For the second time this year, I was lucky enough to win
tickets to an advance première screening of a Marvel movie, courtesy of Show Film First. I’ve been looking forward to
seeing ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ since it was announced. As I’ve previously stated, this film
represent quite a gamble for Marvel Studios – it’s a relatively lesser known
title, it has some really out-there concepts, and is directed by someone who
has only had a couple of films that haven’t broken beyond cult status.
But all of those things have made this a really fascinating
prospect in my book. Let’s start with
the Director – James Gunn started as a writer, contributing to the Scooby Doo
movies (though we won’t hold that against him), and the surprisingly good and
thrilling Dawn of the Dead remake. He
then made two films which have cult status – it seems there aren’t many people
that have seen them, but those who have hold them in high regard; firstly, the ‘80’s
horror throw-back ‘Slither’, which mixes gross practical effects and a nice
line in humour to fun effect. Then there’s
‘Super’, a no-holds barred satire of Superhero movies (which would have made a
far better sequel to ‘Kick-Ass’ than the one we actually got…). Neither of these show the sort of
family-friendly, Disney approved approach that you’d expect Marvel Studios to
go for, with their gore, sex, bad language, and black humour. So straight away the selection of Gunn to
direct this is a choice that raised eyebrows.
But it makes sense – despite the elements of his films that won’t have
sat right with Marvel’s bank-rollers at Disney, there are things that you can
see are needed for a film like ‘Guardians’: when it’s right, there’s heart and
earnestness, and also a total commitment to a premise, no matter how
out-there. Because, well, ‘Guardians’
has the most out-there premise of any Marvel Studio’s film so far. If Gunn couldn’t get his cast, and the
audience, to commit to a film that features all manner of strangely coloured
aliens, cosmic weapons of annihilation, centred on a team including a talking
raccoon and walking tree – then the whole film would have failed.
I am pleased to say that Gunn has succeeded in this first
hurdle with aplomb. The setting is so
beautifully and vividly realised, and the characterisation so sharp, that even
if you didn’t think you’d care about a talking raccoon and walking tree – let alone
the goings on in some imagined far corner of the galaxy – but by the end of the
film you will. It helps that this film
is anchored in a relatable way through a fantastic soundtrack of 70’s and 80’s
pop and rock songs – these are on a tape belonging to Peter ‘Star Lord’ Quill
(Chris Pratt), taken from earth as a child, but treasured by him as a link to his
childhood home. The songs serve to
underpin key emotional or comedic moments in the story – helping to keep a
balance between something that could have collapsed under the weight of, frankly,
its ludicrousness – and keeping the audience invested. It also reinforces that this movie is a sheer
joyous blast of fun.
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| Meet 'The A-holes', a great cast of anti-heroes if ever there was one! |
It’s ironic then that it starts with one of the heaviest
opening scenes of any of the Marvel films so far, featuring Peter Quill as a
boy; after this we jump forward 25 years to the grown up Quill. Tonally, this is a jump which almost jars,
but again the use of his mix tape helps ease the transition from a pretty heart-breaking
scene to a more light-hearted one. It
also helps that, as soon as we join the adult ‘Star Lord’ out in space, the
whole film looks absolutely gorgeous.
Visually, this film confidently straddles a line between comic-book
style colourful and bright settings, while giving clothing, technology and
vehicles a suitably worn and gritty feel.
I hope JJ Abrams watches this film and gets worried, because the new
Star Wars film is going to have to do something pretty radical to not be
upstaged by ‘Guardians’.
As this is the first outing for this team (as Gunn has said,
‘they’re not the Avengers, they’re the A-holes’), the plot mainly serves to
bring the five members together, and also give them a suitable threat to
respond to. Quill has got hold of an
artefact simply known as ‘the orb’, which has resulted in him being pursued by
the agents of genocidal villain Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) – including his ally
Gamora (Zoe Saldana) – and having a price put on his head when he betrays his
former mentor Yondu (another bad-ass role for that master of, erm, bad-ass
roles, Michael Rooker). This puts him in
the sights of bounty hunter Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) – a genetically
and cybernetically enhanced Racoon-like creature – and his bodyguard/associate
Groot (who is basically a walking tree, voiced by Vin Diesel). Thrown in to jail by the ‘space police’ Nova
Corps, they encounter the muscular, brooding and scarred (in the physical and
emotional sense) Drax (Dave Bautista) – who has vowed vengeance against Ronan
and those associated with him. At first
the opportunity to score a big reward for the orb from the enigmatic Collector
(played by Benicio Del Toro, in a disappointingly brief cameo) brings them together in an
uneasy alliance, but once the true nature of the orb is revealed, they come
together to prevent a genocide from taking place.
I guess one of the flaws this film has (of which there aren’t
many) is that this plot is kind of secondary, in a way. It throws the team together and gives them a
reason to rise above being ‘A-holes’.
But that journey is the joy of this film, as the portrayal of each
character is where this film completely excels.
Quill is very much the likeable, charming rogue, and is the perfect foil
for the audience to gain a foothold in to this sometimes crazy galaxy. He’s great with his guns, his fists (when he
needs to be), and also with the one-liners (it’s a particular joy to hear him
using references from ‘80’s pop culture to try and describe things to his
associates!). This would easily be a
one-note performance, no matter how funny he is, but there are also moments
that suggest underneath is still the boy who is hurting for what he lost when
he left Earth as a Child. But it never
gets mawkish, as whenever an emotional moment feels like it might have
overstayed its welcome, a cracking line brings back the humour. Saldana as Gamora does a good job portraying
an assassin who is trying to turn from an evil path and start making things
right, and she has some great ‘will they-won’t they’ scenes with Quill. Bautista as Drax is perfectly cast as the
hulking, brooding, revenge driven ‘maniac’ Drax – although his character could
potentially get lost when the on-liners start flying (one of his traits is
based on the fact his race take everything literally), he gets some great
moments which showcase not only his physicality but some skill at comedy –
after all, for most comedy to work, you need an effective straight guy.
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| Pulling off these characters was the film's biggest challenge. It succeeds emphatically! |
But let’s face it, this film lives and dies on Rocket and
Groot. To be honest, I was probably an
easier sell when it comes to these characters, as the mere concept of them just
ignite this childlike glee (I mean, how can you NOT get excited about a gun
toting, wise-cracking racoon?). But I
think there are very few people who, by the end of the film, won’t have been
won over by them. Not only are these CGI
creations impressively realised, thanks to the script and performances, they
feel like fully fleshed out, living characters.
The casting of two well-known actors to voice them could have easily
been stunt casting, but they truly own these roles, to the extent you almost
forget who is voicing them. Not only is
Rocket as bad-ass and funny as you’d expect, getting his fair share of great
lines, there are moments that indicate some of the pain and torment behind the
character, giving him a depth which might surprise a lot of people. Similarly, although Groot only says three words
(‘I am Groot’), he is utterly charming – and he gets the most crowd-pleasing
moment in the whole movie, one which is probably on a par with the Hulk v Loki
moment in ‘Avengers Assemble’; it utterly raised the roof at the screening I attended,
and I expect it will go down well at each screening!
When it comes to other characters, it’s a mixed bag. John C Reilly and Peter Serafinowicz as Nova
Corp officers are perhaps a little underdeveloped, but Glenn Close as Nova
Prime brings the authority you’d need from her brief role (by the way, I still
can’t get over Glenn Close being in a Marvel movie – a crazy intergalactic adventure
on, at that!). With regards to the
villains, Ronan makes an effective antagonist, driven by genocidal hatred,
arrogant and heartless to the suffering he leaves behind – and pretty damn
powerful to boot. Nebula (Karen Gillen) –
the ‘adopted’ sister of Gamora - looks fantastic, but isn’t quite given enough
to do; the trailers teased a bruising confrontation between her and her ‘sister’,
but isn’t given enough time to make a great impact. Djimon Honsou’s Korath the Pursuer is probably
the weakest of the villains in terms of time and development – he barely
registers beyond a couple of scenes, which is a shame as he also looks good in
the role and could have brought more presence.
If this film has a great weakness, it is that it does feel to
force the plot through to bring the Guardians together, and as a result
characters like those mentioned above don’t feel developed enough; also, for
some people the threat might not be fully developed or explained enough to
account for these rogues putting their differences aside to band together and
stand against it. However, the film
moves at such a pace, throwing so many fantastic visuals, impressive action
scenes, and superbly humorous lines, that you can overlook this and just go
with it. There might be a couple of
wobbly moments in the first act where things get a bit exposition-y and
portentous, threatening that it may in fact collapse under the ridiculousness
of it all, but thanks to the excellent characterisation of the Guardians
themselves, the viewer will be swept up by it all.
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| Amongst the amazing visuals in this film are this superb battle sequence - a space ship battle that doesn't actually take place in space! |
Some people are saying this might be Marvel Studio’s best film
yet – I don’t know if I’d go that far (it’s going to take a lot to knock the
sheer, awesome, geek-gasmic joy of ‘Avengers Assemble’s spectacle from that position),
but it is yet another example of Marvel being the best at what they do. This film can be enjoyed if you’ve not seen
any other Marvel Studio film, as it feels the most stand alone; although there
are threads that could be picked up by a sequel, they don’t feel like annoying
gaping plot holes. On the other hand, if
you have been following the Marvel Studios films, or are a big Marvel Comics
fan, there is enough here to make you geek-out; we get to see Thanos in the
full (and hear him speak, courtesy of Josh Brolin) for the first time, and ifyou know anything about this character’s history in the comics you will find
his presence enough to make you grin like a mad titan..! Sadly, I didn’t see the post-credits scene as
it wasn’t added to the preview of the film – but hey, I get to look forward to
seeing it next weekend when I take my kids to see the film!
So what has been Marvel Studio’s biggest gamble – in terms
of premise, setting, and choice of Director – has paid off with an emphatic blast
of fun, humour and action. This is a
triumph for all involved, and delivers one of the most flat-out entertaining
movie experiences this summer. Marvel
Studios are going from strength to strength with each release, and cinema goers
are reaping the (entertainment based) benefits.
Next up is the not-so-small matter of ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’, and you’d
have to be a brave (or foolish) person to bet against this run of success continuing…
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