Guardians of The Galaxy is a wild superhero action spectacle with plenty of fun

Rating: 10/10 (12 August 2014)

With the end of summer blockbuster season approaching, Marvel have managed to drop in yet another action-packed comic book thrill ride. The product here is a cinematic adaptation of 'Guardians of The Galaxy'. While the comic book series never made a household name like many notable entries such as 'X-Men' or 'Spiderman', Marvel Studios has proved more than worthy of making an entertaining hit out of lesser known heroes. This is where director James Gunn comes in. Sporting a highly likable cast of Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, and Dave Bautista; this superhero actioner flourishes a hodgepodge of tense, special effects-heavy action set pieces and clever humor in efforts to pull audiences into fun, hyperkinetic thrill ride. And by many means, it's a whole lot of fun. Set in the distant future, this film follows Peter Quill a.k.a. Star Lord (played by Chris Pratt), a hot-headed space explorer who finds himself in deep conflict with an evil mastermind Ronan (played by Lee Pace) when he steals a magical artifact. Crashing landing on Planet Xander, Peter forms an unexpected alliance with quartet of mercenaries including a talking, gun-totting raccoon named Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), green-skinned alien Gamora (played by Zoe Saldana), a tree-like humanoid Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), and a revenge-hungry gray monster known as Drax the Destroyer (played by Dave Bautista). Together, they compete an epic showdown against Ronan in attempt to stop from wiping out the planet.
Marvel Studios is incredibly known for taking the popular comic book material and having fun with it, and this film is no exception. Guardians of The Galaxy never quite boasts anything out of the ordinary Marvel superhero grandeur, there is still plenty of handed of a tag team of heroes fighting the galaxy from an evil hot villain with sinister intentions. Though it does not sport heroes as your average cape crusaders, this film introduces all new variety of superheroes and knows how to deliver hell of a good time. From the flashy special effects, to the eye-popping CGI, to the light-hearted characters; the film knows how to deliver the fun without leaving out room for a fully compelling plot and proper character development. Most of the excitement is delivered through a sporadic array of tense action sequences complete with nifty visuals and solid cinematography by Ben Davis. And though the story does a few stabs at more dramatic moments like Drax the Destroyer recounting his dark past of his family and a highly emotional episode in the opening, it rarely cut loose to a dull moment if any. When the story prepares of a moment, audiences are invited enjoy a sweet soundtrack consisting of artists such as The Runaways, B.J Thomas, Redbone, and David Bowie.
What fun is a superhero flick without it's fair share of likable heroes? That is where an amazing cast comes in with each member sporting a mix bag of wit and comedic appeal. Leading the pack is Chris Pratt who brings his sheer likability to the screen, delivering both a string of hilarious one-liners and adrenaline-fueled testosterone to his role. Zoe Saldana who's experience in the action genre includes but limited to the 2009 sci-fi hit 'Avatar' along with 'Columbiana' and 'The Losers', delivers a good share of appeal on screen as Gamora. Taking on the role of the loud mouth talking raccoon is Bradley Cooper who delivers arguably the film's biggest comedic appeal with his frequent laugh-out-loud one-liners and energy through his voice. Former professional wrestler Dave Bautista takes his stab at the role of Drax, sporting a dark teal make-up to cover his muscular body. And to much satisfaction, he plays the role pretty solidly. Then there is the 'Fast and Furious' veteran Vin Diesel who providing the low-tone voice of the tree-like figure Groot who's dialogue is greatly limited to the words "I am Groot". These four share a spectacular amount of chemistry together that makes them for a charismatic action tag team, thought perhaps not on the level with the Avengers. Lee Pace stands strong as the villain Ronan, though nothing particularly special.
Guardians of The Galaxy is a wild superhero action spectacle brought together by the ever popular Marvel Studios. And to satisfying results, it is a whole of fun if not one of the best superheros flicks in recent years. It is a fun ride that is likely to appeal both fans and non-fans of the superhero genre or the comic book series. Predictably so, a box office success shouldn't come to a surprise.