Gamora: Zoe Saldana
Drax the Destroyer: Dave Bautista
Ronan the Accuser: Lee Pace
Yondu Udonta: Michael Rooker
Nebula: Karen Gillan
Korath: Djimon Hounsou
Corpsman Dey: John C. Reilly
Nova Prime: Glenn Close
The Collector: Benicio Del Toro
With the voices of:
Rocket Raccoon: Bradley Cooper
Groot: Vin Diesel
Walt Disney Pictures and
Marvel Studios present a film directed by Peter Gunn. Written by Gunn and
Nicole Perlman. Based on the comic book by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. Running
time: 121 min. Rated PG-13 (for intense sequences of sci-fi action and
violence, and for some language).
Here’s the genius of the
Marvel movie model—it keys into the entertainment memories from childhood of
the adults who are now responsible for helping their children to make childhood
memories. The people consuming and
writing about movies today are the people who developed their passion for
movies consuming the very types of movies and comic books that Marvel’s are
based on. They are also using filmmakers who had similar experiences as
children.
The director of Marvel’s
latest entry, “Guardians of the Galaxy”, is James Gunn. He’s one year older
than myself. I’m sure “Star Wars” was just as monumental an event in his life
as it was in everyone of my generation’s. Perhaps he and his co-screenwriter,
Nicole Perlman, exchanged mix tapes as teenagers. The mix tape was another
cultural phenomenon for children growing up in the 80s. It’s also an unexpected
integral plot point of this movie.
Peter Quill, the film’s
hero, is also a child of the 80s. He’s obsessed with a mix tape given to him by
his mother. He listens to it as she is on her deathbed with cancer. The night
she dies, aliens abduct Peter. 28 years later, he’s still in space, still
listening to his mother’s Awesome Mix Tape, Vol. 1. He’s a thief working with a
group called the Ravagers. They’ve been commissioned by a mysterious solicitor
to steal an orb.
A fanatical alien of the
Kree race, Ronan the Accuser, is also seeking the orb. Ronan sends Gamora, one
of two daughters of the powerful titan Thanos, to steal the orb from Quill.
Also looking to lift the booty are two mercenaries, Rocket, a walking, talking,
robotically enhanced raccoon and Groot, a walking, talking tree, whose entire
vocabulary consists of the words “I am Groot.” After being captured and
imprisoned by the Nova Corps, the police force of the world of Xandar, they
meet Drax the Destroyer, who has vowed to kill Ronan for the death of his
family. When it becomes clear that Gamora has betrayed Ronan to keep the orb
from falling into Ronan’s hands, it seems a team has formed.
“Guardians of the Galaxy”
was considered a bit of a risk for a Marvel Universe movie because the team and
individual characters weren’t as well known as other Marvel properties. Without
the name recognition, some analysts felt the fans wouldn’t flock to the film.
The thing is, Marvel’s success has been based on risks like this. Instead of
just making superhero movies, Marvel’s approach has been to make genre movies
starring superheroes. “Captain America: The First Avenger” was more like an
Indiana Jones movie crossed with a World War II flick. The second Cap movie was
based off the 70s spy model. Even the uber-successful “The Avengers” worked
because its approach was more like an ensemble dramedy, using Joss Whedon’s
skills with ensemble banter as its foundation rather than the more typical
superhero machismo. “Guardians” is just a space opera approached from the
bubblegum pop culture referencing style that has tied all of these Marvel films
together.
I would guess that a second
viewing would reveal even more inter-Marvel Universe referencing, as it seems
Gunn has packed it wall-to-wall with off-hand comments and elaborate background
information. The Collector’s gallery must hold untold easter eggs that will
undoubtedly be revealed for months to come on the Interwebs. Surely, Thanos
will be back in an important role in future Marvel films, and the studio was
quick to reveal that the sequel to “Guardians” would be filling one of their
2017 spots. But, none of this really has much to do with why the film works on
its surface. That more likely has to do with casting and the delivery of its content.
Chris Pratt has emerged as
the new model of the leading man in an action films. He’s charming, but not
quite all together. That’s how we like our heroes these days, and Pratt pulls
it off to pitch perfection. Bradley Cooper threatens to steal the show
providing the voice of Rocket. Zoe Saldana once again proves her worth as an
action heroine. The surprise of the bunch is Dave Bautista, a former WWE star,
who plays the brute Drax the Destroyer. Drax comes from a race that is
extremely intelligent but has no gift for figurative thought. This provides his
character with the best vocabulary of the bunch and some of the film’s most
intelligent comedy. Bautista delivers his too literal punch lines perfectly.
The action is straight out
of some of the best science fiction thrillers over the past thirty years. It
stands up to the best space operas, such as ‘Star Wars”, “The Fifth Element”
and “Titan A.E.” There’s a wonderfully executed prison break, with some
surprising comic touches to it, thanks to Rocket and Groot. The spacecrafts are
just what you’d want to be bouncing around space in these days. The Xanderian
world is well defined with minimal time spent establishing the more droll
elements of a cosmic society. And the combat scenes are understandable, instead
of being jumbled messes of editing and half seen movements.
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