It’s always intriguing to wonder just how well a proven franchise
could do based off its own merits. If they could just detach themselves from
their brand name and make a movie that would have to stand on its own as an entertaining
and worthwhile experience. Now obviously it’s hardly accurate to say that Marvel
did exactly that in 2014 since they were a proven commodity with a widely
established fan base, but even to the studio that had released one of the
biggest films of all time, a project as unknown and as frankly weird as ‘Guardians
of the Galaxy’ seemed like a long shot.
Even if you were someone that entrusted yourself to the MCU
in 2014, it’s highly dubious that you had any knowledge relating to this
particular property. After all most of us had only just finished memorising our
routine to pretend we knew who that purple guy at the end of ‘The Avengers’ was
(it’s….Thanos, right?). But the idea of a crafting a movie around the star
power of that guy from ‘Parks and Rec’, 2009 Uhura, a former wrestler that isn’t
The Rock, a talking racoon and a sentient tree….well obviously works as a
recipe for box office success, of course.
The point of all of this is that the success of ‘Guardians of
the Galaxy’ really is a testament to how well James Gunn’s film was able to
introduce an entirely new cast of characters and make them resonate with
audiences across the world. Much like Joss Whedon did two years prior, Gunn
structures his film around the idea of these talented but flawed individuals
learning to join together. Their unification is so cathartic because it’s built
into the foundations of how the film progresses and flows. He uses his wide
shots that feature all of the Guardians as sparingly as he can, so as to create
a genuinely fulfilling reaction on the occasions when they are all occupying
the same shot.
If any superhero movie has been so utterly elevated by the
talent of its cast more than ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ then I simply haven’t
seen it. Every actor bursts onto the screen in a role that is both larger than
life but also achingly human. We come to understand Peter Quill’s insecurities
just as much as we love his brashness, the self-identifying ‘Star Lord’ line
starts as a punchline and ends as a heartstring. Chris Pratt embodies both
moments flawlessly, possessing such an acute sense of comedic timing whilst
also being fully capable of making the sincere moments land as they should.
The same goes for all of the Guardians, though none of them
are explored to the same degree as Peter. But the film makes such an effort to
draw a connective line between the characters backstories and their current
actions that it’s easy for the likes of Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley
Cooper and Vin Diesel to turn a quirky trait into a microcosm of tragedy. With
the Guardians dominating the scenery so much it’s understandable why Lee Pace to
take a more measured approach. Despite Ronan the Accuser being one of the
weaker MCU villains his dynamic with the protagonists is used to great comedic
effect.
But ultimately that sense of sincerity works so well within ‘Guardians
of the Galaxy’ because Gunn genuinely believes in it. So many writers try to shoehorn
in an aspect of earnestness within their scripts only for it to fall flat
because of how obvious it is that it’s an afterthought. But Gunn weaves these
genuine emotional beats throughout his screenplay. He clearly has a deep
affection for these characters he has built up, so feels a sense of
responsibility for how their development is handled across the movie.
The reason those emotional beats feel so earned is also due
to how well Gunn’s writing draws the audience in. His humour and energetic pacing
keep the audience’s attention in a way that never feels desperate. It speaks
volumes that Gunn was able to open his movie with a highly traumatic portrait
only to then launch into high concept space adventures and never risk feeling
tonally inconsistent. His dialogue is sharp and witty, but also loud and brash
when the mood requires it. More than anything else it shows the deft touch of a
writer who is confident in his characters and understands how they would interact
with one another. Humour can’t feel out of place if it is the logical response
a certain character would have to a particular scenario, and Gunn writes his
way into accommodating both of those factors.
‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ is at its least interesting when
it tries to tie this story into something larger. The deviations it takes to
explain how exactly this fits into the broader context of the MCU do slow the
film down somewhat, whilst also feeling more like blatant exposition than the
more naturally conveyed plot mechanics at other points throughout the movie. But
despite flaws there really isn’t anything that could lessen the sheer entertainment
that this film brings. Certain critics have been accused of going easy on
Marvel just for the sake of entertainment, but I wouldn’t argue for that being
a bad thing. After all if I had as much fun with every movie as I did with this
one, I’d be inclined to be positive more often as well.
Result: 8/10
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