Guardians of the Galaxy

Intergalactic quests with a band of uncanny soldiers featuring a human bandit who calls himself Star-Lord, a walking tree capable saying only one sentence, a genetically engineered raccoon bounty hunter who is always on the lookout for a quick buck, a royal assassin who betrays her allegiance, and a revenge-crazed maniac who lives on avenging his slain family: Guardians of the Galaxy brings back the cool in outer space adventures. With its retro references and tongue-in-cheek humor, the highly anticipated summer blockbuster certainly did not disappoint.

The story begins with Peter Quill (Chris Pratt)—who prefers to be known as Star-lord—hunting down a mysterious orb on a desolate planet known as Morag. As he makes his way to retrieve the orb, Star-Lord is confronted by the goons of the galaxy’s notorious megalomaniac, Ronan. But with his quick moves and fancy gadgets, Star-Lord escapes Ronan’s goons and makes his way to Xandar in the hopes of selling the orb, but not without putting a large bounty on his head.

Upon arrival to Xandar, Star-Lord finds trouble with bounty hunters Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) and Groot (Vin Diesel) as they try and capture Star-Lord. Just as things start to get ugly, one of Ronan’s finest assassins, Gamora (Zoe Saldana) joins in on the brawl as she attempts to retrieve the orb for herself. Without a moment to spare, Star-Lord and his newly found enemies are arrested by the Nova Corps, the intergalactic police, and are headed straight to prison where they meet fellow in-mate Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), who has a strong disdain for Gamora and her affiliation with the Kree warlord Ronan and her father Thanos. Despite their differences, Star-Lord and his group of misfits soon realize that they must work together to escape from prison and ultimately stop Ronan’s twisted plan of destroying the galaxy.

Guardians of the Galaxy brings in the big guns with a star-studded cast that carries the personalities of each character so well. Starting off with Chris Pratt being the perfect pick for the goofball playboy bandit, Pratt’s delivery of Star-Lord is a welcome reprieve from the usual serious and brooding superheroes in the Marvel Universe (i.e. Captain America).

Zoe Saldana’s portrayal of Gamora as the hot assassin that kicks supervillain butt is a role that Saldana plays so well. With her signature scowl, feisty eye rolls, and ninja moves, Saldana skyrockets Gamora as one of the top female superheroes in film.

Cooper’s voice-over of Rocket Raccoon will win the hearts of audiences worldwide with the witty zingers and sarcastic one-liners that bring some tough love to the over-the-top dysfunctional Brady bunch.

Dave Bautista’s portrayal of Drax the Destroyer is a pleasant surprise to most viewers who know the actor as an established professional wrestler. Bautista was able to turn Drax, the vengeance stricken psychopath into a lovable lethal weapon with a soft spot.

However, the film’s unsung hero is Vin Diesel, who voices over Groot. While Groot may only have one line, the different intonations performed by Diesel convey the perfect emotions of Groot every time. It is a challenge after all, to deliver a type of response with only a limited amount of words, a challenge that Vin Diesel overcomes with “I am Groot.”

Marvel spares no expense with supporting characters Nova Prime Irani Rael (Glenn Close), Nova Corps officer Rhomann Dey (John Reilly), Ronan’s right-hand man Korath (Djimon Hounsou) and the Collector (Benecio del Toro).

Apart from the great casting, Guardians of the Galaxy serves up stunning CGI not only for its characters Groot and Rocket Raccoon (although the animations of Groot’s powers is a spectacle on its own) but for the live action and overall backdrop of the entire film.

On the other hand, Marvel may have taken a huge risk by allowing B-movie director James Gunn to handle the reins of a big movie such as Guardians of The Galaxy, but it was a risk that duly paid off. Gunn was able to add a new spin on the typical Marvel blockbuster with its silly characters and witty 1980s references.

Guardians of the Galaxy juxtaposes the technologically advanced space age civilization with the retro soundtrack that viewers will surely appreciate. With its great cast, smart humor, and vibrant visual displays, Guardians of the Galaxy is a light-hearted take on intergalactic space adventure that viewers will want to watch over and over again. Also, just like any other Marvel film, patient moviegoers might want to stay until after the credits for a blast from the past that is worth the wait.

Rating: 4.0