Movies: Guardians of the Galaxy

Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper
Directed By: James Gunn
Written By: James Gunn & Nicole Perlman from the comic by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Marvel, 2014
PG-13; 121 mins
5 stars (out of 5)
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So this was my first D-BOX movie, and it seems like a pretty good one to have started with; the film put the D-BOX to good use. I turned my seat all the way up and found I enjoyed lifting my feet off the floor so as to feel the motion more.

The movie itself is pretty much as advertised, sort of a lighter-weight version of all the other Marvel and superhero movies out there. That is, a lot more comedy, and the heroes themselves are not as emotionally weighty. Yes, Peter Quill (aka Star Lord, and known in this universe as Chris Pratt) lost his mom and was abducted by aliens, and Gamora (Saldana) was raised by the man who murdered her family, but while these are plot points, they are not played as darkly as even, say, Tony Stark's panic attacks in Iron Man 3. The goal of GotG seems to be to keep things light.

And also moving. The film goes at a quick clip, and the story follows the predictable lines, ending with the major confrontation at the end. I won't even bother to tell you the plot except to say a lot of people want this Orb thing that houses one of the Infinity Stones (remember those? And yet I feel like Indiana Jones already did this . . .), but the power of said stone is so great that it's not safe for just anyone to possess it. So what starts as a treasure hunt fueled by greed becomes a race to save the galaxy. Pretty much the same standard plot of just about any of these movies.

What is particularly refreshing about GotG, besides the levity, is the truly great chemistry amongst the actors. I especially liked Dave Bautista as Drax, but really, they all did a fabulous job. It might just have been the writing (for all I know, the actors all truly despise one another, but if that's the case, they hid it well). In short, their good time became the audience's good time, and that's always fun to experience.

Well, that and hearing someone call Bradley Cooper a "creepy little beast." (He'll always be Will from Alias to me.)

The great soundtrack added to the overall enjoyment. In total, this movie is exactly what I expected and wanted it to be, which is why I give it five stars.