22 Aug Nerdy for Thirty #10: Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 1

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

dir. James Gunn, starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, and Lee Pace

Brash space adventurer Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) finds himself the quarry of relentless bounty hunters after he steals an orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain. To evade Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with four disparate misfits: gun-toting Rocket Raccoon, treelike-humanoid Groot, enigmatic Gamora, and vengeance-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when he discovers the orb’s true power and the cosmic threat it poses, Quill must rally his ragtag group to save the universe.

When Guardians of the Galaxy was announced, many fans of the franchise (and many comic book fans) scratched their heads in confusion. Why this film? Why these characters? How could they possibly relate to anything that was happening with the Avengers on Earth? While these questions were eventually answered, at the time the growing questions of Feige and the gang finally making a misstep grew louder by the day. What audiences were given was a modern day space opera, one filled with a colorful cast of eclectic heroes as unfamiliar to each other as audiences were to the property they were based off. Had Disney not revived Star Wars some 15 months later, Guardians of the Galaxy could easily have been the space saga for a whole new generation of people.

The transformation of schlubby funny guy Chris Pratt into bona fide franchise blockbuster star is one of the success stories of the 2010s. Credit must be given to casting directors Sarah Finn and Reg Poerscout-Edgerton for recognizing Pratt’s talents and giving him the ability to spotlight them. In Guardians, Pratt is Peter Quill, antihero with a heart of gold. After being kidnapped by aliens in the 80s, leaving him with nothing but his precious Walkman, a present day grown Peter Quill is a cocksure, swaggering space pirate, currently on a quest to outsmart and outfox his coworkers to a bit of treasure. Pratt plays Quill perfectly from the first frame we see him, making the character a loveable scamp that the audience can’t help but root for. While the character adapted from the pages of Marvel Comics is definitely a nod to the greatest character in all of movies, Han Solo, Pratt’s ability to inject his own unique humor, combined with the aching loss of his mother turns what would be a copy/paste rehash into something fresh and new.

Also starring Zoe Saldana as Gamora, the veteran actress is no stranger to an action scene. Playing the daughter of a psychopath, Saldana is believable as a woman desperate to gain her independence. When paired with Pratt’s Quill in scenes, Zaldana is best, being the straight woman to his shenanigans and nonsense. Zaldana’s track record of playing no-nonsense characters serves her well here; in starting the film with that demeanor, the movie’s progression gives her the ability to soften and come to be a member of the team.

Dave Bautista is by far the best wrestler to turn to full-fledged acting. Whether it’s taking small parts in Denis Villeneuve movies or fun, family friendly roles like My Spy, Bautista has shown time and again that the has the talent and the will to succeed. Here in Guardians, as lovable buffoon Drax the Destroyer, Bautista gets to flex his comedic chops as the gang’s resident meathead. While not quite jiving with the comics adaptation, Drax is still a being to be feared, all muscle and full of thirst for revenge against Ronan the Accuser for what he did to Drax’s family. Whatever became of the character after this initial outing is up for debate, but here it’s evident that Bautista is enjoying himself and adds a different sort of humor to the film.

Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel are peas in a pod for this franchise. Both voicing the respective members Rocket Racoon and Groot, the pair of bounty hunters and gleeful criminals add another layer of depth to the film. With Rocket’s tragic backstory of being a creature experimented on multiple times in the past, it’s evident to see all his bravado and tough talk are to cover this pain and loneliness at being the only member of his kind in the galaxy. This is something that Quill can relate to, and while that connection isn’t explored in this film, there’s enough hints at it to satisfy. As for Diesel, his oft-repeated three word sentence throughout the film manages to carry a different weight and tone with each repetition. Diesel’s commitment to the role in recording the line in multiple languages for each country the film was released in goes a ways to showing how much he cares for the character.

Lee Pace plays Ronin the Accuser, the film’s antagonist and reason for the Guardian’s formation. As a Phase 2 film, Marvel was still suffering from its lackluster villains, and this film is no exception. A mere plot device intended to coalesce the group and reveal yet another Infinity Stone, Ronin lacks any sort of actual bite or menace. For Lee Pace, he does what he can with the script, giving us a religious zealot that’s hell bent on the genocide of the Xandarians by use of Quill’s stolen orb. Other than the scene where he decides to split from Thanos and handle matters himself (a scene that also paints Thanos as slightly ineffectual), Pace is almost background noise with the Guardians hogging all the spotlight. The same goes for Karen Gillen’s Nebula, the oft tortured daughter of Thanos and sister of Gamora. While Nebula would be given later time to shine, Ronin is afforded no such luxury, returning in a later film to once again be of little use.

Directed by James Gunn, Guardians of the Galaxy is the perfect vehicle to display his sensibilities and wicked sense of humor. Hailing from the school of Troma, the production company known for low budget horror comedies, Gunn’s ability to polish his screenwriting and directing skills landed him the ability to direct a film few people had faith in. One of the first (of a number) MCU movies to have its doubters and detractors, Gunn’s ability to pull off a well-rounded development of an ensemble cast, entertaining set pieces, and a solid story that unveils a new corner of the universe proves that he was the right person for the job. With added benefit of a stellar score and Guardians motif from composer Tyler Bates, Guardians remains not just a good movie set in a world of superheroes, but a great science fiction movie in its own right.

Overall, Guardians of the Galaxy stands out as one of the most surprising movies in the MCU. Gunn’s love of roguish, ill tempered, disparate elements living on the fringes of society is balanced by the story’s heart and at times surprising tenderness. Featuring a star making turn from Chris Pratt, the ensemble is one of the MCU’s best, able to work both by themselves and within the larger universe Marvel Studios created. Packed with laughs, adventure, and earnestness, Guardians of the Galaxy remains a top tier film by almost every measurable aspect.

Review by Darryl Mansel