Spotlight #03- Guardians of the Galaxy

Yeah, I know. By the time it's taken me to post a review of this movie, it's already earned over $500 million at the box office. But you know what? I saw this movie the weekend after it opened, which is really rare for me. I walked in, sat down, and saw a really good film. It's one of the best Marvel Studios has ever done, and I'm going to talk about it with someone who hasn't seen it if it's the LAST THING I DO!

So, let's begin.

"Guardians" is set in the same universe as the rest of the "Avengers" line-up, i.e. Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, et cetera. This time, it follows Peter Quill (played by Chris Pratt), abducted from Earth as a kid and now fully accepted into an interracial galactic civilization, albeit as a petty criminal. He finally gets incarcerated into the highest-grade prison in the galaxy after the theft of a highly-valuable orb, as well as a public brawl between him, Green-skinned assassin Gamora, tree-man Groot, and cyborg raccoon Rocket. Unfortunately, said orb has attracted some attention from higher criminals, not intent on a quick buck as much as universal annihilation. Now, these criminals who all blame each other for their trials have to set aside their differences to effectively save everybody.

Now, if you've been on the internet for some time, (you had to have been if you miraculously found this site) Marvel's strategy in terms of storytelling isn't that big of a secret. It doesn't seem as much of a superhero movie as much as an inspired remake of "Firefly" or "Star Wars", in that nobody really has superpowers per se. Instead, we get more of a group of people who just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Throw in a bit of piracy and 70's rock music, and you get a really unique mix, predominantly comedy, and just as awesome ride.

Now, you're probably wondering why a live action movie is on my playlist of favorite animations. Well, Chris Pratt does handle Star-Lord's character fairly well, but Rocket Raccoon- voiced by Bradley Cooper- takes the cake. It's a thin margin, but he just manages to be funnier, wittier, and have more heart. Improbable as he is, he feels rather genuine, especially when it comes to his relationship with long-time muscle and cohort Groot. It also helps that they are both very well-animated, and it works for them more-so than the rubber-forehead-ed extras. In a movie with quite a few complex characters and a complicated plot as it is, it's amazing that they got these guys to display humor, heartbreak, and a certain level of awe all at the same time.

Of course, it's not entirely without its flaws, bringing it down to one or two spaces behind Marvel's biggest hit "the Avengers." It all depends on that one factor that drives the story- the villain. In "Avengers," villain Loki had a fair bit of character. He got his fair share of screen time, explaining all of his motivations and backstory, even showing either how malicious or how cunning he was. In the end, you almost wanted to root for him. In "Guardians,", however, they try to introduce two separate villains- Thanos the Mad Titan and Ronan, leader of the Kris. In the end, Ronan gets more camera, but not nearly enough to explain his motivation or character other than "Let's kill everyone for the heck of it."

At least they were able to balance that with all of the other characters, since I only really found that out on my porch after I got home from the theater. In the middle of it all, though, I enjoyed every second. While parents and families may not appreciate the added level of swearing and irreverence to the humor, there were quite a few moments that had me on the edge of my seat, and even more curled up dying from laughter. It's a must-see for fans of Marvel Comics who want to see their more obscure characters come to the screen. It's also worth it to fans of movies like "Back to the Future" and "Ghostbusters" for a bit of nostalgia.

Sing it with me!

AHHHHAHHHHAHI'M

HOOKED ON A FEELIN'!

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