Although I am familiar with the story of Guardians of the Galaxy, I have not seen this popular movie until this evening. It has been recommended to me multiple times and I have heard high praise for the film. Plus, these characters connect to the Avengers storyline, making it a must see for me, as I have seen all the movies around this franchise. Tonight, I thoroughly enjoyed a romp with a band of misfits through the galaxy.
Guardians of the Galaxy stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan and the voices of Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper. The sci-fi adventure film was directed by James Gunn, who was also a co-writer. Guardians of the Galaxy is rated PG-13, for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and some language, and has a run time of 2 hours and 1 minute.
Peter Quill (Pratt) a Terran from Earth, is on the run as he fulfills the role of self proclaimed outlaw and Star Lord. A mysterious orb becomes the center of a plot of deceit, theft, capital gain and weapon of destruction, and Peter finds himself in possession of it. Suddenly, everyone wants the orb. Peter’s mentor/business partner/adopted family member, Yondu (Rooker) wants it for his own profit. On a Kree warship, powerful Ronan (Pace) seeks to obtain the orb so that he can trade it to Thanos (Josh Brolin, uncredited) in exchange for the destruction of Xandar. Ronan sends Thanos’ angry, adopted daughters Nebula (Gillan) and Gamora (Saldana) out after Peter to seize the orb.
On the planet of Xandar, Peter encounters Gamora, who attempts to take the orb by force. Seeing the scuffle, Rocket the Raccoon (voice of Cooper), a genetically modified raccoon who can speak, and Groot (voice of Diesel), a tall tree like being who can only say “I am Groot”, realize there is a bounty on Peter’s head and attempt to seize him. All end up arrested and taken to prison. No worries. Rocket is an expert at breaking out of prisons…22 so far. Enlisting the aid of Drax the Destroyer (Bautista), who has a vendetta against Ronan for killing his family, the five unlikely comrades break free and set off to sell the orb.
The crew of misfits and rebels forms an uneasy bond, learning to work together and trust one another as each hopes to get rid of the orb and profit from it and take his or her revenge on Ronan. In a lawless region of space called Nowhere, the group at last finds out what the orb is…an Infinity Stone, one of the most powerful and dangerous objects in the universe. Ronan arrives, with Nebula, to claim the orb as well, and battles ensue that take the combatants from Nowhere to Xandar. In the fight to possess the Infinity Stone, and determine the fate of the entire universe, the group, dubbed the Guardians of the Galaxy, discover who they are, what gifts they have, and how to join together to become an invincible team.
This was a fun film, with rollicking action and familiar actors from The Hobbit, Doctor Who and Jurassic World taking on new roles. The story and characters do connect with the Avengers films, so it was important to watch, for continuity. Most of all, I appreciated the films surprise hidden gems, found in touching moments, humorous one-liners, and the characters’ development during their individual and combined journeys. I love movies with transformation as the central theme and Guardians of the Galaxy has that element of transformation woven throughout the action and humor. Each of the Guardians discovers who they are, as they travel among the stars and battle for the orb, what gifts they have to offer, and how to best work together to create a team that is strong and flexible and allows each to shine.
I look forward to a sequel, for the film ends with the words “The Guardians of the Galaxy will return” and to the integration of this series of movies with the Avengers. And, as always in a movie, it was good to be reminded that the past doesn’t dictate the future, and that we all have beautiful gifts to share, sometimes born from pain, and sometimes born from desperation, and sometimes, waiting within to be discovered. This film gets a big thumbs up from me.
