Guardians Of The Galaxy Movie Review

There’s something I’ve always admired about Marvel’s shared universe of films, and it’s the fact that no matter how grim the situation is, no matter how dire, they always find a way to inject a bit of humor. Far too many high action films forget how important comedic relief is, but Marvel never does. Is that because of the model Jon Favreau established with Iron Man? Perhaps, perhaps not. Either way, comicality has been an important ingredient in all of Marvel’s films, but in Guardians Of The Galaxy writer/director James Gunn takes the humor knob and turns it all the way to 11. That’s okay, though, because the action and excitement are also amped up with it. Together they create one of the most entertaining two hours in the theater you are likely ever to have.

From the very beginning Gunn had the odds stacked against him. The Guardians Of The Galaxy comic book was never a big hit, as most of its action was on the far fringes of Marvel’s universe, and it’s no mean feat to sell an audience on a team that’s made up in part by a talking tree (talking being a liberal use of the word) and a gun-toting raccoon. And then there’s the problem of aliens. Outside of Star Wars and Star Trek, making aliens that come in a wide variety of colors and shapes palatable to audiences has never been easy. Just ask John Carter. And lastly there’s the director himself, the aforementioned Mr. Gunn. Known primarily for his film Slither, another venture into comedic science fiction, Gunn has little in his resume to draw people in or convince them that he can handle a movie of Guardians’ size and scope. With all this working against him, it’s surprising he took the job. More surprising still is the fact that Marvel offered it to him to begin with.

Guardians Of The Galaxy tells the tale of Peter Quill (played to perfection by Chris Pratt), A.K.A. Star-Lord, a young man who was abducted from Earth when he was a child and raised by starfaring mercenaries. Now a skilled merc, Quill steals an ancient artifact from an abandoned planet, but instead of handing it over like he’s supposed to, he decides to try and sell it himself. Meanwhile, on the far side of space, news reaches Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) of Quill’s betrayal. With Ronan are the assassins Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and Nebula (Karen Gillan), and both ask to be sent after Quill. Ronan chooses Gamora, and off she goes to Xandar, the homeworld of the Nova Corps. There we also meet wise-cracking Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), a bio-engineered raccoon, and Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), a sentient tree who packs a wallop. The pair are also after Quill, and after a battle that’s as explosive as it is laugh-out-loud funny, the four are sent to Kyln, a prison in space that holds the fifth and final member of our group, Drax the Destroyer (played by former wrestler Dave Bautista). What follows from there is a stunning adventure you’ll have to see to believe.

There isn’t a single thing I dislike about this movie. Every actor brings their A game, Gunn’s writing and directing are the best he’s ever done, and – from a CGI perspective – you will be hard pressed to find a more beautiful looking film. And the music…oh, what fantastic music. Tyler Bates’s score serves perfectly well to usher us from one dazzling location and set-piece to another, but it’s the contents of Quill’s Awesome Mix Vol. 1 cassette tape that are the real highlight. Songs like “Hooked On A Feeling,” “Spirit In The Sky,” and “Cherry Bomb” bring a much needed sense of humanity to a movie bristling with aliens, reminding us not only of Quill’s long lost home, but also of his heart. From beginning to end, Guardians Of The Galaxy is a nearly note-perfect film, and in this reviewer’s opinion it’s the best, most gutsy Marvel movie yet.

Having been delighted once again by the amazing crew at Marvel Studios, all I can do now is sit and wait in anticipation of the day when the Guardians and the Avengers finally meet to take on the mastermind behind all their woes – THANOS.

If $10 is the full price of admission, Guardians of the Galaxy is worth $10.00

Be sure to hear our full Guardians of the Galaxy coverage with our dedicated podcast episode, now available on iTunes, Stitcher, or listed below!

Justin R. Macumber
The Hollywood Outsider