Dispatches from the Popcorn Stadium: Guardians of the Galaxy

Guardians of the Galaxy was one of the few movies I've had the luxury of seeing on opening night - the theater was only half full, despite the hype built up around the movie, and the advanced screening worked well with my schedule. It's a shame more people didn't turn out (not that the movie needed any help making money elsewhere, mind you) because for every empty seat, someone missed one heck of a movie.

Image property of Marvel Studios

Guardians, written and directed by St. Louis' own James Gunn, is a somewhat obscure property of Marvel's that frankly a lot of fans are surprised even made it past development hell and into full production, let alone ranking a 92% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. I mean, a talking raccoon? Come on guys, you can't be serious.

Damn.

Chris Pratt shows off his acting chops as he moves from characters like Andy Dwyer on Parks and Recreation and Lego Andy Dwyer Emmett in the Lego Movie to the space cowboy Peter Quill (also known as Star Lord, or haven't you heard?) in Guardians. I'm going to be honest, though, I couldn't help but see a bit of Andy-isms in Quill's optimism, goofy sense of humor, and dancing ability. Perhaps Pratt isn't a character actor, and that's fine - he has strengths along a spectrum of good guys that range from incompetent but well meaning man-child to semi-responsible leader of a ragtag group of outlaw heroes. I will saw Pratt was a lot more cut for this film (Image 1) than he ever was for Parks and Recreation (Image 2). And yes, I'm including Image 2 because it still makes me laugh as only can Parks and Recreation.

Pratt's message of hope towards those of us looking to finally get in shape is truly, truly inspiring (albeit, most of us don't have a ton of money thrown our way complete with a personal trainer and a once in a lifetime multi-movie project).

The rest of the ensemble cast also shines, playing brilliantly towards the actor's respective various strengths. Zoe Saldana shone as Gamora (not Gamera, that's a giant turtle, protector of earth and friend of all children), who wrestled with her past as the adopted child of Thanos, one of the Big Bads of the Marvel Universe. Her sister Nebula, played by Karen Gillan, was a great contrast to the situation both were thrown into - remade into weapons, both seeking revenge in drastically different ways. I would have liked to seen more of Gillan's depth as an actor but for a big-budget summer blockbuster, I'm just glad she was cast in a role with a decent amount of screentime. I'm not sure I agree with the gratuitous shots of Saldana's cleavage and posterior in some scenes - it seemed like fanservice in the worst way possible and honestly I thought Guardians of the Galaxy would be better than that. I'll have to rewatch the movie to decide how I feel it treats gender politics, and that's a post for a later time.

I will say Rocket Raccoon and Groot are standout characters - not just for their bizarre nature of existence but for their personalities. Groot is a cutie, and this may be Vin Diesel's finest role since the Iron Giant.  Actually, the parallels between Groot and the Giant are astounding, come to the think of it...And Bradly Cooper is a foul-mouthed raccoon with a chip on his shoulder. There's really not anything else I can add to that. Also, John C. Reilly is in the film. That's how I knew it was gonna be quality.

Even the villain Ronan, as generic as he seemed in his quest for vague revenge and ultimate power, was a fun character to watch on screen. There was literally nothing about this movie that I strongly disliked, although in some places I could feel the 2 hour runtime. The retro soundtrack, mixed seamlessly from the tape deck's point of view into the movie, certainly helped give this movie a fun and quirky vibe that hasn't been seen in the Space Cowboy genre. Add that to the sweeping, wide visuals of space and the colorful cinematography and the movie was destined to be a hit.

If you hadn't planned on seeing Guardians of the Galaxy, I honestly think you should reconsider. The movie is enough mindless fun, with a bit of gut-wrenching drama, lots of good music, and plenty of action that everyone can find something that they enjoy.