MOVIE REVIEW: Guardians Of The Galaxy

Shane | 25 September 2014 | Reply

MOVIE REVIEW: Guardians Of The Galaxy
Directed by James Gunn
Starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Lee Pace
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
9.5/10

They rarely make ‘em like this any more: this year’s biggest sci fi action movie is a treat which cleverly combines a cool story, genuinely interesting characters and effects, a sense of humour and a great soundtrack which echoes Tarantino’s best placement of songs into the story.

Our hero is Peter Quill (Chris Pratt, beefcaked up almost beyond recognition from his Parks & Recreations role of a few years ago), and in a very touching opening sequence we learn that he was abducted by aliens just after his mother died of cancer, and the only thing he has to remind him of her is a “super awesome” ‘70s mix tape.

Fast forward twenty years and Quill is a bit of a rogue – almost a pirate, you might say, and finds himself on the run after stealing a strange artefact that – unbeknownst to him – contains an Infinity Stone, which is pretty popular amongst the universe’s bad guys, especially super-baddie Ronan, who really likes killing people and scowling.

Ronan’s agent Gamora (Saldana) and a genetically altered racoon named Rocket (Bradley Cooper) both attempt to steal the orb containing the stone from Quill, but they all end up arrested and tossed in space jail, alongside the very large Drax The Destroyer (Dave Bautista) and Rocket’s sidekick, a tree-dude named Groot (Vin Diesel).

As absurd as all that sounds, I promise you it is non-stop action, and heaps of fun – and laughs. In fact, the banter between these unlikely cohorts as they escape and attempt to save the day is such a treat that it’s almost an unwanted interruption when the final showdown occurs and some actual universe-saving needs to go down.

Guardians Of The Galaxy doesn’t have a deep and abiding message for you: it’s a Marvel comic adaptation that is a lot of fun, and stands multiple repeat viewings, so if you’re one of the few people who haven’t seen it yet – don’t miss out. Personally, I can’t wait for the (inevitable) sequel.