Fun in spite of itself

Rating: 8/10 (5 August 2014)

I haven't seen a summer popcorn flick in ages, let alone written a review of one in some time. However, if an excuse to see a gun totting raccoon with a rag tag bunch of misfits doesn't get me interested, then I'll consider this a lifetime opportunity missed.
Guardians of the Galaxy at first seems to start off like any sci-fi block bluster but quickly separates itself from the rest of the pack upon first viewing. The hero (Peter Quill) is a goofy, smart ass, unintentionally funny character as he sets on collecting an artifact for ransom. In the end, his goods are stripped and a bizarre bunch of misfits just like him set to get it back. The artifact's "the orb" importance becomes more clear, as we learn if it falls into the wrong hands it can unleash unparalleled destruction on the planets and galaxies.
Films like this suggest for you to suspend your disbelief, the bad guys never shoot straight, the heroes dodge all the bullets, the evil guys never time their powers right. We never take these things seriously, and more so the film takes these to more moronic highs. A walking plant and raccoon make an interesting pair, spitting off dialogue that isn't cliché. Quill has an affection for cheesy music, and it's discussion and genre in significant moments amongst other characters who just want to save the world, makes much for much moronic viewing. After all the aliens have no idea of this foreign concept that makes no sense to them. The female character is all green, giving a nod almost to Star Trek and an interest of Captain Kirk that Quill must conquest, but takes a much more realistic turn.
Aside from the fact that a brute character doesn't understand the concept of metaphors, the filmmakers have also bathed this picture in a fascinating light. Giant reams of purple blue and green bathe the screen with interstellar light, creating a universe that doesn't look like anything we have seen before on screen. Even the characters and aliens look like... aliens, with the exception that some are still bi-pedal, many skin tones are represented, never mind a blue bounty hunter who kidnapped Quill as boy, seems to wield the most dangerous knitting needle known to man. His presence and somewhat Texas?Alabama accent (which adds to even bigger irony) seem just the perfect fit as the absurdity grows larger when Quill and him cross paths. Each opportunity is an excuse for him to remind Quill he's lucky he wasn't eaten alive by him and his henchmen when he was first captured.
In reality the film mocks itself and its own ideas for telling us that this is all ridiculous and just dumb fun so come along for the ride. The whole thing knows it's absurd, and it's dialed up to 11 by the film-makers giving us a thrill that is the perfect escape for summer.
It's not brilliant or amazing, it's quite stupid, but if it was perfect it would ironically be a heck of a lot less interesting and enjoyable. It's the self mockery and stupidity that makes the film work ingeniously. If anything it's the perfect movie to not take things seriously, and bathe yourself in the wild characters and colors on screen. In the end it's a great interstellar trip and escape unlike any you have been on before, and that's really all it needs to be.