cinemabon
08-05-2014, 10:04 PM
Written and directed by James Gunn
SPOILERS
If you hadn't seen the barrage of advertisement on television or film trailers, you wouldn't know you'd come to a science fiction film. Gunn opens his movie with a quiet scene of a boy listening to a tape of his mother's greatest hits - a cassette tape that plays into the plot of the film later on. Young Peter's mother is dying. We don't know how or why she is ill; although she resembles a chemotherapy patient. With her final moments, she begs to reach out and touch the boy. Confused in regards to his feelings, the boy clings to his grandfather, only to regret that decision when its clear he'll never see his mother again. Consumed with grief, Peter finds solace in the music his mother left him - sort of the greatest hits from 1975 to 1985! In a flash, we're transported off across the galaxy to a dark planet and our film opens on a grim yet humorous scene - where hip-hop music fills the ear while weird visions of sci-fi nightmares engulf our eyes with busy images.
"Guardians of the Galaxy" is peppered with snappy dialogue, incredible special effects, complex landscapes, a cast of unforgettable characters and a convoluted plot that has little bearing on the film experience. Taken from the comic of the same name, Gunn and writer Nicole Perlman have woven a cinematic tale that is bound to spark a series of sequels. There are villains, uber-villains and super uber-villains that populate this universe; and all of them are in pursuit of this orb. The orb appears to be the mcguffin in the plot, vital to everyone but not at the core of the story. While they all chase after the orb, the journey along the way is about discovery - who the characters are and the origins to their lives is the more important issue. The dialogue is chock full of humorous one liners thanks to writers Gunn and his co-conspirator Nicole Perlman. While the characters seem to jump from one problem into the next, they take their misery in such a light-hearted fashion that we never fear for their demise.
The special effects in this film are dazzling to the point of rivaling such big names as Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. Everything is performed on huge scales with bigger than life gods living in bigger than life sets. The large screen format is filled from corner to corner with a rapid fire of so many details you loose count after a while. Of course, the ending - while slightly more than predictable - is also as satisfying as a proper dessert after a proper meal. This is a film for all ages - sci fi fan or not. Its fun, fast paced and full of mirth. We laugh our way through one predicament after another. And in the end, these disparate "folks" are more like you and me than their make up would allow us to believe from the start. There is humanity under all of that disguise and it is found in the heart of its director, James Gunn.
SPOILERS
If you hadn't seen the barrage of advertisement on television or film trailers, you wouldn't know you'd come to a science fiction film. Gunn opens his movie with a quiet scene of a boy listening to a tape of his mother's greatest hits - a cassette tape that plays into the plot of the film later on. Young Peter's mother is dying. We don't know how or why she is ill; although she resembles a chemotherapy patient. With her final moments, she begs to reach out and touch the boy. Confused in regards to his feelings, the boy clings to his grandfather, only to regret that decision when its clear he'll never see his mother again. Consumed with grief, Peter finds solace in the music his mother left him - sort of the greatest hits from 1975 to 1985! In a flash, we're transported off across the galaxy to a dark planet and our film opens on a grim yet humorous scene - where hip-hop music fills the ear while weird visions of sci-fi nightmares engulf our eyes with busy images.
"Guardians of the Galaxy" is peppered with snappy dialogue, incredible special effects, complex landscapes, a cast of unforgettable characters and a convoluted plot that has little bearing on the film experience. Taken from the comic of the same name, Gunn and writer Nicole Perlman have woven a cinematic tale that is bound to spark a series of sequels. There are villains, uber-villains and super uber-villains that populate this universe; and all of them are in pursuit of this orb. The orb appears to be the mcguffin in the plot, vital to everyone but not at the core of the story. While they all chase after the orb, the journey along the way is about discovery - who the characters are and the origins to their lives is the more important issue. The dialogue is chock full of humorous one liners thanks to writers Gunn and his co-conspirator Nicole Perlman. While the characters seem to jump from one problem into the next, they take their misery in such a light-hearted fashion that we never fear for their demise.
The special effects in this film are dazzling to the point of rivaling such big names as Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. Everything is performed on huge scales with bigger than life gods living in bigger than life sets. The large screen format is filled from corner to corner with a rapid fire of so many details you loose count after a while. Of course, the ending - while slightly more than predictable - is also as satisfying as a proper dessert after a proper meal. This is a film for all ages - sci fi fan or not. Its fun, fast paced and full of mirth. We laugh our way through one predicament after another. And in the end, these disparate "folks" are more like you and me than their make up would allow us to believe from the start. There is humanity under all of that disguise and it is found in the heart of its director, James Gunn.