Guardians Of The Galaxy (UK Rating: 12A)
Another week, another blockbuster. After a demi-god and his followers, though, now it's a rag-bag of mutants and aliens saving the entire galaxy. Following on from the recent release of Hercules, and the early look at Marvel's new feature film, Lights, Camera, Action! discovers that such weighty responsibilities can be enormous fun in this review of Guardians of the Galaxy, which is due out in UK cinemas from Thursday, 31st July.Marvel has just added another five movies to its release slate between now and 2019. That's on top of the next appearances from Captain America, Thor and the Avengers. Who knows how long it will take before the storylines run thin and audiences lose interest. However, for the time being, its latest offering, Guardians of the Galaxy, is quite possibly the most fun anybody will have in the cinema this summer!
In a corner somewhere in outer space, Peter Quill - a.k.a. Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) - steals an orb. What he doesn't know is that it has extraordinary powers and that an awful lot of people want to get their hands on it. They are soon on his trail, and a dangerous bunch they are too, including the deadly Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace). Quill finds himself teaming up with a group of alien misfits not only to hold on to the all-important orb but to protect the galaxy from Ronan and his powers.
That plot, however, is almost incidental. It's more a device to set up the action sequences and provide opportunities for banter between Quill's team. It certainly isn't the reason for seeing the film, but the characters are - and two of them in particular. Rocket Raccoon (voiced superbly by Bradley Cooper) and Groot (the voice of Vin Diesel), a gigantic root man, walk away with it - no mean achievement given that they are the computer generated members of the gang. Rocket is cynical, macho, and a brilliant tactician with a vicious sense of humour. Groot, on the other hand, is the innocent with a limited vocabulary. "I am Groot." That's it! Somehow, though, Diesel manages to infuse those three little words with all manner of meaning and, even more extraordinarily, Rocket is the only one who understands exactly what he's saying. Groot isn't just powerful, he has the rather handy ability to extend his limbs at will: watch for when he kebabs a line of enemy soldiers and then grins proudly at the camera, for instance.
A large chunk of the film's US$150 million budget has gone on the special effects and it's been money well spent. They especially come into their own in the battle sequences - one involving a massive enemy spaceship is particularly good - but they are equally effective at a lower level, such as Groot's transformation into a magical bush.
There's a third reason for seeing the film and, unusually, it's the soundtrack. It's a fabulous mix of 70s and 80s tracks - the original Spirit in the Sky, I'm Not in Love, Hooked on a Feeling - and, while they don't really belong in outer space, somehow they are a perfect fit. What doesn't quite fit is Quill's name for his beloved cassette tape of favourite music: Awesome Mix is so not 80s.