Guardians of the Galaxy Review (No Spoilers)

When lowly thief, Peter Quill, steals a mysterious orb in the far reaches of space, he finds himself the object of a manhunt by a powerful being known as Ronan the Accuser. As he and four other criminals fight to keep the orb away from Ronan for their own individual selfish reasons, they must all find the good in themselves and work together to form the Guardians of the Galaxy.

The Guardians of the Galaxy is unlike any superhero film that has ever been made. With one of the most well written scripts Marvel has ever produced, it seems to transcend the superhero genre and enter into an old 80s scifi/fantasy genre. Emulating a Star Wars-like feeling throughout the film, the Guardians of the Galaxy creates a whole new universe in which to explore. With different species of aliens and amazing set designs, it feels like you’ve been dropped into a world that has existed for a long time and you’re only just discovering.

This film is strongest in its writing. From the start to literally the very end, the film is filled with intelligent writing, witty humour, nostalgic references and even some silly simple jokes for the kids. More of a comedy than any other movie Marvel has done, the lines are perfectly delivered by an outstanding cast.

Chris Pratt's amazing transformation
for the part.

In an all so new world, we are guided through the story by Peter Quill, who is played by the talented Chris Pratt. Portraying what seems to be a mash up of Hans Solo and James Kirk, Chris Pratt delivers a performance that will have you falling in love with his character by perfectly illustrating the child-like wonder the film is all about. Now becoming one of the funniest characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I cannot wait for him to interact with Tony Stark in the Avengers 3.

Right next to Peter Quill stands Gamora, Drax, Rocket and Groot. With Zoe Saldana and Dave Bautista giving decent enough performances to make Gamora and Drax likable characters, the real standouts come in the form of Rocket and Groot. Bradley Cooper delivers one of the most lovable and funny voice performances I’ve seen in a long time, making Rocket instantly endearing. Rocket Raccoon is the heart of the movie and I cannot stress enough how good of a character he is. But no ‘Hans Solo’ will ever be complete without a ‘Chewbacca’, and in this film, it comes in the form of an equally appealing Groot. A living tree-like being, it was nice to see an ever-present organic entity in such a non-organic world. Only ever saying one line, the animators have done outstandingly to make Groot such a joy to see in every scene. Each and every one of the main cast brought their A-game and had such great chemistry and I cannot wait for them to return in the next film.

The film is not without its problems. With a villain that may have been fleshed out a little more, the lack of use of Nebula and a not very well portrayed Yondu, it seems to push away other characters’ screen time to make way for the main five. There also seemed to be a weakening of Gamora’s character as she does not at all seem like the deadliest woman in the galaxy. However, these cons pale in comparison to the pros and are more nitpicks than anything.

Director James Gunn

My 3 pillars of a great film are story, cast chemistry and a well-written script. If a movie can do well in one of them, it is a good movie. But the more solid the pillars, the better the film. With an amazing script, a perfect cast with great chemistry and a relatively okay story (sprinkled with an Awesome mix), one of Marvel’s biggest gamble has, in my opinion, paid off.

Marvel has succeeded in turning a C or even D-list comic book into a first class film. It may not have been the best Marvel film to date, but it certainly deserves a place amongst the bests. A film about the misfits, the hated, the renegades, the people who no one ever pays attention to, the Guardians of the Galaxy is a tale of redemption and doing what is right. Perhaps its greatest accomplishment is how it is able to stick to ones mind long after the film. With all the dark, gritty and realistic movies coming out today, it's nice to have a movie that will return you to a simpler time when movies were light-hearted and just a fun time at the theatre. You will leave the theatre with a huge smile on your face and a hunger to watch it again immediately. And for the comic book fan, the amount of easter eggs in the Collector’s lair is mouth-watering. With this new film, Marvel has not only succeeded in expanding the Marvel Cinematic Universe massively, they have also given this young generation an opportunity to experience first-hand what the generation of the 80s experienced when Star Wars first came out in the theatres. And if that is still not enough to convince you to watch it, the Guardians of the Galaxy is a MUST watch if you are planning to see the Avengers 3.

So, you know…go see it.