Guardians of the Galaxy
A group of intergalactic criminals are forced to work together to stop a radical warrior from seizing control of the universe. Sound familiar?
Like the Lucas-Spielberg space-odyssey-based collaboration that is Star Wars and the adventures of Captain James Kirk of Star fleet in Star Trek, Stan Lee's comic book-based sci-fi adventure is the little nerdy boy who wants to be in the cool group. The Hans-Solo wannabe Chris Pratt as the easy-going space-cowboy Peter Quill, who finds himself in a quarry of bounty hunters after stealing an orb coveted by the evil Ronan (I had flashbacks of Indiana Jones watching this part of the story unfold). Evading Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with four disparate misfits: gun-toting Rocket Raccoon, treelike-humanoid Groot, an enigmatic Gamora, and a vengeance-driven Drax the Destroyer.
But, of course, as Quill inevitably finds out, the orb is not just a valuable artifact. Rather , it's a cosmic threat to the universe with power that he must dispense of as the cosmos teeters on the brink of destruction . Driven by comic-book thrills and laughs, the film maintains a steady stream of paper-thin suspense that is produced short-lived bouts with no redeeming gratification whatsoever. Then again, would you expect otherwise from a comic-book flick?
Of course, as in basically all of the Marvel movies, we learn about the hero's tragic backstory. In this case, it's Quill. The one-time earthling had been abducted from his home by ruffian scavengers (pirate-like space-dwellers) and never returned - even on his own volition . What's worse is that the film dates itself as Quill geeks out as he struts around plugged into his Walkman cassette player in eighties clothing, distancing itself from the futuristic setting. Even Han Solo avoided that!
I am not a Marvel fan, but I do see the timeless appeal of The Avengers and Spider-Man - the "it" factor. Disappointingly, Guardians simply didn't have the "it" factor. It's the nerd you befriended just because - reliably entertaining but predictable. However, I was left with an unexplainable itch to see the sequel.
Like the Lucas-Spielberg space-odyssey-based collaboration that is Star Wars and the adventures of Captain James Kirk of Star fleet in Star Trek, Stan Lee's comic book-based sci-fi adventure is the little nerdy boy who wants to be in the cool group. The Hans-Solo wannabe Chris Pratt as the easy-going space-cowboy Peter Quill, who finds himself in a quarry of bounty hunters after stealing an orb coveted by the evil Ronan (I had flashbacks of Indiana Jones watching this part of the story unfold). Evading Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with four disparate misfits: gun-toting Rocket Raccoon, treelike-humanoid Groot, an enigmatic Gamora, and a vengeance-driven Drax the Destroyer.
But, of course, as Quill inevitably finds out, the orb is not just a valuable artifact. Rather , it's a cosmic threat to the universe with power that he must dispense of as the cosmos teeters on the brink of destruction . Driven by comic-book thrills and laughs, the film maintains a steady stream of paper-thin suspense that is produced short-lived bouts with no redeeming gratification whatsoever. Then again, would you expect otherwise from a comic-book flick?
Of course, as in basically all of the Marvel movies, we learn about the hero's tragic backstory. In this case, it's Quill. The one-time earthling had been abducted from his home by ruffian scavengers (pirate-like space-dwellers) and never returned - even on his own volition . What's worse is that the film dates itself as Quill geeks out as he struts around plugged into his Walkman cassette player in eighties clothing, distancing itself from the futuristic setting. Even Han Solo avoided that!
I am not a Marvel fan, but I do see the timeless appeal of The Avengers and Spider-Man - the "it" factor. Disappointingly, Guardians simply didn't have the "it" factor. It's the nerd you befriended just because - reliably entertaining but predictable. However, I was left with an unexplainable itch to see the sequel.
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