Easy on the eye, but boring affair.

Rating: 6/10 (5 September 2014)

Reviewing a comic book adaptation always is a tricky affair. With the rise of comic book movies over the past 10 years or so we've seen a genre appear that without exception almost always spawns overrated movies. I am sure this review will receive a lot of flak for not praising this movie as much as others do.
I'm not a comic book fan. Never read any of them but some of the movies are good popcorn entertainment or just good movies (X-Men series or the Dark Knight movies even though those too are slightly overrated). Being disappointed by Marvel movies most of the time I still decided to give GotG a shot. Reason being: I love sci-fi and having a cinema subscription meant free entry, so why not?
Let's start with the good stuff. First and foremost are the looks. GotG simply looks great. It's been a while since we've seen a sci-fi galaxy that looks as if people actually live here. It's surely not D9 or Elysium kind of worn looks, but it does look grimy and filthy nonetheless. As far as characters go the main villain has a good screen presence most of the movie and Rocket and Groot (basically a Space-Ent from LotR) are nice characters. There also is a certain 'lightness' in the story that I think most people will enjoy. Let me just put it this way: GotG takes more than one cue from the original Star Wars movie, spices it up with some space-Indiana Jones, Mass Effect and sci-fantasy Thor looks and that works most of the time.
Where it doesn't work is a thing most Marvel movies go wrong: character development, the main villain, and CGI. We are supposed to care about this ragtag group of outlaws, but over the course of the movie they never really have a believable character development. Take the Gamora for instance (who I thought was just space-Wicked Witch). She's introduced as a bad guy...and the next second she's on screen she's suddenly betraying people and being good. Completely out of nowhere. Then there is the main character's nemesis/space daddy: Space-Merle. Who basically is just a blue version of Walking Dead's Merle...who we are to somewhat care about for story's sake but nothing he does makes a connection with the audience. These guys hate each other but over the course of 2 days they're suddenly 'best friends' who want die for each other. That would've been all fine and dandy if there was any character development. Since there is none this plot point is just too predictable in a bad way. Just like romance or certain characters being in danger/possibly dying is both predictable from the start and hollow due to no character development.
Now, you might ask yourself "why is he calling him Space-Merle and the other characters Space- Wicked Witch etc?". Well: point 2 of things Marvel movies keep failing at: throwing around weird names all the time from minute 1. This universe hasn't been set up yet in cinemas but we're supposed to know exactly what everybody is taking about. Way too much unconnected info if you're not into the comics themselves.
Onto the main villain. Quite a few recent Marvel movies have had a recurring problem. Being: a main villain that looks cool but packs no punch whatsoever. Thor 2 had such a hollow villain for instance, and GotG has one as well. Thanos is just a cameo that is somehow connected to the main villain, Super-Sith-guy, but how and why is barely mentioned. He's a religious zealot, bound on destroying a civilization. Problem is: we never see him destroy anything. Why should we be scared? Besides: for a galaxy that looks lived in and worn, it sure does a poor job of actually being alive. Characters on screen are just there to be killed and all look alike. An even worse thing is the fact that this 'great civilization' that needs to be saved is just one big city we only see from 2 perspectives (market square and from the sky). There is no connection for us viewers to that city. Why should we care if it gets destroyed?
Lastly: while the CGI is great there are moments where you get the archetypical side character being a CGI creation and sticking out from the actual people a bit too much. Happens to most movies, so no big deal. But the whole reliance on CGI results in a lack of tension. There is no real fire. Actors just duck before a green screen. Explosions are not real. There is no sense of danger. Expendables 3 was hurt by too much CGI and this movie (and movies like the Avengers) as well. CGI means the craziest things can and do happen on screen, but because it is fake and we know it, it all feels so incredibly hollow.
Add in some stupid things like surviving in space without a pressure suit/helmet and an Orb that is pretty random in who it destroys and I was unfortunately disappointed by what I saw.
There are some fun moments. There are some funny jokes. The music is pretty decent, has a nice contrast to the universe it takes place in (the same kind of contrast chanting monks had in Halo) but its not my cup of tea.
The entire experience was just hollow and shallow. How this has a 8.4 is something I just don't understand. I've seen a review on these boards saying this was this generation's Star Wars. I'm not saying this movie is bad. I thought it was really boring but I see the appeal for others. But the praise it receives, being compared to Star Wars, is nothing more than a confirmation of my earlier mention of this being overrated.
6.5/10