Guardians of the Galaxy

When Marvel announced the release of Guardians of the Galaxy, there were some concerned looks. People were indeed anxious with the lack of star quality in the Guardians own line up, and that the source material that the story is derived from was limited and little known. However, the reality is that Guardians showcases Marvel’s versatility, their ability to create instantly likeable characters and their capacity to create a fun, humorous story to add to their back catalogue.

When petty thief Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) steals a mysterious orb, events are set in motion which pits the empires of Kree and Xandar on the warpath, in spite of a recent peace treaty.  Quill’s subsequent imprisonment in a high security prison sees him draw an uneasy alliance with super assassin Gamora (Zoe Saldana), the titular Drax (Dave Bautista) and the unique double act of Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and Groot (Vin Diesel). From here these ‘heroes’ soon discover that they could be the only people who save the universe from the nefarious Ronan (Lee Pace).

Looking at the Guardians themselves and it is abundantly clear that Marvel still has the ability to introduce new, interesting characters to the fold. Chris Pratt’s ‘Star Lord’ is the studios’ most instantly likeable and charismatic lead since Tony Stark back in Iron Man I, and the rest are just as captivating. Gamora acts as the perfect foil to Quill’s flamboyance whilst the fact that Drax can only take things literally is a fountain of comedy throughout as well as showcasing an excellently subtle amount of character progression as the film progresses. However it is the almost Han Solo-Chewbacca axis with Groot and Rocket that provides the most laughs as well as emotional depth. Groot is incredibly lovable, if challenged linguistically, and Rocket is the pessimistic, criminal genius that proves that this band of heroes isn’t quite as squeaky clean as Marvel’s earlier characters.

The whole film almost feels like an open love letter to the most famous space-based sagas of the last 40 years. The cavalier attitude of the Guardians feels very Star Wars, whilst even the guns that Quill uses could have come from the arsenal of the U.S.S. Enterprise. This is a gentle nod to the pioneering sci-fi of the late 70s and 80s and the way fact that most of the films’ most serious moments are undercut with humour is also so refreshing. There has been a tendency in recent years to make superhero films go darker and darker a la Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy. Now, I loved that trilogy, but it’s so good to see a film that puts sheer enjoyment first. Indeed, the bad guys in the piece don’t have a great deal of light to their considerable shade, with Ronan, as well as his sidekick Nebula (A shockingly de-gingered Karen Gillan) staying firmly in the Nasty Bastard category throughout. But all of this doesn’t really matter, as they both do this to great effect. Moreover the stunning visuals as well as excellent sound track keeps the pace bouncy and fun. 

Is it perfect? Well no, but there are only a few minor things. As I’ve said, you could ask for a bit more depth to the bad guys’ characters, but that isn’t too distracting. Benicio Del Torro’s ‘The Collector’ however was a small point of annoyance for me though, as he and his servants seemed to be a rushed plot device to try and add a bit of context to the film. Finally, (minor spoiler warning) the aerial finale is one that is strikingly similar to The Avengers, as well as this year’s excellent The Winter Soldier. Does that make it less enjoyable? No not really, but this repetition could just be the only side note of caution from what is otherwise a brilliant couple of hours of entertainment. 

Therefore Marvel’s biggest risk could just turn into its biggest success. Guardians is the fun ‘heads’ to The Winter Soldier’s serious ‘tails’ on the Marvel coin of films, with both showcasing the remarkable ability for the studio to reinvent itself and not to stagnate. Stick with the sombre 10 or so opening minutes of the film and you’ll be rewarded with two hours of unadulterated entertainment that flies by. The presence of ‘big bad’ Thanos, who we saw at the end of The Avengers, in this film further suggests that this rag tag group of unpolished heroes is here for the long haul, with this film acting a the near perfect meet and greet for them and the audience.  

90/100