Just give me a second whilst I get Hooked on a Feeling out of my head. OK there we go.
When Guardians of the Galaxy (GotG) was first announced you could hear the collective “eh?”. Who are these A-Holes? Marvel Studios had wobbled a couple of times but overall was doing an amazing job in building out their universe. Even post-Avengers, this seemed risky.
But think back to 2008. Most people didn’t know who Iron Man and Captain America were, let alone Nicky Fury or Black Widow. Good films led to recognition! So what’s to stop this group of characters ending up in the same position?
Nothing! With laughs that had me missing the next line of dialogue, beautiful vistas and heartfelt emotional moments, GotG has it all. It’s easily one of the best MCU films.
The Guardians themselves make for such a compelling group that I can’t really spilt them. I’ll pick one out as being awesome and then remember a scene another one had. They’re all well formed, immediately endearing and all get moments to shine. Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket, Groot and Drax are a group of broken characters that together become a whole. The Avengers had several films of build up yet here a team with believably stronger ties comes together in two hours. They’re a bunch of losers that I want to see succeed.
Comic book movies really are de rigueur now, with the supporting cast full of star power. Fortunately none are phoning it in and this adds a layer of quality to an already impressive film.
James Gunn’s clarity in voice and vision shines through whilst still providing requisite Marvel brand values of humour and action. Where others have struggled Gunn has thrived. Perhaps the distance from the rest of the MCU helps. Regardless, GotG functions superbly on its own whilst still sewing many seeds and offering more details for the MCU to take forward.
You could argue that Ronan is a “tell and don’t show” type of villain. He’s obviously a bad dude, and Lee Pace gives him presence, but he’s a little light. Him and Nebula still come out of better than most though, avoiding the palette swap effect of Whiplash or absolute nothing of Malekith.
Nearly forgot to mention the ship! The Milano is a beauty, and I love how the enemy ships do handbrake turns when parking.
Five characters with wildly different background but similar pain come together with big guns and even bigger hearts to create a truly enjoyable and spectacular movie. No risk at all in the end.
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