Movie Review: Guardians of the Galaxy

Hey Movie Fans!

OK, first... stop.

Go see "Guardians of the Galaxy."

Ok, the rest of this is going to be me talking about Guardians of the Galaxy. But I just wanted to get that out of the way. Yes. It's good. Yes. You should see it.

Now, for the actual review. I have to warn you, this one is going to be filled with tangents. If you don't care.. just remember I already told you to go see the movie.

"Guardians of the Galaxy" is the 10th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and arguably, the biggest gamble for the studio since Iron Man back in 2008.  That's because, unlike all the other Marvel films, the Guardians are relatively unknown. I mean, if you're a nerd like me, you have no idea who Star-Lord, Groot, Drax, Gamora, or Rocket Racoon are. And, yes, I am a big enough nerd that I DO know who they all are. n fact, Thanks to my cousins, I read the Rocket Racoon mini-series way back in the 80's. My point is, I'm a nerd.

"Guardians" stars Chris Pratt, of "Parks and Recreation", as Star-Lord, an earthling who was kidnapped, and raised by a bunch of space pirates. Right from the go, we find out a few things about Star-Lord. He loves his groves, he's good in a fight, funny, and he's irresponsible with the ladies. Classic hero stuff.

Soon, he's caught up in a plot that sounds like something out of a caper film, surrounded by an oddball cast including Zoe Saldana, as the assassin Gamora, Dave "Deacon"  Batista as the psychopath Drax, Groot the... Tree voiced by Vin Diesel, and of course, the scene stealing, gun-toting Rocket voiced by Bradly Cooper. They need to team up to save the universe, and, if they're lucky, turn a profit at the same time.

I could name the rest of the cast, because they all to a great job here, but that would take me all night.. and you can look it up on Wikipedia. Just know that everyone involved filled their roles perfectly.

To help helm this motley story , the Studio brought in James Gunn. I first was introduced to Gunn's amazing humor, and heart way back in 2000, with another superhero flick, "The Specials." Since then, he's spread his special form of fun and action across films ranging from "Scooby Doo" to "Lollipop Chainsaw." and he continues he deluded form of fun and action here.  He not only directed the film, he also wrote it, and his touch is in every scene... and it all comes across perfectly. It would be very easy to get lost in a film with this many characters, and this many complex elements, but he's able to keep it all moving smoothly, keeping the action pretty much non-stop, and still include a lot of humor, and heart.

OK, so, Guardians isn't a perfect film. While it is one of the best in the M.C.U., I don't think it IS the best. While I love the lighthearted nature of the action, at some point, it just get's a little over the top, and I stop fearing that anything bad is going to happen. That's not all bad. This is supposed to be a really fun action film after all, but when you rob a movie like this of real danger, it takes some of the fear out of the script. But, you know what, this is just a small quibble. Overall, the movie is pretty damn thrilling.

Just to note, the special effects are really top notch in this one. Every scene seems crammed packed full of wonderful scenery and intense sequences. This film has not one, but two CGI characters in the lead, and both feel very real on the set.  I did see it in 3-D, and while a LOT of the effects really did pop on the screen, I think you can get away with just seeing it in 2D if you wanted. I mean, when it come out  in 3D I intend on buying it... but hey, that's me.

Parents! As for violence.. think 80's action movies. There are some deaths, and some of them are on camera, but they all are faceless baddies, with no blood. Kids of all ages will be entertained, but it's up to you how much of that you want to expose them to.

So, as I said at the top... go see this movie. If you're one of the people who reads my reviews, and reads this far into them, you REALLY need to see this movie. Oh, and stay after the credits for a tag that... well, I don't know for sure. They didn't show it in the screening I saw. So, I guess I'll go have to see it again.

Cool.

Lots more movies till to come this summer, including the new "Sin City" and "Teenage Mutant Please Kill Me Before I Have To See It Turtles."

Until the...I leave you with... the hoff.