Simply Marvel-lous

Rating: 10/10 (10 August 2014)

Guardians of the Galaxy- Simply Marvellous
Yes it is a movie of cosmic proportions, an inter-planetary fantasy of epic scale. Yes it has a team of underdogs taking down a Goliath. Yes it has a talking raccoon and a tree as main characters. But what makes Guardians of the Galaxy the best Marvel movie of all times is the fact that it is the closest embodiment of the Marvel comic book ethos- full of wit and charm, spunk and fun, and of course, action.
Sample this- somewhere in the universe, in a desolate planet with incessant water fountains, where a once proud culture reigned. A masked man lands in a spaceship, and charts out a path through the devastated surroundings. At one point, he puts on a Walkman, switches on Redbone's "Come and Get Your Love" and breaks into an impromptu jig. He is in some mood. On his way he encounters small dinosaur like creatures that he either footballs them or treats them as microphones, karoakaying his way and leaping across mortal dangers to steal an Infinity gem, as the credits start to roll. Marvel fans would be aware that the stone is one of the most powerful objects in the universe. This effortless boogey sets the tone for the movie- an irreverent take on universe shattering events.
Unlike the Avengers, since the characters are all new, but even more bizarre, they do need a round of formal introductions-
"Star-Lord, man, legendary outlaw. Forget it" - Peter Quill
Played in zany style by Chris Pratt, Peter Quill was kidnapped from earth when he was a child by a gang of bounty hunters. Today he is a galaxy trotting thief and space scavenger who likes to call himself Star-Lord. Tremendously attached to his mother's music, Quill is a Romeo who has survived in this cutthroat profession so far solely because of his improvising skills.
"I am a warrior, an assassin. I don't dance" - Gomora
Acted by Zoe Saldana (this time in a shade of green), Gomora is an adopted daughter of Thanos, surgically enhanced into a killing weapon. Gomora is exactly what she says, but learn to dance, she does, courtesy Star-Lord.
"Nothing goes over my head! My reflexes are too fast, i would catch it"- Drax, the Destroyer
Played by WWE star Dave Bautista, Drax is a naive to the point of stupidity, suicidal, tattooed mountain of a brute with a love for knifes matched only by his thirst for violence. He specifically seeks revenge on Thanos and Ronan, who he holds responsible for the death of his family.
"Ain't no thing like me, except me"- Rocket Raccoon
Couldn't be more true. Rocket is like no other thing. Motion captured and voiced in scene stealing style by Bradley Cooper, Rocket is a genetically altered, cybernetic-ally enhanced raccoon with a thing for sarcasm. Happiest when with a big gun and Groot by his side, he is also a master tactician and the technical whiz kid in the team.
"I am Groot" - Groot
Perhaps the most emotive role ever essayed by Vin Diesel- Groot is an ever growing humanoid plant whose vocabulary is limited to three words. Serves as the muscle for Raccoon with whom he has kind of a telepathic connection.
Also in the mix are even zanier characters- Xondu (Michael Rooker), the bounty hunter that trained Quill and was later double crossed by him, carries an arrow that would have changed the course of the Mahabharata battle, the super-villain Thanos (Josh Brolin) who we will see more of in future Marvel productions, Lee Pace as the fearsome, maniacal Ronan the Accuser- a Kree warlord with blind hatred for Xandarians, and Benicio Del Toro as The Collector- an ancient alien.
"We are all standing, a bunch of idiots standing in a circle"
The Guardians are an anonymous, friendless lot. They have all been scorned and have suffered loss. Till they come together as a team to defend the planet of Xandar and its 12 billion people against Ronan, they have never known a family. The movie is a VFX extravaganza with superlatively detailed action sequences, but at the same time director James Gunn draws effectively from established scifi franchises such as Star Trek and Star Wars to create an emotional and expressive tale, while at the same time endowing it with oodles of self deprecating humor. The script is a belly full of laughs, the soundtrack is as it claims- awesome, and the acting by all, though caricatured, is top class.
The end product is a an amazingly imaginative, visually stunning, frothy, lively, light hearted "save the universe" romp that wows with its dazzling visual style and at the same time keeps tickling your funny bone.
Cannot recommend enough- 11/10