Review of Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) by Eherno — 06 Oct 2014

So Guardians of the Galaxy is the latest flick from Marvel and not based on a group of superhero’s many people were probably familiar with before its release. It seems Marvel is scrapping the barrel for more superhero’s to take the stage, but anyways. Let’s get into it.

So first of all, the best thing about this film is probably its soundtrack. Thanks to the most relatable character, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), we get a handful of music that’s pre-90’s. The first example of this is in the opening credits sequence, which is fantastic. It’s fun and something never really seen in a Marvel film before. Seeing as how this film is like a cousin to Marvel’s The Avengers it focuses on a group of hero’s and not just one. However, unlike Avengers, which had a film previously released to explore each individual character, this film has to use some of its runtime to introduce each of the five characters right off the bat. Luckily this doesn’t happen too quickly, and it’s set up so the characters don’t like each other at first, which is a good way to keep us interested in how they develop a relationship with one another. Although I will say that the opening scene is depressing as hell, and it goes from realism to comic book feel too quickly. But overall, this film starts out kicking ass. It’s different, the characters are unique and interesting, and they get a really nice setup. Unfortunately as the movie goes on it starts to deflate slightly.

The biggest problem this movie has, despite its excellent take on character development, is its villains. The problem, simply put, is that they’re boring as **** Seriously. They have no character development. As far as I remember, the main characters don’t even talk to Ronin (Lee Pace) until an hour into the movie, and even then they barley have any conflict with him. The only person who has a real beef with this guy was Drax (Dave Batista) and even then it was too cliché and forced. In fact, Drax is probably the least developed and intriguing character of the five Guardians. Even Groot (Vin Diesel) is a more interesting character, mostly because he’s the sidekick to Rocket (Bradley Cooper), who is absolutely badass. Rocket and Groot practically resemble Han Solo and Chewbacca. In fact, they are Han Solo and Chewbacca. The clues are there. Look for them. In fact, both Peter Quill and Gamora (Zoe Saldana) have a rouge/Han Solo feel to them. At first they’re just trying to get what will make themselves happy, but then they grow beyond that. The relationship among the main characters develops really well as the movie goes on. It’s the villains that need more work. Don’t even get me started on Thanos (Josh Brolin). Is it even worth mentioning the actors name? The whole Macguffin (the thing that keeps the story going) was poorly explained as well. In this case, it’s the orb. It’s vaguely explained to be this all-powerful device which can unleash inconceivable powers, even though it’s apparent that only certain people can control it, one of those being Ronin. The conflict is that he wants to use it to destroy the republic of Xandar, which is implied to be like the capital of the galaxy, but there is no explanation of why. You know, what his beef is with Xandar, what their history is, and why he’s so keen on destroying them. Yeah, anyone who has read the comics doesn’t really need an explanation, and will probably fangasm over this film more, but what matters is the film as a film on its own. It’s not just made for fans who were previously familiar with Guardians of the Galaxy.

Overall, this is definitely one of Marvel’s finest films in years. If you liked Avengers, then this is definitely your forte. The main characters are each unique and interesting in their own way and are really what make this film. And they should be. After all, they’re the Guardians of the Galaxy.