relief. However, this quickly evolves into a much more complicated and
emotional relationship. Rocket constantly derides his wooden companion, making
fun of him and telling him what to do. Rocket is also very much about self
preservation and improving his financial situation. Groot, is the friendly and
loyal partner, who really wants nothing more than to please Rocket and get him
to like him. All of this feeds into the climax and arguably the films most
emotional moment.
It isn't all
good though, as per usual, Marvel have struggled to really give us a stand out
villain, here it is Lee Pace, as Ronan the Accusor, who is given little to do
and as a result has little impact on the film. Barely accomplishing anything
within the film, apparently he's feared throughout the galaxy. I just wish I
knew why. The problem with Marvels villains in this series, bar Loki who
occupies a grey area, is something they need to start addressing in their
future films. They do the right thing by giving the majority of the films
attention to the hero(es), but sometimes we want to see the other side. Give us
a villain with some depth who has a cause we can at least understand.
Visually,
this film is stunning, Every sweeping shot of a planet is picturesque and every
building teaming with life and detail. The highlights for me were the prison
sequence and The Collectors offices. Each one comes across as a lived in place
with its own history that adds to characters that inhabit them.
The models of
Groot and Rocket are impressive, Rocket is arguably the better of the two as we
have probably all seen a raccoon, albeit not a talking one and as a result any
shot of Rocket is a real triumph.
As with The
Winter Soldier earlier in the year, GOTG has two good acts and one weak one.
Whereas The Winter Soldier had a final act that didn't really live up to the
standards of the first two, in GOTG, it is the middle that lags. The section in
Knowhere (a kind of space port, with a unique location) is sluggish. Like the
characters we are just waiting for something to happen and bar a great
monologue from Rocket, it is largely forgettable. The spacecraft dog fight was
fairly pedestrian and actually took me out of the film. But the end of GOTG
could be the best finish to any Marvel film released so far, because I was
actually invested in some of the heroes, a genuine first for me in the Marvel
cinematic universe.
This was the
Marvel film that I have been looking forward to for a long time and was one of
the top three films I was anticipating this summer and thankfully it held up to
what I was expecting. Creating a new storyline/series within the Marvel
universe a long the way.
An fun and
enjoyable sci-fi adventure for everyone.
Director: James Gunn
Writers: James Gunn and Nicole Perlman. Dan Abnett (comic book) and Andy Lanning (comic book)
