GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
By: John ’Doc’ Strange
Directed by: James Gunn
Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel, Karen Gillan, Lee Pace, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista, Mikaela Hoover, Nathan Fillion, Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro, Laura Haddock, Djimon Hounsou, Michael Rooker, John C. Reilly
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and for some language)
Selig Rating: FULL PRICE
Runtime: 121 Min.
Unless you have been hiding under a rock or in the middle of the mountains miles away from the nearest internet connection, you have been bombarded by news about Marvel’s Guardian’s of the Galaxy. Five odd fish who find themselves working together to stop someone who is the very epitome of BAD GUY!
The story starts of in the 1980’s with young Peter Jason Quill (Chris Pratt) watching his mother die of cancer. Forced to leave her room and left alone in the hall by himself, he runs out of the hospital in the grip of his grief. Suddenly, a space ship drops down and steals him away.
Jump ahead a number of years and Peter, now a young man, is working with the people who kidnapped him. The Ravagers, led by Yondu Udonta (Michael Rooker) want an object and they have sent “Star-Lord” (Quill) to retrieve it. In the best traditions of Indiana Jones, Quill slides in and makes the grab using some very fancy high-tech toys. and then has to battle his way back out against forces led by Korath (Djimon Hounsou).
Quill escapes Korath’s attempted hijacking but the henchman’s boss, Ronan (Lee Pace) puts a 40,000 unit bounty on his head. This action brings two bounty hunters into the picture, Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and his partner Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel). The two are a motley pair, a genetically modified and cyber-enhanced raccoon and his tree-like ally. (These are the two characters most people are excited about seeing.)
The next member of the quintet to enter the story is Gamora (Zoe Saldana). She and her sister Nebula (Karen Gillan) are the daughters of Thanos (Josh Brolin), one of the baddest of the bad guys running around the galaxy. Gamora is loaned to Korath to assist him to retrieve the orb Quill is carrying.
Rocket and Groot’s attempt to capture Peter is interrupted by Gamora and they are forced to fight her for possession of him. All them are captured and thrown in prison. This is a bad thing but it works out well for the group as they add Drax (Dave Bautista), a maniac who has terrorized the galaxy in search of revenge for the death of his family.
Breaking out of prison is only the start of their adventures as a team. Soon they are pitted against the invasion of the central planet of the galaxy, Xandar (a planet led by Nova Prime, played by Glenn Close with a hair style that is almost a character by itself).
The battles are epic, the action intense, but the humor is what you will remember after you leave the theater. Of course you’ll also walk away singing the plethora of 80’s hits salted throughout the movie, courtesy of the Walkman Peter had on him when he was abducted.
The primary characters of this film are going to be household names and you can expect to see lots of them this Halloween season attending costume parties and running the streets looking for treats. I can’t wait to see who has the moxie to dress up as Nova Prime or Gamora but the real winner will probably be the ones who create Rocket costumes. A raccoon with an attitude and a really big gun you just gotta love, right?
There are a lot of amazing films coming out this year. This one is easily in the top five. It is a must see by anyone who loves action or sci-fi movies, and especially those movies mixed into a tight package and topped with a good helping of humor.
Movie Site: http://marvel.com/guardians
The Selig Rating Scale:
FULL PRICE – Excellent movie, well worth the price
MATINEE – Good movie
DOLLAR – OK movie
CABLE – No need to rush. Save it for a rainy day.
FREEBIE – Good that I saw it on the big screen but wish I hadn't paid for it.
COMMERCIAL TV – Commercials and cutting to the allotted time will not hurt this one.
FORGET IT! – Bad. If you see this one, do yourself a favor and keep it to yourself.
GET YOUR TORCHES – BAD! – Burn the script, the writer, the director and maybe even the actors!
