Marvel's Outcasts

Guardians of the Galaxy

Since 2008, Marvel Studios has produced some of the most successful comic book films ever. Collected into phases with the first Phase ending with The Avengers, Phase Two is in the middle of its run which will end with Avengers: Age of Ultron. These Marvel films have mainly focused on characters from the Avengers superhero group, however, this year film audiences were given a chance to step away from The Avengers for a bit. Marvel Studios decided to take one of the most obscure comics in their line up and give it a shot on the big screen with Guardians of the Galaxy.

Twenty-six years after being abducted from Earth, Peter Quill has taken up the life of petty thief and all around hooligan. Though, after stealing an orb from a desolate planet, Quill as found that he has stumbled his way into a situation way over his head. This particular orb is one of the most sought after objects in the Galaxy and because he is in possession of it, Quill himself has become a number one target. Unknowing of the orbs value, Quill attempts to sell the orb but is ambushed by an assassin, Gamora, looking for the orb and two “bounty hunters”, Rocket (a raccoon) and Groot (a walking tree), looking for Quill. The four are arrested and sent to a galactic prison. When the group of new “friends” arrives at said prison, Gamora explains to Quill and the rest why the orb is so valuable. The orb is going to be used by a fanatical being named Ronan to wipe out an entire planet, so Gamora convinces the others to help her sell it to a buyer that she had lined up and the buyer would ensure the safety of said orb. The only problem with her plan…they are still in prison, so Rocket devises a plan to escape only to find that escaping prison was the easiest thing this group is going to face on their new adventure.

What do you get when you cross Star Wars with Serenity and subtract all the Jedi?  You will come up with Guardians of the Galaxy.  This film is everything that you could ask for in a summer blockbuster and believe me it is WAY overdue. Guardians mixes the action, comedy, drama, and special effects into a great movie for all kinds of movie fans. This film did a magnificent job pulling in its audience to a comic book that is very under the radar. I know that I mentioned this a few times, I am a huge comic book nerd and this comic book is so under the radar that I didn’t even know that it was a comic book.

The cast of the film has amazing chemistry and likability, starting with Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation), who portrays Peter “Star-Lord” Quill. Pratt seems like he took every essence of Han Solo and put it into Quill and gave the character just a little bit extra charm. Pratt has cemented himself has leading man with this role and I hope that he brings the same confidence to Jurassic World coming out next summer. Wrestler Dave Bautista shows off his acting chops with the eloquent Drax the Destroyer. Of course Bautista does not have to stretch very far with this character because most of the film Drax is beating someone, but what caught my eye with him was his ability to The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug) plays the villain Ronan, who is a little bit of a religious zealot. Pace has great presence in the film without really doing anything physically. His voice and mannerisms are enough to get his menace across to the audience. Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook) provides the voice to Rocket, a genetically altered, mechanically inclined raccoon. Cooper alters his voice enough for me to not even really recognize it, but not in a bad way. He alters it well enough to match the character. I am going to mention that Vin Diesel (for all you Diesel fans out there) is the voice of Groot, but unfortunately Groot has one line…”I am Groot”. The character of Groot is CGI, but one of the best characters to be fully CGI’ed. Groot brings a lot of innocence and ultimately becomes the heart of the Guardians.  My opinion of the last main character is not bad nor is it good. Zoe Saldana (the new Star Trek films) plays Gamora, an assassin with a conscience. Saldana does a good job portraying this character; I just felt that the director and/or producers could have picked someone else because Saldana may have been type-cast. She has been a kick-ass alien before in Avatar and an assassin in Columbiana, so I felt that she has done this before. On the other hand, she does these characters well, so I guess I really shouldn’t “complain”.

seamlessly mesh with the other characters, where other wrestler/actors look almost lost and very stiff. Lee Pace (

Unknown director James Gunn (Slither) got the job with a little help with Joss Whedon (director of The Avengers). I am glad that Gunn was suggested because he proved that he can handle this scale of a movie. Gunn mixes the CGI and other special effects very well, almost in a way that the prequel Star Wars trilogy should have. Gunn makes sure that the film doesn’t take itself too seriously, yet giving just enough drama to give each of these characters heart. He also does an amazing job mixing in 70s-80s music in this sci-fi adventure almost like Quinten Tarantino does with his films.

Not since Independence Day has a summer movie made it so much fun to watch a summer blockbuster. You will laugh, you will hold on to your seat, and you will feel your heart being tugged at with this film. Even if you aren’t a comic book fan, I still suggest this to any movie goer.

The Verdict: VERY Much Worth Your Time.