Guardians of the Galaxy movie review

Here's what you need to know; after being abducted into his new and adventurous life as a Ravager, Peter Quill can't seem to keep himself out of trouble. His latest job gets messy however when he finds that his treasure is sought after by several people, including the genocidal war monger Ronan. Now stuck with a motley crew of bounty hunters, an assassin and a no nonsense nut case, Quill finds himself in the position of being one of the only things between the galaxy and Ronan.
2014 had some great movies; Godzilla, Edge of Tomorrow, Paddington, Planet of the Apes, somewhere in there is a film called Guardians of the Galaxy, a film in the famed MCU, and one of only three films I've seen in the MCU, which I'm not proud of. It'll be four soon enough though, and I'll never turn down an excuse to watch a film I love.

Guardians of the Galaxy takes an unexpected turn right away, with an intro that's very devoid of humour, and is instead filled with a deep sense of tragedy, for a film filled with laughs and badass action, it's very odd to start in such a sombre place, but it works, as we're immediately given a reason to care about Peter. Then of course the film does a complete U-turn and a significant time jump, and we are introduced to an older Peter, who still has a working Walkman somehow. It's also here that the film establishes it's heavily comedic side, as Quill dances and sings his way through perilous ancient ruins. That intro really helps to establish Quill as a likable character; after suffering a tragedy, and then having his whole universe literally turned on its head, he comes from a very emotional place for the audience, while watching him use a nasty looking rodent as a mime microphone is stupidly funny. Over the course of the film, Quill remains its main focus, as he slowly becomes friends with his fellow Guardians, and finds purpose in stopping Ronan, and they manage to find trouble everywhere they go. The rest of the crew is significantly less developed than Quill, just an observation though, not a negative, and the majority of them are every bit as likable as Quill. Gamora is a very stoic character for most of the film, and she likes swords and knives. Her backstory is certainly grim, and her motivations are understandable, but it's only really in the film's final act that Gamora really becomes a likable character, while the rest of the film shows off her proficiency in combat and her ability to make funny remarks. Equally skilled in fighting and remarking, but even more wooden, is Drax, a character with another tragic backstory, but who's lacking in crucial departments, that being said, like Gamora, he does grow on you throughout the film. That just leaves Rocket and Groot, and while one of them is literally wooden, combined, they are easily the film's greatest strength. Rocket is amazing, he's the funniest character in the film by far, always armed with a witty remark, a plan, and a ridiculously big gun, when the action goes down, he's about a vicious as a Raccoon can get, but what's really surprising is the emotional weight in his character. At a few points in this film Rocket breaks down, and underneath the snarky, crazy inventor bounty hunter, you see a very damaged and troubled rodent, and towards the film's end, you genuinely can't help but feel his loss. Next to Quill, he's the best character in the film. Groot meanwhile is much simpler; he's a big, somewhat simple minded tree, with a very limited vocabulary, and an immense heart. There's one instance where I can spoil I think, when he gives a girl beggar a flower, which is really sweet. But to sum up what I really love about Groot, I can't spoil it, but he does something in the film's final battle, and when he's done, he pulls a face that is, no word of a lie, the funniest thing in the film, it's just amazing. While the film's leads are pretty damn good, the line up falters in supporting characters; Thanos is in one scene, pretty minor for the biggest baddie in the MCU, while Ronan is a pretty hollow villain. Yondu is admittedly pretty cool, because it's Michael Rooker, while Nebula is played by one of the things that made me stop liking Doctor Who, no bias there then.

Part of what makes Guardians of the Galaxy so enjoyable is its humour; the film is oozing with the shit, it comes from all of the characters, besides the villain, and is prevalent for the entirety of the film. Rocket and Quill give the film it's best laughs, with Groot, Gamora and Drax not far behind, Peter Serafinowicz from Shaun of the Dead and John C. Reilly are both in this film, you know where that leads. But that comedy doesn't detract from the film's more emotional scenes, which Quill and Rocket get the bulk of, and those emotional scenes are really good, proper heavy stuff, the ending in particular really pulls at the heart strings, as does Quill's abduction. Guardians of the Galaxy tells a fun story, the film doesn't pass on any excuses to hop around the Galaxy, and always throws an action scene at you just in case the comedy wasn't entertaining enough; the throw down in the prison is fantastic stuff, a good blend of laughs and fast, exciting action, while the final battle against Ronan is like something out of Star Wars. It, like a Star Wars finale, mixes a ground, or rather, ship battle, with a huge battle above the surface with fighters and massive ships. There's also a tone shift about half way through the film, which is actually done really well, it doesn't slow down the film's more entertaining elements, but it does greatly help in developing the friendship between the Guardians, and gives their friendship and actions more purpose. It's now I should probably mention the visual effects, which are, as you should expect, outstanding. Rocket and Groot are CG, but you really don't care while you're watching, it's very comparable to Paddington in that respect, with how well done the CG on those two is. The Various places they visit in their quest all look phenomenal too, and are a good variety of nice looking planets, a shitty looking prison and mining colony, and an eerie and atmospheric dead planet, as well as the suitably dark and sinister Kree ship, contrasted by the bright and colourful look of Xandar. This is again reflected in the designs of the various alien things, with the nasty look of the Necrocraft, and the even nastier look of their pilots, contrasted by the equally abstract, but much nicer and more colourful Nova fighters, while the Milano and the Ravager ships are just great, something about the design of the Milano just appeals to me, maybe the brilliant orange and blue paint, or the elegant, organic shaping of its wings, it's striking angles, something just really works. A nebulous, non specific and blind praise is also in order for the film's music, which is, once again, fantastic; the film's list of songs is extensive, and there honestly isn't a bad one, there's some David Bowie, Raspberries, Norman Greenbaum, Jackson 5, Blue Swede, and of course others, and they certainly add to the film's fun factor, as The Pina Colada Song kicks on during a prison break, or Cherry Bomb kicks on while they all gear up for the big battle, does it all make sense, not really, but it's a lot of fun, and the great music is something you'll certainly remember.

Guardians of the Galaxy is the kind of film I honestly can't imagine someone not liking, since while it does have flaws, I'd say in its weak villain and supporting characters, the film is just too much fun to not like. It's funny, exciting, has the best talking CG hairball this side of Paddington, excellent visuals overall, a stellar song list, and at times it can really deliver some emotional clout. Its central characters are all good, even if one or two are on the weak side, and it's climatic final act has me struggling for a superlative I haven't already used. A film that can hold all of these elements together and balance them as well as this one does always makes for a hugely enjoyable watch, and Guardians of the Galaxy is no exception, it's definitely a must watch.