Starring: Chris Pratt, Lee Pace, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper
Director: James Gunn
Genre: Superhero, adventure
Running time: 121 minutes
Now showing at Cinema Magic, Naalya and Cineplex Cinema at The Hub
Marvel movie characters are usually very serious. Think Captain America, Thor, Iron Man and the like. Sure they have a little humour here and there, Iron Man especially, but they are usually, for lack of a better way to describe them, grown-up about their work.
So the first time you see the Guardians of the Galaxy, nothing about them screams Marvel. This group redefines misfits. We have a bounty-hunting talking raccoon, a tree-like humanoid, a green lethal assassin and multi-tattooed muscle man with a dry sense of humour. Despite its unmarvel-like feel, this is proving to be one of the most popular movies this year, getting widely positive reviews.
The movie follows Peter Quill (Pratt) a half-human, half-alien who was abducted from Earth as a child and raised in outer space. As a grown-up, he leads quite an adventurous life, stealing artifacts and seducing girls, calling himself the Star Lord. On one of his adventures, he steals a silver orb, attracting the wrath of Ronan the Accuser (Pace), who was tasked to retrieve the orb for a warlord who would like to destroy several lives. To evade Ronan, Quill brings together Gamora (Saldana), Drax (Bautista), Rocket (Cooper’s voice) and Groot (Diesels voice).
The movie’s greatest strength is that it is about the guardians. The fact that they have villains chasing their tails is secondary. So you get to really enjoy each character and what makes them tick –Quill’s cockiness, Gamora’s no-nonsense attitude, Drax’s dry wit, Rocket’s sarcasm and Groot’s endearing charm. This is rare in movies with a large cast, where a lot of time is spent trying to show how every character is connected.
This is one even the snobbiest of comic book fans will have a hard time finding a problem with.
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