New Movie Review: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Is Like A Star Wars Origins Story
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- Last Updated: Thursday, 31 July 2014 11:19
- Written by Lupe R Haas
Some are calling GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY the best Marvel film ever, but I wouldn’t go quite that far. The intergalactic adventure is certainly entertaining and a throwback to the classic sci-fi of the 70s with characters that you can see yourself following for many sequels to come. While there are elements of Star Wars, the film reminded me of the good old adventures of Buck Rogers and Star Trek. The Guardians’ adventure takes us into different universes with different species of aliens. The plot is simple: Save the universe from a villain who wants power for his destructive intentions. You’ve also got the quirky characters who don’t quite get along and the interaction between them is hilarious. While the comedy is much more sophisticated in Guardians than classic sci-fi adventures which often leaned towards cheeseball, the Marvel film gives you nostalgia with a modern flair.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY also reminded this viewer of the original Star Wars movies. Chris Pratt plays a Han Solo-type as Peter Quill, an intergalactic hustler looking to make a dime and survive. So you could imagine Peter Quill is the younger version of the Harrison Ford character. Pratt is so likeable, sexy, and natural at playing this character that he’s bound to gain lots of female fans because of it. We’re used to seeing Pratt play funny slouches on screen, and I never imagined him as a sex symbol, but he is clearly one in this film.
To take the Star Wars reference further, Zoe Saldana’s Gamora could be likened to Princess Leia only because she is a strong female character that was sorely lacking in any previous sci-fi adventures except for Star Wars. Groot is the Chewbacca of the bunch with his loyal nature, but watch out, he’s deadly too. And only Rocket the Raccoon can understand Groot’s various meanings behind his one line – “I am Groot.” Luckily there are no cute robots running around as comedic relief because the rag team of Guardians provides that fun. And there are no Jedi’s but a father complex is brewing with Chris Pratt’s character that we can’t wait to see play out in future movies.
As far as the music, at first the 70s rock anthems didn’t quite fit when used in the previews to GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, but when you watch the movie it makes perfect sense and it proved to be one of the endearing qualities about the film.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY is quite different than the previous Marvel films in that it keeps it simple and it relies heavily on the comedy. Movies like Thor, Avengers Captain America, and Iron Man are much more complex in the characters pathos and underlying themes.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY is simply good old-fashioned fun. It’s one the whole family will enjoy when it opens August 1st.