Feature | Lights, Camera, Action! – Guardians of the Galaxy (Movie Review)

By Freda Cooper 27.07.2014 7

Image for Feature | Lights, Camera, Action! – Guardians of the Galaxy (Movie Review)

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.
Image for Feature | Lights, Camera, Action! – Guardians of the Galaxy (Movie Review)

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.


 
That's just a taste of the humour. Guardians of the Galaxy doesn't take itself seriously in the slightest, so the laughs are never far away. Quick-fire gags, running jokes - they are all there, hitting the spot every time. One of the gang, Drax, starts out with no sense of humour at all, taking everything literally. As he says, "Nothing goes over my head. I would catch it." When he correctly identifies a metaphor later on, then, he's very pleased with himself - and the audience is roaring with laughter.

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.

Image for Feature | Lights, Camera, Action! – Guardians of the Galaxy (Movie Review)

8/10
Rated 8 out of 10

Great - Silver Award

Rated 8 out of 10
Guardians of the Galaxy is a crowd pleaser of the first order, fitting in nicely amongst the other Marvel blockbusters. The spectacular CGI and crackling humour both come together to make a piece of seriously good entertainment, almost putting the actual plot on the backburner. At the end of the film comes the message "The Guardians of the Galaxy Will Return" and they will indeed be more than welcome to come back. In the meantime, "I am Groot" is the catchphrase of summer 2014 for Marvel fans and general moviegoers alike.

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I'm looking forward to this more than I was Captain America 2 and the new X-Men, actually! Smilie

Adam Riley [ Director :: Cubed3 ]

UNITE714: Weekly Prayers | Bible Verses

Been hype for this for a long time now, can't wait to see it this weekend! x-x am actually rewatching most of the previous MCU films to hype myself up for it!

Twitter | C3 Writer/Moderator | Backloggery

One guy I know recently saw this and can't stop raving about it. I really need to get to the cinema to see it asap!!

Adam Riley [ Director :: Cubed3 ]

UNITE714: Weekly Prayers | Bible Verses

Fantastic film, saw it earlier today. Smilie

Just came back from watching it myself actually. Absolutely worth the hype, it was thrilling, fantastic and thought provoking. I felt like there was too much to cover in a single film, so I really hope the sequel does this world justice.

Twitter | C3 Writer/Moderator | Backloggery

Went to see it yesterday with my friend and thoroughly enjoy it. It was even better than I was expecting it to be and I already had high expectations for it, after hearing such positive feedback from others. I really loved the unexpected comedy within the film, I was laughing out loud and found it genuinely funny and all the Guardians were likeable and appealing characters, especially Groot (who was my favourite). The rest of the cast were great, too. I loved Michael Rooker as Yondu.

I really want to see it again, so I'll definitely be picking it up on Blu-ray when it's released.

( Edited 05.08.2014 13:15 by Marzy )

FINALLY saw this today, and it was SO funny! Plenty of action as well, for good measure. Many said it's the best of the Marvel movies, which I don't quite agree with. If anything it's more a case of being very different from the norm, which is why it felt so refreshing. I think I preferred The Winter Soldier a tad more than this, but it was still well worth finally watching.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Will Return! Focusing on Star Lord's father, it would seem?

Adam Riley [ Director :: Cubed3 ]

UNITE714: Weekly Prayers | Bible Verses

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