Best in Movies 2014: 3. Guardians of the Galaxy

Directed by: James Gunn

Produced by: Kevin Feige

Written by: James Gunn & Nicole Perlman
Cinematography By: Ben Davis

Composed by: Tyler Bates

     Lately, there's a trend with comic book movies, where if it doesn't include character X or item Y, que that "It's not like the comics" talking point. Man of Steel was hit with that notion for being unlike the predecessors that came before it and for its darker portrayal; let alone, it was the first Superman film didn't have this feeling of cuddliness to it. Nonetheless, if you're a well-known property that's had at least 3 films or movies, good chance it'll be scrutinized by numerous sites designed to suck out joy. Guardians of the Galaxy was considered to be Marvel Studios's big test to prove if it could make a film series without Avengers or Iron Man as a title series. If it flopped, narratives would run the gamut Of course, the irony in that is, those characters were considered afterthought, once upon a time, until they received their respective earnings for Disney. As for Guardians? $774 Million dollars worldwide later suggest that the impending "Comic Book Bubble of Doom" is still a myth. In a summer where heavyweights underwhelmed by certain standards, something unfamiliar to audience made the most money, where notable franchises couldn't maintain the appeal of GOTG. I guess my surprise was that Days of Future Past or Amazing Spider-Man 2 didn't gross as much, domestically, in comparison to Guardians, so seeing a brand-new property do well instantly is a good thing. Phase 2 was already better than Phase 1, but seeing the Marvel Cinematic Universe expand to newer worlds outside of ours has finally established their intentions.

 Unorthodox Chemistry

     

     With all these characters co-existing for a greater good, they sure do have a challenging journey trying to find themselves for the greater good. One wants to exact vengeance against a man who murdered his family, another is the daughter of a man who wants to obtain all of the Infinity Stones, the other three range from a genetically-engineered raccoon, a tree whose vocabulary is limited to four words & a man who leads them all has a deeper secret other than being human. Guardians does a lot of things well, but the chemistry & banter between the five characters significantly works in tandem with its story. All of them have a bevy of insecurites to become worthy heroes  towards their own forms of redemption. We don't get a true origin story here; we do, however, get individual tales interwoven throughout the movie as a sped-up backstory. Their stories are easy to follow and don't require any handholding; you know once they meet, they all eventually have the same goal by the end of the film. All of the leads here are exceptional, led by Chris Pratt. You could tell he was born to play a role like this from the moment he puts on that Sony Walkman, moving to "come & get your love." And that just the beginning of the film. All of the leads are exceptional, but I wasn't prepared towards the roles played by Vin Diesel & Bradley Cooper. Diesel utters 4 words for the whole film as an anamorphic tree named Groot & Cooper is just insane as Rocket Raccoon. His story is pretty grim for something that's assumed to be cute & cuddly by some. If this were to be another film with by the numbers characters, the character development wouldn't be as compelling as it is with this dysfunctional group. James Gunn nailed that aspect very well. Also, the film is well-written, giving the characters lots of personality beyond their assumed archetypes.  

Why Nerd Hate Couldn't Hurt this film?

      With little knowledge from comic and that it wasn't film series, Guardians of the Galaxy wasn't picked on as much, compared to, for example, The Dark Knight Rises., and since it was a new venture for Disney, it was easy to like by all, even critics. Newer versions of characters/films tend to get hated more because some are sequels, reboots, etc. Unless if your films are the X-Men films or the older Superman films, particularly films 1 &2, starring Christopher Reeve, there's a good chance they'll be teflon from haters. It doesn't matter the inconsistencies with each argument, these people will argue breathless about why Ronan the Accuser sucks as an adversary or why this film didn't have an origin story. The ladder is valid, but in order to understand a movie requires one to be invested in the experience without being spoiled by articles, TV spots & rumors. As I said earlier, people were saying that this was supposed to be a big test for Marvel Studios and if it underperforms in theaters, it could hurt Marvel Studios. But it didn't. Another narrative dies a slow death & we all can enjoy the festivities in piece. If there's suppose to be an impending bubble of these things failing, there has to be something leading up to the demise of these films, shows, cartoons, etc. An overall representation, not a 2-3 sample size that confirms the bias of some who are addicted to the failures of these films. Guardians proved once more that you can't underestimate the vision of Marvel. But, in all honesty, none of these properties are nothing to underlook.  

WE ARE GROOT FOREVER!

      For now, this is what space operas are measured by. Fun characters, lots of colorful worlds, countless threats, bright skies, and infinite possibilities . If JJ Abrams Star Trek and the inevitable Star Wars Ep. 7 have a vision to compete against, it's this movie. I'm sure the next installment of those films will be wonderful by all measures, but they probably know that GOTG changed the way a movie like this. Other that a few exceptions in 2014, have I felt emotions for a Raccoon & a tree. I cried watching one film about space and time, yet I wasn't meant to have emotions for things that emote such small ones. Whatever Gunn has planned for Phase 3 of the MCU, things will continue towards a place that's is unbounded by imagination.