My Review of Guardians of the Galaxy -- Crazy-Good Ride That Will Leave You Laughing & Rocking Out!!

[melsummers]

This movie is one of the most crazy-good comic book movie experiences I have ever had!! Granted I had several, but this is definitely in the top ten for me. Normally, space sagas like these are more accepted on the television screen from Star Trek to Stargate SG-1 to well you get the picture. Outside the Star Wars and Star Trek movies I honestly don't recall many space sagas stories being able to go to the extra mile in the general audience mainstream on the big screen. I can recall many small movie successes that have become cult classics. I can also recall several movies that had the potential to be good, but failed the moment the first strike was called *cough*Green Lantern*cough*. The Guardians of the Galaxy emphasizes, once again, if you give an audience high quality entertainment and isn't dumped down with depressing undertones they will come to the box office.

Guardians of the Galaxy is an amazing space saga that will leave you breathless, touched, literally laughing out loud, rocking out, and wanting for more. Now, I did think the movie had a few flaws, but one or two of them could be worked out in the sequel. The flaws in this movie are really so minor that it doesn't hurt the storytelling nor group dynamic of the Guardians. The movie is just really one wild ride and it really stayed true to who and what the Guardians of the Galaxy represented in the comics.

Peter Quill aka Starlord -- One of the best casting choices Marvel has done is the casting of Chris Pratt as Star-Lord. Pratt takes the screen and makes it his own. Thus, enabling Starlord to become the leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Btw, Marvel has quite a trend of casting great actors named Chris hehe (i.e. Chris Evans & Chris Hemsworth). I have to say I really loved the choices Pratt did. Peter has smuggler qualities he has seen in the movies and tv shows he loved on Earth, such as Han Solo, Captain Kirk, or Indiana Jones. Peter definitely holds the stereotype of a smuggler with humor defenses that is shown in numerous entertainment productions ranging from Star Wars to Firefly.

However, as I stated many times that these characters may hold stereotypes, but they are very different characters that come from different backgrounds and influence their actions in the present. For instance, in Firefly Malcolm Reynolds is a smuggler who is just trying to survive in the vast galaxy, but suffers from PTSD due to his battles in the Unification War. Due to Mal's invovlement in the war you can see a military aspect to his character along with strong moral code in the deals he makes especially against the Alliance during his misadventures. Meanwhile, Peter Quill's background deals with the loss of mother, the need to survive by being a smuggler, but he eventually evolves to finding a positive purpose in his life. He allows himself to feel emotionally whether it be about his mother's death or his team. Mal and Peter are both terrific well-written characters with very different backgrounds. They just share similar character traits in humor and the art of being a smuggler. Their journey and character development differ as their stories evolve and grow.

Having all that said I simply loved what they did with Peter Quill's character. There were some obvious changes to his character's backstory, such as Peter's mother isn't killed, but dies from cancer instead. Peter is never a military adviser to Ronan the Accuser. I was okay with the changes because I think having Peter being Ronan's military adviser just wouldn't work on-screen. It had to be altered to Nebula's role instead. Having his mom die from cancer not from aliens makes sense in the MCU because it delivers the mystery surrounding Peter's father. The mystery of Peter's father allows more connection to Peter's character, and for something the general audience can look forward to seeing in the sequel. Plus Peter deals with his father and new "alien" heritage in the comics, so I really love how the movie delivered the cookie crumbs with Peter's half-human/half-alien storyline. The changes were small, but most importantly they stayed true to Peter Quill.

Intergalactic Assassin Gamora -- I thought for the most part Zoe Saldana worked well with what she was given. I enjoyed her chemistry with Drax and Starlord the most. Zoe really made Gamora's assassin skills believable in the action sequences. However, Gamora is a character that suffered from the few flaws I had about the film. While I loved her chemistry with Pratt I just couldn't feel the romantic chemistry. I don't know if it is my comic book bias because I love Gamora with Adam Warlock and Nova. Or if the romantic chemistry was quite forced. I loved the scenes she shared with Star-Lord, such as listening to his walkman or Star-Lord saving her from dying in space. I could feel the characters' friendship chemistry, but not the romantic chemistry.

Another flaw I had was Gamora deserved a flashback sequence to explain her backstory better. Zoe had to deliver so many exposition in regards to Thanos, Gamora, Ronan, and Nebula. I felt as a visual learner, or know some visual learners, that the exposition would be too much to soak in and process in one sitting. I would have preferred Gamora having some flashbacks or something to explain her background far better. Thanos is the major baddie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So it would have been more helpful for general audiences to understand better. Thus, also understanding Gamora better too. I know James Gunn said the movie had deleted scenes, so I'm hoping Gamora's development or background is within these deleted scenes. Perhaps could be used in some fashion in another MCU film similar to what they did with Captain America's The Avengers deleted scenes were altered a bit and intertwined into Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

One major advantage in building up to The Avengers is that every character had a proper introduction whether it be as a side character or the main character. Guardians of the Galaxy didn't have that advantage. So, sadly, Gamora was the character that suffered the most in the character development area. At least it was only one character in the Guardians that suffered. Hopefully, this can be remedy when we see Gamora in the sequel or perhaps in other MCU films. Alas, this confirmed one of my fears in the ever crowded Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. There is no way to give everyone proper character development especially when they are using influences from the alternate universe comic The Dark Knight Returns, but alas that is for another discussion.

Drax the Destroyer -- Dave Bautista and Co. did an exceptional job on Drax!! Drax is one of my favorite characters, so I was overjoyed to see what a terrific job Bautista did in this role. Drax's coloring is different from his comic book counterpart, but I can see why they changed it. If Drax stayed green it would be too similar to the Hulk's coloring in the MCU. I noticed they picked various eras of Drax, and pretty much combined them together in a mesh in the film. I seen this done really well on Smallville and other MCU films, so it is no surprise to me to see it work well for Drax's character. I remember many people during the promotion of the film thought Drax would be like Stargate's Teal'c because Drax fits the role of the muscle with the heart of gold. Teal'c and Drax are both the muscle with the heart of gold, and they would do anything for their team. They cherish their friendships, and they speak very long winded.

However, once again Teal'c and Drax are also very different characters. Teal'c used to be the First Prime of Apophis who defied his boss as a false god. He dealt with discrimination for being a Jaffa and working with the Tauri. His family stayed intact until the sixth season of the show. His ex-wife died, but his son still lives and became married. Teal'c isn't burden by the tragedies of his life, but rather the tragedies he had given to others during his time as First Prime. Teal'c's journey is about redemption and finding happiness once again whether from freeing Jaffa to forming friendships/relationships. Whereas, Drax shares a different backstory whether it be in the comic book or in the movie. Drax is being driven by revenge for his family's murders. He is rash and impulsive, but I love when he admits his responsibility for his mistakes. I love both Drax and Teal'c, but they are two completely different characters. I do comparisons from time to time, but then there are times where the differences outweigh the similarities. I could elaborate more on Drax's backstory, but I don't want to give out spoilers depending on what Marvel uses for him.

I was just blown away by what Dave Bautista did in his role. He was so believable as Drax that I just fell in love with the character more. I also loved how much Drax's laughs and smiles which makes you want to laugh and smile with him. I'm curious what they will do with his character now that they revealed Drax's road to revenge is directed towards Thanos. Drax wants to get his hands on the evil Mad Titan himself. Oooo.....I can't wait, but knowing Thanos is the major bad I'm nervous that Drax will meet his end *sniff*.

I am Groot -- Groot is one of my favorite characters because he has this great innocent quality to him. Groot is another muscle in the Guardians of the Galaxy team, but he has far more innocence to his character in comparison to Drax. Drax is burden with his traumatic past. Groot also suffered, but at another level. A level to where he can still keep his innocence, and to show others the beauty of the universe. Groot can just make you feel loved, protected, and by saying his three words, smiling, or showing the beauty of universe. There is a reason why Groot is becoming a fast favorite among movie goers!! They did a terrific job at showing Groot's relationship with Rocket Raccoon. I'm telling you I was in near tears during the movie. The voice work by Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, and the CGI work will make you a believer!! I wish I can say more, but I don't want to give spoilers away. Overall, the movie did a beautiful job with Groot.

Bounty Hunter & Mercenary Rocket Raccoon -- Another one of my favorite characters in Marvel has always been Rocket Raccoon. You can't go wrong with a talking raccoon who shoots a ton of fire power and can build weapons!! They did an amazing job with the CGI for the raccoon. The CGI work on Rocket alone deserves an Oscar nod. The movie did an exceptional job on Rocket from his insecurities of being an experiment to his brotherly love for Groot and Starlord. I was blown away with the special effects, dialogue, and Bradley Cooper. I'm no way a Bradley Cooper fan, but you seriously can't tell it is Cooper that is voicing him. This CGI raccoon will make you laugh, cheer, and teary eye throughout the entire film. They did such a good job with them everybody wanted to take him home haha. No seriously, I want a Rocket Raccoon plush toy for Christmas this year!!

Leader of the Ravagers: Yondu -- Of all the characters to have the most change is Yondu in comparison to his comic book counterpart. In the comics, Yondu is actually part of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Perhaps later on the MCU he will be, but for right now he is the leader of the outlaw mercenaries the Ravagers. I'm not too upset by the change because I like that they never showed if Yondu was a villain or a hero. He is pretty much in the middle. How the movie ends shows where Yondu stands. This allows his character to grow if the Marvel Studios decide to bring him back for the sequel. I really loved that they kept Yondu's whistle controlled arrow. His weapon showed how power a whistle can be! My theatre audience really loved his character. Plus I really love Michael Rooker's fatherly chemistry with Chris Pratt. So I'm hoping they bring Yondu back for the sequel since he knows who Peter's father is. Yondu is a pivotal character in the earlier comics too, so I'm curious to see what the studio will do with his character.

The Villains: Korath, Nebula, Ronan, and Thanos -- One of the movie's flaws is that the movie really didn't have a solid villain in my opinion. I loved what the villains were physically capable of, but for the most part they were one dimensional with an exception to Thanos. There was just so much exposition that the movie needed some flashback to explain some of it. I would say out of all of the MCU films this film had the least amount of character development for the villains. There wasn't much to the villains this time. Korath was interesting and funny in how he interacted with Star-Lord. Nebula had the cool coming back to life because she is a cyborg. Nebula being part cyborg needed to be explained to the audience though. Though there is a possibility we can see her again in the sequel due to her physical nature. Nebula had a little bit of development with her jealousy over Gamora, but I feel she needed more development in some other fashion.

Ronan is the most one dimensional villain of all the MCU villains in my opinion. Moreso, than the Red Skull because Ronan really didn't have lot to do in the film. Ronan had a lot of potential, but I think the movie failed in not explaining too well who the Kree were and why they were so against the Xandarians. The explaination of the peace treaty was decent, but I think they needed more. I felt the film really needed a flashback with Ronan's character the most next to Gamora. Having all that said I'm still excited on the fact they introduced the Kree species. 'Cause that means they can now introduce Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel to the Marvel Cinematic Universe!! Thanos was excellent to see on this throne smiling. You can see how much people in the galaxy are afraid of him. You also get to see how he treats people within his galaxy that crosses path with him. He is ruthless. I can't wait to see what happens next with the Mad Titan next in the MCU leading up to The Avengers 3.

Other Supporting Characters: Xandar, Nova Prime/Corps, and the Collector -- I thought the movie did an excellent job in showing the world of Xandar. It reminded me a bit of Star Wars' Coruscant and Stargate's Tollan homeworld, but with the added bonus of relatable vocabulary coming from the politicans and police. In other words I LOVED with what they did with Xandar and its citizens!! I love the look, style, and technology of this world. Glenn Close and John C. Reilly rocked in their Nova roles on Xandar!! They were quite memorable. The Collector continues to be a trip because he is so strange. Yet, he fits so well in this world of the Guardians. So its all good!! The Collector has to be one of the most important supporting characters because he delivers the exposition of the Infinity Gems that further introduces Thanos' goal of the Infinity Gautlet. Benicio del Toro was quite interesting as the Collector from his mannerisms to how he spoke. I loved how he interacted with Rocket Raccoon hehe. Since the Collector lived in this adventure I wonder if we will see more of him since he is an Elder of the Universe.

Action Sequences, Visual Effects, Cinematography/Directing, & Music -- The action sequences were freakin' awesome!! I loved every moment of the action sequences. My favorite sequences were: Guardians first meeting on Xander, Guardians prison escape, chase scene between Guardians and Ronan's fleet, Xandarians & Ravagers & Guardians vs. Ronan & his fleet, and the Guardians vs. Ronan. I thought the movie did an excellent job in the final battle with the outlaws and lawmen working together to protect Xandar from Ronan. The tactics were great from Nova Prime trying to get their people away from the battle to the Nova Corps barrier to the Ravagers protecting the ground. Everyone was working together for the greater good. It was totally awesome!! I also loved how the Guardians defeated Ronan with the Infinity Gem by gaining worthiness and working together. It's a great message the movie delivered with Ronan's defeat.

The visual effects were outstanding!! From the battles to the CGI of Groot and Rocket. Thanos was a little shotty in some parts, but it was a good prototype when we see more of him as the MCU expands to Phase 3 and 4 along with technological upgrades as time goes by. My favorite Thanos shot was of him smiling on his throne. The cinematography and directing were done really well. The style of the film gave me a Blade Runner type vibe where everything looked and seemed real majority of the time. I love how the colors varied from planet to planet. If the planet was of scum and villainy it showed, but if the planet was of wealth and proper it showed as well.

The music has to be one of the best soundtracks in movie history!! It was very smart decision in making Quill's walkman music a character in the story. It allows the audience to connect to Peter, and remind us that Peter is originally from Earth. He remembers what life was like on there whether it be listening to "Hooked on a Feeling" to giving a movie summary of Footloose. Similar to Stargate's SG-1 team constantly making references to Star Wars, Star Trek, and so forth. It reminds the audiences that these are regular people that just happen to be involved in a space saga. It's a great way to connect to the audience. The music on Peter's walkman were from the 1970's and 1980's because it was made by Peter's mother. Allowing us to see Peter reconnect with his beloved mother, and connect to him as a character. So I say again one of the smartest decisions made in a space saga movie.

References, Cameos, & Easter Eggs Galore!! -- Here are the easter eggs and comic book references I noticed, so I probably didn't get them all....BEWARE OF SPOILERS!!

Franchise Callbacks and/or Foreshadowings
*Thanos & Infinity Gautlet -- Thanos has begun his quest for the Infinity Gems for his gautlet
*Infinity Gems Montage -- Showed the Tesseract aka Cosmic Cube (The Avengers) and Aether (Thor: The Dark World). We only seen four thus far making only two more left to discover.
*The Collector Collected -- Chitauri (The Avengers), Dark Elf (Thor: The Dark World), and Adam Warlock (?).

*Celestial is Shown -- The Celestials existed near the birth of the universe and created life and death along with the multiverse. This opens a whole new aspect of the MCU the general audience doesn't even realize yet!!
*Adam Warlock -- There was a cocoon in the Collector's place, and then it was later opened after it blew up. Could Adam Warlock be introduced in the MCU? Afterall, he joins the Guardians of the Galaxy.
*Kree -- Introducing the Kree species allows for Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel to make an appearance or even have solo films in the MCU!!
Comic Book References and/or Easter Eggs
*Cosmo the Dog -- Soviet Union dog used for Earth's space travel and later becomes mutated. He ends up becoming a security chief of Knowhere station. He is known to interact with the Guardians from time to time. In the film, he even interacts with Rocket Raccoon like in the comics!!
*Infinity Gems Montage -- 'Nuff said
*Eson the Searcher -- Is seen using the Space (Purple) Infinity Gem. He is also a Celestial.
*Howard the Duck -- Who knew?! Didn't see this coming, but it totally fits the movie haha.
*Celestial is Shown -- The Celestials existed near the birth of the universe and created life and death along with the multiverse.
*Peter's Backpack NASA badge -- Peter had a NASA badge on his backpack which is a callback to Peter's original comic book origins as an astronaut. It is later shown on Yondu's jacket.

*Adam Warlock -- There was a cocoon in the Collector's place, and then it was later opened after it blew up. Could Adam Warlock be introduced in the MCU? Afterall, he joins the Guardians of the Galaxy.
*Kree -- The species is finally introduced!!

Cameos
*Alexis Denisof -- reprises his role as "The Other" and now he is dead....d'oh. Since we never saw Alexis' face I wonder if we will see him again as someone else.
*Peter Szymon Serafinowicz -- aka Star Wars' Darth Maul makes a memorable appearance as a Nova Corps Officer.
*Director himself James Gunn -- as a Sakaaran
*Stan Lee -- Not giving it away, but be sure to listen to Rocket's dialogue!
*Lloyd Kaufman -- as an inmate
*Nathan Fillion -- voices an inmate that tries to make trouble for Peter
*Rob Zombie --  voices a Ravager Navigator
*Composer Tyler Bates -- as a Ravager Pilot
*Seth Green -- voices Howard the Duck (SERIOUSLY!!)

Pop Culture References
*Peter's References: Bonnie & Clyde, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Footloose, Kevin Bacon, and John Stamos
*Peter's ship The Milano -- Is named after Peter's crush Alyssa Milano. The ship is full of misc 80's items from trolls to trading cards, and cassette stereo player. I saw one trading card had Alf on it.
*Peter's Walkman -- Peter's walkman is a reference in itself haha. The music played throughout the film are from the 1970's and 1980's. Too much to list, but it has a Wikipedia page devoted to the movie's music if one is curious.

Overall, I loved this film!! The film may have had a few flaws, but let me tell you it doesn't diminish the entertainment story flow of the film. The film will make you laugh, cry, cheer, and rock out all at once. I was once again really impressed what Marvel and James Gunn did with this film from the casting to the amazing music. I'm so glad Marvel will have once again have a successful film and franchise on their hands. I would love to see a team-up between the Avengers and Guardians taking down Thanos!!