A delightfully offbeat sci-fi comedy

Rating: 10/10 (7 December 2014)

Not many movies can effortlessly transition from a boy grieving as his mother dies of cancer to the same character dancing and lip-syncing his way through a cavern of carnivorous lizard-squirrel things. Guardians of the Galaxy is one of those movies. It is offbeat, more than a bit mad, and far more awesome than an adaptation of one of Marvel's back burner titles, directed by a guy who used to work for Troma, has any right to be.
Our protagonist is Peter Quill, Star Lord, the grieving, alien abducted child grown into hilariously insane treasure hunter and adventurer. It is impossible to overstate how perfect Chris Pratt was for this roll. As Star Lord he answers once and for all the question of what it would look like if Andy Dwyer went to space and became a superhero. He is clueless, shameless, and unreasonably lovable. He's a nice guy and a scoundrel, a man who will gladly rob or double cross anyone yet has an unspoken sense of honor; a lucky idiot who nonetheless scrapes by on his wits alone. He kind of reminds me of a younger Han Solo, only laughable.
Accompanying him in his latest misadventure is a collection of the most disparate, and desperate outlaws the galaxy has to offer. Green skinned Gamora (Zoe Saldana) is the deadliest woman in the universe. Raised by the mad titan Thanos and trained from childhood as an assassin, she can kill any being alive and has no time for fools or flatterers. The imposing Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista) lost his family to the Kree zealot Ronan the Accuser many years ago and ever since has been a nigh unstoppable engine of destruction who lives only for revenge. Rocket is a talking raccoon. He's an abrasive, sarcastic, fast talking, lying, thieving, backstabbing, and oh-so-adorable con man whose solution to every problem involves lots of firepower. And Groot is a giant tree man who only says three words.
Individually they're reasonably formidable. But together, they are the galaxy's uh, well, most dysfunctional team of heroes. They really don't meet under the best of circumstances. In fact there's a lot of shooting and punching and insults involved. But when they're thrown in the galaxy's highest security prison, the chance of escaping and possibly making a fortune is reason enough to work together. And when Ronan and Thanos threaten the existence of an entire civilization, they're the only ones with a chance of stopping them. It's quite interesting to watch the characters go from antagonists to allies of convenience to real friends. And the bickering along the way is hilarious.
In fact the entire movie is hilarious. Between the slapstick, puns, historical and pop culture references, and the characters' eccentricities and zaniness, it's a laugh a minute. Rarely outside of a Three Stooges short have so many people called each other idiots with such frequency or justification. There are a number of excellent running gags, including Star Lord's obsessive attachment to his Walkman and Groot's well, everything. Add in a gift for picking the most inappropriate musical accompaniments possible, and this movie can even make scenes of prison brutality funny.
The action is also first rate, with excellent fight scenes and space combat worthy of Star Wars. The effects work is equally good, and I don't just mean the explosions and lasers. The space stations and starships have an extremely crisp, detailed look to them, the make-up and costumes on the various aliens are quite convincing, and Rocket Raccoon is incredibly lifelike and expressive, fully on par with the Caesar and friends in the recent Planet of the Apes movies.
The plot, while hardly cerebral, is good by action movie standards and makes good use of the film's source material. There are also some very good minor and supporting characters. Ronan and Nebula are suitably menacing and despite having little screen time Thanos makes a strong impression. Benicio Del Toro does a nice turn as the Collector, and I particularly liked Yondu, the redneck outlaw captain. The soundtrack, which consists of 70s and 80s pop hits, seems an odd choice, but it adds wonderfully to the oddball feel, contributes to the humor, and is undeniably catchy.
Guardians is one of the funniest, most exciting, and most unusual blockbusters of recent years, and one of the best films of the summer. It strikes a perfect blend of action and humor, heroics and cheerful idiocy, and while first and foremost a comedy, manages at times to be deeply touching. You'll get more out it if you have at least a passing familiarity with the comics, but even if you've walk in knowing nothing beyond what the trailers and this review have told you, this is as much fun as you're going to have at the movies this summer.