Film Review - Guardians of the Galaxy

Guardians of the Galaxy
Directed by James Gunn

*This is a SPOILER-FREE post, so read away*

Summary: When the rogue outlaw, Peter Quill, comes across an item that has the power to destroy the universe, he is forced to team up with a group of renegade criminals to keep the item from the hands of an evil psychopath.

Sounds crazy, huh? It is, and you will love it.




If you've seen the trailers for this film, then you know that it looks hilarious and incredibly fun.  I saw the first trailer a year ago at San Diego Comic-Con 2013 and was blown away. In the midst of so many unoriginal superhero remakes and bland re-remakes (The Amazing Spiderman?), this movie is the breath of fresh air we all need. Finally we have an epic blockbuster that doesn't take itself too seriously, yet still communicates a great message and is sprinkled with emotional moments.
Loaded up with a great cast, including Hollywood's new and unforeseen superstar, Chris Pratt, who is perfect for this role. He has a bright career in the future for him. The whole cast is really phenomenal, and play so well off of each other in their comical feedback.

One thing that is guaranteed to stand out to you in this film is the soundtrack. The music of the movie plays such a great role in the way that the film doesn't take itself to seriously.  Everywhere he goes, Quill takes with him a walkman from his past life on Earth, loaded with some groovy beats from the 70's and 80's. These songs set against the backdrop of nebulas and starships and the whole gamut of an epic space adventure, creates the craziest and most entertaining world you can imagine. This is the epitome of a clever and innovative use of music in a film.
Tyler Bates also composed the original score for the film, which at times can feel generic and at other times is incredible powerful and romantic. Overall it does a great job of complimenting the film without stealing the spotlight.

Now what's a review without some criticism? I really think that my biggest issue with the film was just the editing. It was frankly a little clunky at times and made some of the jokes that were hilarious in the trailer, fall on their face in the movie. Okay maybe that's being a bit harsh, but I just loved the trailers so much and I just hoped the whole movie would be cut that way (can we get the guy who cut that trailer hired to cut a film?!)

All in all, this is a great mesh of action, comedy, sci-fi, and adventure, that, as one of my friends noted, is visually reminiscent of a childhood favorite - Titan A.E.  The visuals are fantastic, exciting, and new, full of a vibrant color palette highlighting the otherworldliness of the setting.

I think the thing that I love so much about this film is that it's not a superhero film. Because we are thrown into a new world with new rules, we accept the fact that these guys are aliens, creatures, and humanoids that have different powers than regular humans. In their universe, there's really nothing super about them. They're a bunch of misfits and outlaws, that in spite of their crimes and unruly demeanor, have the hearts of heroes. This is not a superhero movie, it's a sci-fi space opera, a comedy, and an action adventure. It's everything a summer film should be.

Bonus: Check out this trailer of Star Wars, cut to the style of GOTG