Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper), Peter Quill/Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), and Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista) in Guardians of the Galaxy. Marvel Studios
Of any movie Marvel Studios has released so far, Guardians of the Galaxy had the greatest potential to be the hit factory’s first dud. It features almost totally unknown Marvel heroes (Drax the Whatnow?), it was directed by a guy (James Gunn) whose taste for dark heroes isn’t exactly in line with The Avengers, and it’s set in space, with nary an Empire State Building or S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier or other recognizable fixtures to be found. In short, there’s a lot that could’ve gone wrong.
We should’ve trusted that Marvel would get it right.
Guardians of the Galaxy, out today, may not be from the Marvel mold that audiences are used to, but its off-kilter sense of humor helps smooth over virtually any imperfection. (Very few intergalactic face-offs involve an a cappella rendition of the Five Stairsteps’ “O-o-h Child” and a sort-of dance-off. This one does.) In a cinematic universe that is constantly expanding, Marvel’s first foray into its “cosmic” stories is an excellent maiden voyage. (It also has a talking raccoon with a gun, voiced by Bradley Cooper, so it’s everything you ever wanted without even knowing it.)
While Guardians ranges far into the cosmos, it starts on Earth in 1988, where a young Peter Quill is listening to his Walkman as his mother lays dying in the hospital. When she dies, he runs outside in grief and is promptly abducted by a spacecraft (just go with it). Cut to 26 years later: Quill (Chris Pratt) is listening to the same Walkman and searching an abandoned planet for an orb his father figure Yondu (Michael Rooker)—head of the Ravagers who raised him—sent him to find. Korath (Djimon Hounsou), who has no idea who Quill or “Star-Lord” is, busts him in the act. (This is the scene that’s been in nearly every trailer or teaser from the beginning—a clip that pretty much established that Marvel also knew most moviegoers would be just as unfamiliar with this Star-Lord fellow as Korath.) Korath wants to collect the orb for galactic despot Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace), who plans to use it to destroy the planet Xandar—possibly with the help of Thanos (Josh Brolin) and his less-favorite adoptive daughter Nebula (Karen “I shaved my head for this?” Gillan).
Got all that?
No comments:
Post a Comment