The Guardians of the Galaxy have been an on/off fixture in Marvel Comics since the 1960′s but have never really been seen as A-listers despite having many different heroes step in and play their part as Guardians over time. The lineup we see in the film is based off the 2008 comic book revival which consists of the human leader of the group Peter Quill/Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), a deadly female assassin called Gamora (Zoe Saldana), a maniac quite rightly named Drax the Destroyer (former WWE star Dave Bautista) and the duo of Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and Groot (Vin Diesel), a genetically engineered raccoon and a giant tree like creature restricted to only 3 words of dialogue. This crazy bunch of individuals are soon brought together after Quill finds a mysterious orb with unknown power which just about every evil person in the universe wants to get their hands on, including the terrifying Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace), a Kree (blue-skinned alien, keep up people!) thirsty for power and willing to end the lives of billions.
Avengers had the (relatively) easy task of making a superhero team up movie with characters that had already been established and were known to the wider public so it’s credit to the film makers that by the end of this 2 hour film you care so much about each of the main characters. The people who deserve the real credit though are the exceptional cast who all give brilliant performances full of humour and heart. Pratt plays Star-Lord as a confident, cocky Han Solo/Captain Kirk type and he is the true hero of the film. We meet him in 1988 at the beginning of the film in the only scene set on Earth and immediately feel connected to his character who isn’t quite as sure of himself as he makes out. Zoe Saldana is reliable as ever as Gamora and she gets to really kick ass in several scenes, I sometimes felt however in a couple of her fight scenes that she didn’t live up to her status as ‘the most deadly woman in the galaxy’. Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper are arguably the biggest stars in the cast so it was understandably risky putting them in the film only as voice talent for Groot and Rocket, the performances they produce however are so brilliant they still manage to stand out. Cooper pulls off the sarcastic and short-fused Rocket perfectly and he carries the film with his many brilliant one-liners, we also see a little in to Rocket’s dark and troubled past and really begin to care for this unloved creature. Diesel meanwhile manages to find a million different ways to say “I am Groot” yet it never gets boring and I’m sure he will be many people’s favourite character by the end of the film (something that could actually probably be said for each Guardian, they’re just that good!) The real breakout star of the film however is surprisingly the former wrestler Dave Bautista. As expected he is great in all of Drax’s action scenes and smashes plenty of heads in but where he caught me by surprise is just how fantastic a comedy actor he is. Bautista has such excellent timing that many of the top actors in Hollywood could only dream of having.
Comedy really is a big part of this film and I know that troubles some Marvel movie fans, especially when it is timed badly and takes away any danger from a scene. On the whole I will say the jokes are done incredibly well and every one seems to hit it’s mark and get the audience laughing, however there is a moment which I feel may prove controversial where a scene is played for laughs and it sadly feels like a bit of a cop out and lack of creativity from the writers but I will leave it up to you to decide, you will surely notice this when it happens. Don’t worry though there is plenty of action and tension throughout the film and it is balanced perfectly with the comedy. Captain America: The Winter Soldier had big ideas and proved that Marvel Studios aren’t afraid to go serious and despite not being quite so politically centred this story contains a plot where the lives of billions are at stake and the threat seems real despite it being alien. We even get to meet a character who was glimpsed at the end of the Avengers and has already been compared to The Emperor from Star Wars. A true evil being overseeing everything who has very big plans and we are sure to meet again soon in a Marvel film!
Along with great comedy and action come some truly jaw dropping visuals. Director James Gunn insisted on using as many practical effects as possible and we get some great and very exotic set designs, as well as plenty of brightly coloured alien extras. Of course a film of this scale contains a great deal of special effects and they are tremendous, we get thrilling spaceship battles rivalling anything seen before in a sci-fi film and also some really cool looking planets and scenery. The work done in bringing Rocket and Groot to life deserves special mention as they really are terrific, I would say on the same level as Gollum from the Lord of the Rings films and Caesar from the recent Planet of the Apes, they are just so realistic and you feel all their emotions.
Guardians of the Galaxy is a real cinematic treat, it will have you on the edge of your seat from the word go and it is highly likely you will fall off that seat from laughing so hard. I was lucky enough to watch this in IMAX 3D and would highly recommend others to watch it in this format if they get the chance, it is a film made for the biggest screen. Avengers 2 is coming next year, until then this bunch of A-holes are here to keep us entertained, and I’m sure this isn’t the last we will see of them.
5/5