By Garret Watts
Marvel's latest release has made it's way to the big screen, and so I took the liberty and went to see it. But was James Gunn's latest release a hit? Or a miss? After the jump you can check out my spoiler-free review!
Welcome comic nerds, to the latest review from Garret Watts. Today, I'll be taking a look at Marvel's latest release, Guardians of the Galaxy. This is one of those films that seemed like a great risk. But was it good or bad? That's what I'm here to decide.
Unlike many of their other films, Marvel really relied the story solely on the characters of the film. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, as many films such as previous release Captain America: The Winter Soldier was centered around the plot, while in this film the characters MAKE the plot. They are the sole being of the film, and without any one of them, the film wouldn't be the same.
Chris Pratt (The Lego Movie) takes the lead as Peter Jason Quill a.k.a Star-Lord, and pulls off the bounty hunter's role so perfectly, it isn't even funny (actually, he is). He is certainly one of Marvel's greatest leading actors, and one of my personal favorites. WWE Wrestler Dave Bautista's acting skills are impressive, as he had a reason to fight because his wife and daughter were killed. And fight he did! He certainly had some great fighting shots, and while he wasn't the best character out of the team, he certainly came close. Zoe Saldana's (Star Trek) Gamora was even better, and while she didn't have as many jokes to remember, her fighting skills are most amazing and she is certainly a force to be reckoned with. Now I don't know about the rest of you, but I was a bit iffy with Rocket (Bradley Cooper) from the trailers. The voice just didn't fit for me. Well let me say, he is brilliant! The voice really grows on you, and to me the motion-capture is one of the best that this age has seen. “I am Groot!” Vin Diesel's (Fast and Furious) Groot is the final hero, and to me is the best. Star-Lord refers to him as “Giving Tree”, and he is! He is sure to give laughs, and always has something to help the team just when they need him. His voice was iconic, yet rare, much like the roar from Gareth Edward's recent Godzilla.
I came in not expecting much from the villain's side of things, especially Lee Pace's 'Ronan the Accuser.' I expected him to be much like Thor: The Dark World's 'Malekith,' with no motives and he's just there to make things bad. While he doesn't have much of a motive either, He certainly is powerful and Lee Pace (The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug) really pulls off the role. Nebula however, was not so. Karen Gillan (Doctor Who) plays the part, and you don't see much from the trailers, but what you see is kinda what you get. She says a few lines, fights for a little while, and that's all we really get out of her. As we all know by now, Josh Brolin's 'Thanos' makes an appearance in the film, and he is perfect for the role. There is no better actor for the part and while he doesn't do much, you don't expect him to.
The Nova Corps were rather disappointing, as they just seemed to be “there.” They didn't really help do much, and none of them did anything superior, but they weren't bad, and the uniforms were great and I hope to see a future in the corps.
As far as a plot goes, Guardians of the Galaxy is far from original, but the characters and jokes make up (and surpasses) the need for a unique story. James Gunn did a brilliant job of bringing the characters together, as it takes talent to do so in a 2-hour film. The film's graphics of ships, backgrounds, and sets are unique and amazing, and seeing it in RealD 3D just adds to the greatness. The soundtrack (Awesome Mix Vol. 1) is one of the best parts of the film, and Tyler Bates' score is also done well. Check out my final thoughts below!
I'm Hooked on a Feeling, and I'm high on believing, that this is a great movie! With edge-of-your-seat action, several touchy moments, as well as jokes and one-liners to keep you laughing along the way, Guardians of the Galaxy is certainly worth the watch. Is it better than The Avengers? I wouldn't say so personally, but I can certainly understand others thinking so. Hats off to Marvel Studios, you've done it again!
I can't think of a time having this much fun at the theater with my family. I too was a bit worried about over hyping this movie, but wow, what a show! I have been reading the comics for a long time with my son and have to say this is the rare case of the movie being just as good or better than the comics. My 14 year old daughter didn't know much about the GotG, but after leaving the theater she asked me if she could read my old copies of GotG comics. (Proud father moment) She said she has a special place in her heart for Groot. She too wants a dancing mini Groot toy. The best we could do was the Groot bobblehead from Amazon. Great job Marvel and James Gunn.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: I saw it in 2d and loved it. I plan to see it again next week. Is 3d worth it?
ReplyDelete@Andrew Ryan
ReplyDeleteCertainly. The sets and Backgrounds alone do it, not even counting the fighting and stuff. Well worth the extra 2 or 3 bucks.
The proeblems i have with the movie are the following:
ReplyDelete1)The Star Wars comparisons are BS:It doesn't have the same ''larger than life'' feel of the SW movies(or the cosmic stories by Keith Giffen, Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning for that matter), the Tyler Bates score as nothing on Jonh Willians and Darth Vader has much more depth and charisma than Ronan.
2)The aliens are just cheap human aliens and Rubber Forehead Aliens.
3)The Collector appears only in one scene to give some exposition about the Infinity Stones, despite all the hype the character got.
4)Gamora was kinda dull and doesn't give the impression of being ''the deadliest woman in the galaxy''.
5)The CG on Thanos face looked a bit off and Josh Brolin's voice wasn't really intimidating.
6)The villains:Why they gave to a great actor like Hounsou the role of a cookie-cutter henchman? Nebula does barely anything and her fight with Gamora was too short. And Ronan...hoooly ssshit why they pulled the Feige-Ray on us again so soon? Ronan here was just a one dimensional religious fanatic(because every villain must be compared to islamic terrorist nowadays 'MURICA!) with no redeeming qualities. What makes it cringeworthy is that he's a more fleshed out character in stories like Annihilation and War of Kings.
7)The post credits scene:They could have introduced Adam Warlock or Richard Rider but no, we get the duck from that 1986 movie reviewed by the Nostalgia Critic.
But for the most part, i really liked this movie, Pratt could be the new Robert Downey Jr. Groot is heartwarming, Rocket is crazy awesome and Batista really showed he can act as Drax.
I give the movie a 3,5/5.
As far as the Star Wars comparisons, I totally agree, but hey, they said that about Pacific Rim.
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