Guardians of the Galaxy-2014

Director James Gunn

Starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña

Scott’s Review #281

Reviewed October 9, 2015

Grade: C-

The summer blockbuster hit of 2014, Guardians of the Galaxy, a Marvel Comics film popular among fans and critics alike, disappointed this viewer.

Too many superhero films are overly conventional, by-the-numbers fare, and this one has those traits.

Presumably aimed at teens (I would think), the film has cute jokes and decent special effects, but a bland, mediocre screenplay that lacks edge.

Handsome Chris Pratt plays Peter Quill, a space pilot from Earth, abducted by a pirate group named the Ravagers. Now a grown man, Peter tries to steal a mysterious, powerful Orb known for its special powers for monetary gain.

The Orb is desired by many, including the evil Ronan and his daughter Gamora (Zoe Saldaña).

Predictably, events turn into a battle of good vs. evil as Peter and Gamora (who turns good) team up with misfits Drax (a strongman), Groot (a tree), and Rocket (a raccoon) to thwart Ronan’s intentions to destroy a peaceful planet, the Nova Empire.

The meat of the story follows the team from imprisonment and escape to their efforts to save the world.

As is traditional with these types of films, there is inevitable romantic chemistry between Peter and Gamora, who are rivals at first but slowly develop a fondness for each other when it is revealed that she is plotting against Ronan and his valiant efforts.

The strengths are the 1970s soundtrack a cassette player and the Walkman, unheard of in today’s modern world, to the story.

I love that this isn’t simply background music; it’s referenced throughout the film in various situations.

For example, Peter comically explains to a clueless bad guy what his treasured cassette tape consists of and how he cannot bear to part with it.

The creative sets and bright colors are other positives of Guardians of the Galaxy. Xandar is portrayed as clean and progressive, which counterbalances the dark, dreary world Ronan and his entourage live in.

However, the film is too conventional and not edgy or out of the ordinary story-wise.

Let’s take the hero, for example. He is clean-cut, all-American, and is humorous. But why exactly is he the hero? He inevitably saves the world, but it turns him from a pirate who is a thief into a golden boy leading a team to save a relatively unknown planet.

There is, of course, a scene involving a backstory of his mother dying of cancer and his regret over not taking her hand one final time. This is assumed to make him kind-hearted and one of the good guys.

This feels forced to me, and it’s what we have seen time and again in superhero films. The message I got from the film was basic: the powerful, strong, masculine guy with a sense of humor mixed in for good measure saves the world from the bad guys while bringing along a bunch of tag-alongs.

This is fine, albeit predictable.

I was left with some questions. What were Ronan’s and Tharos’s motivations? They were simply evil, with not much explanation as to why. What led them down this path? Did they each want theirs to be the only planet remaining in the galaxy?

A tender moment towards the end of the film, when one of the team members dies, is done in a rushed way that was a missed opportunity for more emotion.

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) is a mediocre superhero/action film that might have been better if it had been fleshed out more. This film left me forgetting about it soon after the credits rolled.

Oscar Nominations: Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Visual Effects