Imagine the original Star Wars. Now imagine if all of the heroes are Han Solo. Then add in a bunch of 80’s music, incredible action sequences, and make it hilarious.
That is basically the formula for Guardians of the Galaxy, a fun sci-fi romp that is unlike any superhero movie I have ever seen.
At the beginning of the movie, none of these people are heroes. They are all working for themselves, until they realize the threat they are facing is too great, and they must work together for more than just their own personal gain. It almost seems sad when they decide to band together, because the scenes where the five main characters argue are very entertaining.
This film has a great cast, anchored by Chris Pratt as Peter Quill, AKA Star-Lord. Pratt is as great as he is always is, just watch Parks and Recreation and The Lego Movie for evidence. The man is hilarious, and almost everything he says is funny.
Unfortunately, Pratt tends to be a better comedic actor than a dramatic one, and he is less convincing in the moments where he is supposed to be pulling our heartstrings. In fact, the movie as a whole is this way. Many of the emotional moments feel almost forced. However, this is not a big deal, as this movie is supposed to be fun, not sad. Nonetheless, Star-Lord is believable as an ordinary man who lives for himself until he realizes that he must become a hero.
Zoe Saldana as Gamora is also fantastic, just as good as she was in Avatar, and better than she was in Star Trek. Whereas the other characters are basically selfish people that kind of stumble into being heroes, Gamora is a vicious killer that has decided to become something better. It is a bit jarring the way she switches back and forth between being a cold-blooded killer and a compassionate friend, but this is a minor quibble.
Rocket Raccoon and Groot are great examples of how far modern movie making technology has come. Of all the Han Solo-type characters in this movie, Rocket definitely has the most in common with the man who shot first. Initially, he is just in it for the money, but of course we later learn he has a heart of gold. He even has his own version of Chewbacca, just a far more innocent version. Both are technical marvels, if you have ever wondered whether a tree could show a convincing range of facial expressions, wonder no longer.
Dave Bautista is hilarious as Drax the destroyer. You might think that he would be nothing but an action hero, but he is far more than that. He is a very sympathetic character, and his way of interpreting everything literally makes him hilarious.
All of the heroes in this movie are great, however, as typical for Marvel Studios, the villains are below sub-par. Sure, Thanos is great, but we only see him onscreen for a minute or two. The same thing happens with the Collector, though to be honest, I am not really sure he can be considered a villain in this movie.
The real problem lies with Ronan the accuser. It is almost as if the filmmakers recycled Malekith from Thor: The Dark World. He is completely, totally evil, with no real explanation aside from the fact that he hates Xandorians. His sidekick, Nebula, is not interesting either. Both have as much personality as an Extremis soldier from Iron Man 3.
The lack of interesting villains does not make this a bad movie, though, far from it. The five main characters make this film a blast, and it is a lot of fun watching them journey from a group of bickering loners to the Guardians of the Galaxy.
If you are wondering whether it is worth it to see it in Imax 3-D, then the answer is more complicated than you might think. It definitely enhanced the experience, but I am not sure if it needed to be Imax. Since only portions of the film were shot in Imax, the aspect ratio is constantly changing, which can be annoying. I would probably recommend seeing it just in 3-D, as some of the shots look incredible just because of their depth. The only downside is that the 3-D is very cool at the beginning, but as you get used to it, it stops being noticeable.
To sum things up, I would definitely recommend this movie. It is hilarious, action-packed, and has a great cast.
Do you want to see the movie? Have you already seen it, and do you agree with my assessment? Let me know in the comments!