What happens when you take a bunch of C and D-list Marvel characters, a writer and director whose best known films were the live-action Scooby Doo films and Slither, the dork from Parks and Recreation and you throw them all into a blender? Why, insane critical and box office success, of course. That's exactly what happened with Marvel Studios' 10th movie: Guardians of the Galaxy. Before this film, Star-Lord, Drax, Gamora, Rocket Raccoon and Groot were obscure even by comic book standards. Now, they're household names. How the actual hell did that happen?
Personally, I think most of the film's success comes from Disney's brilliant marketing which highlighted the unique tone this film had compared to the rest of the MCU, selling it more as a high-concept sci-fi adventure comedy instead of yet another chapter in the growing universe. That initial trailer not only made "Hooked on a Feeling" relevant again, it sold the world on Chris Pratt of all people as a movie star (though to be fair, he voiced Emmett in The Lego Movie, which was a smash hit) while also highlighting its one-of-a-kind brand of humor courtesy of writer/director/general weirdo James Gunn. And really, it's entirely because of Gunn that this movie works. The fact that Marvel took a chance and plucked up a former writer for Troma Entertainment to spearhead such a bizarre project was a gamble, but it was exactly that worldview that made Guardians of the Galaxy such a universal hit.
Now, I'm about to get a little controversial here. I am not the hugest fan of the film. I like it a lot, but it has some glaring issues to me. And honestly, this may be sacrilege, but I prefer Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. So yeah, this is going to be an inverse of a normal review. I'm going to start off with what I find wrong with this film before I delve into the many things this movie does get right.
First off, and this is my biggest gripe, the pacing is all over the place. At just 2 hours long, it doesn't have much time to introduce and bring together all five leads and it honestly shows. Not even 45 minutes in, and the team is assembled and working on their first big job together. Then about half an hour later, they're talking about how much of a family they are. I know Suicide Squad gets a lot of flack for pulling this (though I haven't seen it yet, I've heard the stories), yet Guardians of the Galaxy gets off clean. What exactly changed between the Kyln and Knowhere when they learned to tolerate each other, let alone like each other? I hate to say it, but it makes it hard to buy the gang coming together if they spend a huge chunk of the first half of the film totally despising each other. Yet after the bar scene on Knowhere, they're talking about being friends. It's bizarre and sudden and takes me out of the movie every time only because the transformation wasn't gradual enough.
The movie also cuts out some pretty integral scenes, making the film feel rather disjointed and jumpy. I know that there was a scene filmed where Gamora explicitly betrays Ronan before heading to Xandar, but it was cut out for unknown reason. So when it is revealed that she doesn't plan on giving the orb to Ronan, the revelation comes out of nowhere because we haven't had any proper setup. This isn't the only time this happens to Gamora, either. There is an awkward cut in the Kyln when it's lights-out, Peter Quill sits awake, then we suddenly cut to Gamora held at knife-point by other convicts. Again, no set-up. This happens then a THIRD time when Gamora faces off against Nebula by herself. In the previous scene, she was alongside Star-Lord and Drax. What happened to them? It's like the filmmakers were targeting Gamora's scenes specifically to be cut (though she is the most boring of the Guardians, it is very clearly unfair treatment). Needless to say, she gets way better treatment in the sequel.
The movie also has some other minor issues here and there. Ronan is another pretty bland MCU villain, whose motivations and character arc boil down entirely to "I want to destroy the Nova corps". It'll be interesting to see him return in Captain Marvel next year, even though it'll be a prequel to this film. The same goes to Djimon Hounsou, who is completely wasted in this film as a lackey who I don't even remember getting named. Finally, the movie does have issues with its action scenes because they're just generic and/or poorly shot, but we know it's not the action why we came to see this movie.
Well, with all that out of the way, let's start getting into what makes this movie work, and there is a lot thankfully. First off, the humor in the movie is absolutely some of the best in the entire MCU because it's so strange. This is a movie that spent millions of dollars to show Rocket readjusting his crotch in slow motion; that's not something you normally see in a summer blockbuster. There are so many wonderfully quotable lines too from all characters, including Gamora ("pelvic sorcery"). But in my opinion, the funniest character by far is Drax; with an A+ star-making performance from former WWE superstar Dave Bautista. He has all of the best lines and the best delivery out of any character (though Michael Rooker as Yondu comes in a close second); it is a real joy to watch him nail the character so well.
The rest of the cast doesn't slack off either. Chris Pratt's endless charm makes him perfect for the weirdly likable douche Peter Quill/Star-Lord because he gives the role so much emotional sincerity, and his freakish ability to always stay in character no matter how much is improvised makes him perfect for the spontaneity the MCU is now famous for.
Zoe Saldana once again proves herself to be the modern queen of science-fiction by playing what is essentially the straight woman in a cast of absolute weirdos. She has strong physicality that she carries into the role and though she does struggle to keep up with Chris and Dave's energy and individuality, she holds her own on numerous occasions, like the shared Walkman scene or her feud with Nebula.
Bradley Cooper voices Rocket here in an interesting bit of casting, but it surprisingly works. He's hardly recognizable behind the thick accent and gravelly voice, indicating that he has some solid talent as a voice actor. Though the extent of his role prevents him from having the luxury of improvising as much as his co-stars, he still nails plenty of great lines (the circle scene in particular is brilliantly played).
Finally, Vin Diesel voices Groot and, well, it's kinda perfect for him. With just five words and a bunch of groans and screams, he is allowed to convey a ton of emotion, and these emotions are probably why Groot became the most popular character out of this franchise. Because who doesn't love a really stupid talking tree?
Of course, once again, this movie wouldn't have worked without James Gunn's vision. From using '60s and '70s hits as the musical backdrop, to putting so much work into making these characters as strange as possible for a summer blockbuster, to his skeevy yet somehow likable sense of humor, Guardians of the Galaxy is able to surpass its flaws thanks to the huge amount of work Gunn put into the film. Out of the entire MCU, this film has one of the strongest and most coherent directorial visions. It does not feel like a film made by committee like other MCU films have. Feige and company had enough foresight to take a risk hiring an outsider who hadn't written or directed any major release in roughly ten years, knowing that he could deliver a comic book movie unlike anything audiences had seen before. His love of sci-fi films like Star Wars shines through the whole film, allowing the audience to have as much fun watching it as he had making it. It's no wonder Marvel immediately hired him back to helm the sequel.
This is also the rare MCU movie that teases future developments but ties them in extremely organically into the story. The big MacGuffin is one of the Infinity Stones, but this film establishes their origins and that these are what Thanos seeks. Speaking of which, Thanos finally gets some dialogue here and it's a bit underwhelming, but Gunn makes it clear that he's nothing more than the mastermind in this film, much like the Emperor in the original Star Wars trilogy. It's a brief role that teases more to come, but his appearance is integral for Gamora, Nebula, and Ronan's stories. So though it is tied closely with the rest of the MCU, it still feels like its own movie.
So, that's it for Guardians of the Galaxy. I have some pretty big issues with its pacing and structure, but I still think it's an infectiously fun movie. It's got wonderful performances, a strong vision, some awesome visuals, and a killer soundtrack. And it has heart too. What more could you ask for?
We're going to be taking a break from movies for our next few parts and moving back to television. First off, time to relive the pain as we take a look at the tragically short-lived period drama starring the breakout star of Captain America: The First Avenger and why ABC can go eff themselves for sabotaging this series.
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