Above: Zoë Saldana plays the alien assassin Gamora in "Guardians"
“The
Guardians of the Galaxy” seems like one of the more unexpected Marvel
properties to be adapted to cinema. Iron
Man, Hulk, and Captain America faced their own hurdles when jumping from comic
panel to big screen, but at least they were names people had heard. By contrast, the Guardians of the Galaxy began
in 1969 as an obscure team of 31st Century aliens, only for the title to be
repurposed in 2008 and applied to a group of modern interstellar characters
that Marvel wasn’t doing much with.
The modern team gained popularity in comic circles but didn’t
quite break through into the mainstream.
Yet here we are, with a $170 million-budgeted “Guardians of the Galaxy”
feature hitting theatres. And I’m glad
it is, because it’s completely hilarious and an absolute blast.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one
before. Five people meet in an
intergalactic prison: abducted human outlaw Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), formerly
evil assassin Gamora (Zoë Saldana), revenge-fueled bruiser Drax (Dave
Bautista), strong but serene living tree Groot (Vin Diesel), and
genetically-altered raccoon Rocket (Bradley Cooper). The five all have different end goals
involving a mysterious and valuable orb (and a bounty on Quill’s head), but
find a common cause in stopping warlord Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) from
committing genocide against the peacekeeping Nova Corps.
Within this maelstrom of plot,
“Guardians” seamlessly finds its focus—spectacle and character. Director/writer James Gunn and co-writer
Nicole Perlman make sure each character’s weaknesses are highlighted as much as
their strengths, from Drax’s obsessiveness to Groot’s simplicity to Rocket’s
insecurity (yes, the movie wants you to feel for the CGI raccoon with a Jersey
accent. AND YOU DO). Despite coming from
across the stars, these characters feel real, and it’s their interactions and
their humor that makes you want to see them succeed.
But the people, be they white or
green or made out of wood, are only half of a story that is also devoted to the
spectacular effects and production design (by Charles Wood). In terms of imagery, critics have described
the movie as “‘Star Wars,’ if the whole thing took place in the Cantina.” And that’s fairly accurate; the galaxy in need
of guarding is grimy, crowded, and brimming with possibility. It’s also intrinsic to the personalities of
Quill and company—each location (including Knowhere, a colony built inside the
severed heard of a space giant) enhances the film by making our protagonists
blend in or stand out as needed (while spaceship combat and hand-to-hand fights
keep the whole piece energetically entertaining).
It’s a shame that this world doesn’t
include a compelling villain. With
certain exceptions (Loki, the Mandarin, maybe Abomination or Red Skull),
Marvel’s antagonists have largely been one-note evildoers who aren’t nearly as
interesting as the heroes. Thus, while Mr.
Pace brings the same “go hard or go home” attitude he used in “The Hobbit,” he can’t
change the fact that Ronan is just a big ball of villainy flying through the
universe.
However, this concern is a minor one.
Not only is “Guardians of the Galaxy” a
fantastic film, but it also crafts a unique identity for itself, beyond its
connections to the larger universe established in “The Avengers” (and a particular
purple-skinned alien). Like Rocket says,
“Ain’t nothing like me, ‘cept me.” That’s true and it’s also why “Guardians of
the Galaxy” is funny, dazzling, heartfelt, and easily one of the best
blockbusters in recent memory.
No comments:
Post a Comment