Limacher Lowdown: I’m back yet again with another Marvel movie. Now some of you may be wondering if I only write reviews about Marvel movies; and to that I simply say, Stay Tuned. Now let’s get down to business. I have been eagerly waiting to see the vision of something outside the Avengers in the Marvel Universe since this was announced, and I was not disappointed. There are so many reasons, and I will point them out without spoiling the movie.
Guardians of the Galaxy starts off with the basic backstory of Peter Quill aka Star Lord (Chris Pratt) as a small child, yet it doesn’t give a grandiose explanation. After the brief backstory of Quill, basically the tape that has been shown in ALL the previews, Quill does what he does best, takes what he believes should be his. Quickly Quill gets caught stealing a mysterious orb by Korath (Djimon Hounsou), who is recovering the orb for his Superior, Ronan (Lee Pace). After some quick action and awesome flight shots, Quill gets away with the orb. Quill thinks all is fine till he gets a call from his old boss Yondu (Michael Rooker). Yondu fills us in that Quill was supposed to retrieve the orb with him, and not alone. We also discover that Ronan wants the orb to give to Thanos (Josh Brolin) to help him destroy the treaty between planets, and end one planet for good. This is where Guardians starts to develop and grow more on the viewer.
We flash to the planet Xandar, where we hear a familiar voice that is mocking the residents, and find out it is Rocket (Voice of Bradley Cooper) and his Muscle Tree Groot (Voice of Vin Diesel). Quill is trying to collect on the orb, when he comes across Gamora (Zoe Saldana), who was dispatched by Ronan to recover the orb. After a cat and mouse style battle for the orb between Quill, Gamora, Rocket, and Groot the three wind up behind metaphorical bars. This is where we meet Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista). Drax knows Gamora for being aligned with Ronan, but the two come to a meeting of the minds together. The next phase is the escape. I found this whole sequence to be just a thrill ride filled with action, and multiple laughs as well. The dialogue really picks up and Guardians really becomes an entity all it’s own.
Now we have the heroes working together as a team, and doing what they can to discover more about the orb. Who better to explain the meaning of the Orb than The Collector (Benecio Del Toro)? There is a brief backstory of what is contained in the orb, and the Guardians quickly realize why Ronan wants it so bad, as does Thanos. Fans of Marvel over the years can quickly identify what the power contained in the orb is, and the eventual future as well. The movie continues with witty dialogue and excellent action to grow and become even better than I expected. The storyline is easy to understand and flows throughout the entire time. When the end of the film comes I wanted to stay in my seat and wait for the recently announced Guardians of the Galaxy 2! That’s saying something about how great a movie this was, especially for the first Non Avengers movie shot and released by Marvel Studios.
I will explain better why I gave the movie the high regard I did. The acting was spot on, and every part was cast correctly. The way the characters, and yes even the voices, played off of each other was something I could watch over and over again. Everyone who has seen the previews knows of how much of a unique soundtrack the movie has, and it doesn’t disappoint at all. The way the music was added helped the flow and understanding of what exactly was going in Guardians. This is a rare thing today with major studios clamoring for a big name artist to produce a song just for their movie.
Integrating songs from the past to become a character of its own is just outstanding. I also will say the script was great as well. Generally Marvel movies have a little humor throughout, especially with Robert Downey Jr., but Guardians had humorous lines for all the Guardians. I found myself laughing most of the movie, and was just enthralled by that. The major thing I can say about Guardians of the Galaxy is that it has something for everyone. It has humor, action, and some parts really tug at your heartstrings as well. Overall it was an experience that I can’t wait to have again in the theater. One last thing, it is a Marvel movie, so stick around after the credits for something too good not to miss.
