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    Guardians of the Galaxy Review

    WilsonBy WilsonAugust 1, 20142 Comments5 Mins Read

    Guardians of the Galaxy, the newest Marvel movie hits theaters this weekend. Will it be another Marvel blockbuster? More importantly, is it any good? Read of Spoilerite to find out!

    Guardians_psterGUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
    Producers: Michael Bay, Ian Bryce, Matthew Cohan, Tom DeSanto, Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Brian Goldner, K.C. Hodenfield, Michael Kase, Don Murphy, Steven Spielberg, Mark Vahradian

    Director: James Gunn

    Writer: James Gunn, Nicole Perlman

    Stars: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan and more

    Cinematographer: Ben Davis
    
Distributor: Marvel Studios
    
Runtime: 121 minutes

     

    Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy – Trailer 2 (OFFICIAL)

    It’s finally here! Get your first “I Am Groot,” more Rocket, Drax and Gamora in action, and the usual Peter Quill swagger in the second full trailer for Marv…

    A HEROIC GROUP OF LOSERS

    At its core, Guardians of the Galaxy is about a group of losers who find each other and become friends. There’s more to the story than that of course, but it’s touched upon at one point how each character has lost something or someone. It was this moment that made me realize that Guardians of the Galaxy was something special, and possibly one of Marvel’s best films to date.
    Peter Quill a.k.a. Star Lord (Chris Pratt) is a human scavenger, stealing relics and items and selling them to the highest bidder. When he steals the Orb, a device hiding one of the Infinity Gems, all hell breaks loose. Thanos and Ronan, other bounty hunters and the Nova Corps all want to get their hands on it for various purposes.

    I know nothing about Guardians of the Galaxy, so my experience is what I’m sure the average movie goer’s will be like. The Orb is your typical MacGuffin, the item used to bring all the characters together, and it felt natural. Rocket Raccoon and Groot are after Quill for the bounty on his head, Gamora to retrieve the stone which leads to them all meeting Drax in prison. Seeing the team not wanting, but needing to work together was great and the interaction between each is fun and humorous. In fact, Guardians of the Galaxy is Marvel’s funniest movie yet. It’s not a straight comedy but it has a light hearted mood and is a blast to watch. The story is somewhat easy to follow, but there is a lot of talk about different races, such as the Kree, delivered quickly and in abundance. No real effort is made to clarify these things and I felt lost at the beginning, leaving me worried that I might not enjoy the film. Once things get going, it’s easier to get into and follow. When the group realizes that they’re all friends and the only have each other, it’s a touching moment and the best of the film. The action is well done and most effects are amazing. I appreciated the use of some practical sets but they don’t mix well with the CG backgrounds, giving some scenes an unnatural look. The final spaceship shootout is impressive, though I was disappointed with how Ronan was defeated. It was too convenient and made little sense.

    ACTING! (MASTER THESPIAN REFERENCE)

    Most of the Guardians cast does a great job with stand out performances being Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel, which is funny considering each only lends voices to their characters. I was concerned that I would be distracted by Cooper’s voice, only hearing him and not Rocket as a character. Cooper uses a Jersey/New York type accent that made him almost unrecognizable and impressed me quite a bit. Vin Diesel puts more emotion into three words (I am Groot) than some actors can put into whole performances. Chris Pratt is a good leading man and is able to handle action as well as the comedy he’s known for. Zoe Saldana and Dave Batista do a fine job as well though nothing about either performance stood out for me. Some other characters seemed over the top, to the point where I was reminded of Jon Lovitz’s “Acting!” Lee Pace’s take on Ronan suffers from this most and every line is said with a strange emphasis of importance. To get the average audience member caught up, there are sections of dialogue that are very exposition heavy and unnatural, clearly put there to explain the goings on. Michael Rooker is good but is basically playing every hillbilly character he’s ever played before, only this time blue and Karen Gillan’s Nebula is upsettingly bad and over dramatic. Thanos was a real treat and you can see a lot of Josh Brolin in the face and performance, but his voice wasn’t what I’d imagine Thanos’s to be. Stan Lee gets his obligatory pay check, I mean cameo but I was more pleased to see Lloyd Kaufman in the prison scene. Movie buffs will know him as one of the founders of Troma Entertainment, one of the first studios to give James Gunn a job. Overall, the good far outweighs the bad and I could easily sit through a Rocket Raccoon and Groot movie all by themselves.

    BOTTOM LINE: A FUN SPACE ADVENTURE

    Guardians of the Galaxy is a fun space adventure, something we haven’t quite gotten in a while, and certainly a first for the Marvel cinematic universe. It’s an action packed and funny movie that many should enjoy. While the story is good, I worry some elements may confuse the average movie goer and I hope it doesn’t affect later box office performance (which I doubt). Rocket Raccoon and Groot are clear standouts and sure to be favorites among many. This is sure to be another Marvel hit and I suggest seeing it in the theaters as the space battles are huge and impressive. I won’t spoil the post credits scene but, suffice to say, it quacked people up. Guardians of the Galaxy gets 4 out of 5 stars.

    bradley cooper Chris Pratt Dave Bautista Guardians of The Galaxy Karen Gillan Movie Lee Pace Marvel michael rooker Review vin diesel Zoe Saldana
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    One of the two idiots of Shock 'N Awe Toy Reviews, ever since he was young, Chris has sided with super-villains. At age 8 he became a Decepticon sympathizer. When he turned 18 he left home to become an Agent of A.I.M. He quit at 21 (the costumes were too stupid) and devoted his time to all things geek. His hobbies include making aluminum foil hats, magic, taxidermy and music. Oh, and reading comics. Lots and lots of comics. More nonsense can be followed at @scaabs on Twitter and his YouTube channel, Shock 'n Awe Toy Reviews.

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    2 Comments

    1. zaranblack on August 1, 2014 1:59 pm

      I thought the movie was fantastic. I felt like the pacing wasn’t JJ Abrams fast. There wasn’t any stupid children or Jar Jars. Frankly, it was a space opera movie that has been missing from cinema for a long time. Probably my second favorite Marvel movie next to Winter Soldier.

    2. Russ Radcliff on August 4, 2014 10:23 am

      I was blown away by Guardians of the Galaxy. I expected to like it, but had no idea that it would make me feel like a kid at his first movie. I don’t think it’s a problem with info given out that people might not understand..I mean Star Wars did that and created a huge interest in people wanting to know more. I was worried that all the funny stuff came out in the trailers, but wow was that not the case. Guardians of the Galaxy is my favorite Marvel movie..and really is very close to beating out Indiana Jones as my favorite movie of all time!! That’s saying something..

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