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| Guardians of the Galaxy review – a whip-smart, risky space romp | |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| Having amassed a huge pot of money from all those superhero movies, Marvel can afford to have a bit of fun and take some risks, and the result is this irrepressibly rollicking space romp – which is likely to fill those coffers even more. Movies like this are usually described in terms of popcorn but a better comparison would be Space Dust: it's fun, wacky, explosive and bursting with artificial colours. | Having amassed a huge pot of money from all those superhero movies, Marvel can afford to have a bit of fun and take some risks, and the result is this irrepressibly rollicking space romp – which is likely to fill those coffers even more. Movies like this are usually described in terms of popcorn but a better comparison would be Space Dust: it's fun, wacky, explosive and bursting with artificial colours. |
| The latter certainly gave the make-up department plenty to do. As befits a comic book story, this galaxy is populated by a rainbow nation of humanoids with bright skin tones, coloured contact lenses, ornate body art, zany hairstyles and even zany eyebrow styles. Earth figures only in the prologue, circa 1988, when our future hero, Peter Quill, is abducted by a spaceship, moments after his mother's death. All he can take with him is his old-school Walkman and a mixtape of old hits such as Hooked on a Feeling and Cherry Bomb – which come in handy for all those montage sequences he's got to look to forward to. | The latter certainly gave the make-up department plenty to do. As befits a comic book story, this galaxy is populated by a rainbow nation of humanoids with bright skin tones, coloured contact lenses, ornate body art, zany hairstyles and even zany eyebrow styles. Earth figures only in the prologue, circa 1988, when our future hero, Peter Quill, is abducted by a spaceship, moments after his mother's death. All he can take with him is his old-school Walkman and a mixtape of old hits such as Hooked on a Feeling and Cherry Bomb – which come in handy for all those montage sequences he's got to look to forward to. |
| Fast forward 26 years and Quill, now played by Chris Pratt, is a charming renegade in the Indiana Jones mould. His theft of a mysterious metal orb sets the interplanetary adventure spinning, but not before we're bombarded with an onslaught of confusing names: Xandar, Korath, Thanos, the Dark Aster, Nova Prime. What? Who? It doesn't really matter. Within 20 minutes it's clear who are the bad guys are: chiefly a hammer-wielding, face-painted warrior who wouldn't look out of place in a black metal band – except his name is Ronan. | Fast forward 26 years and Quill, now played by Chris Pratt, is a charming renegade in the Indiana Jones mould. His theft of a mysterious metal orb sets the interplanetary adventure spinning, but not before we're bombarded with an onslaught of confusing names: Xandar, Korath, Thanos, the Dark Aster, Nova Prime. What? Who? It doesn't really matter. Within 20 minutes it's clear who are the bad guys are: chiefly a hammer-wielding, face-painted warrior who wouldn't look out of place in a black metal band – except his name is Ronan. |
| We already know who the good guys are from the poster. They're as much a comedy troupe as a bunch of intergalactic badasses. Rocket, the talking raccoon, voiced by Bradley Cooper, is a delight: a smart, fast-talking wiseguy. He's backed up by a monosyllabic tree creature, who is more of a mime. And rounding off the ensemble are Zoe Saldana's green-skinned no-nonsense warrior, and a bluish-grey muscleman whose failure to grasp metaphor is comic gold: "Nothing goes over my head; my reflexes are too fast." | We already know who the good guys are from the poster. They're as much a comedy troupe as a bunch of intergalactic badasses. Rocket, the talking raccoon, voiced by Bradley Cooper, is a delight: a smart, fast-talking wiseguy. He's backed up by a monosyllabic tree creature, who is more of a mime. And rounding off the ensemble are Zoe Saldana's green-skinned no-nonsense warrior, and a bluish-grey muscleman whose failure to grasp metaphor is comic gold: "Nothing goes over my head; my reflexes are too fast." |
| Pratt carries the show marvellously, it must be said. Gym-toned and scrubbed up, he's come a long way from his dim-bulb shoeshine boy in Parks and Recreation, but he retains that puppyish everydude charm. An action hero with expressive comic timing, he could become the Harrison Ford of our age. As well as his precious mixtape, Pratt seems to have brought a wealth of pop-cultural references from Earth, which serve to lighten up what seems to be a pretty po-faced galaxy. They don't even know how to dance. (Nothing the Walkman and a few Footloose references can't sort out.) | Pratt carries the show marvellously, it must be said. Gym-toned and scrubbed up, he's come a long way from his dim-bulb shoeshine boy in Parks and Recreation, but he retains that puppyish everydude charm. An action hero with expressive comic timing, he could become the Harrison Ford of our age. As well as his precious mixtape, Pratt seems to have brought a wealth of pop-cultural references from Earth, which serve to lighten up what seems to be a pretty po-faced galaxy. They don't even know how to dance. (Nothing the Walkman and a few Footloose references can't sort out.) |
| It's just as well. This is not particularly new territory, after all. At times, Guardians of the Galaxy feels like an expensive version of Red Dwarf, with traces of The Fifth Element, Galaxy Quest and possibly The A-Team. There's nothing as imaginative as, say, The Hitchchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and design wise, this universe has the feel of a 1970s sci-fi paperback cover, which at least matches the retro soundtrack. As the story progresses, the reliance on stock elements starts to show. There are numerous "You do that; I'll do this; it just might work" plans, and the inevitable effects-laden climax has all the emotional weight of a game of Space Invaders. At one point, Pratt even suggests the all-important orb thing has a "shiny suitcase, Ark of the Covenant, Maltese Falcon vibe" to it. One slip of the word "Macguffin" and a black hole might open up and swallow the entire movie. | It's just as well. This is not particularly new territory, after all. At times, Guardians of the Galaxy feels like an expensive version of Red Dwarf, with traces of The Fifth Element, Galaxy Quest and possibly The A-Team. There's nothing as imaginative as, say, The Hitchchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and design wise, this universe has the feel of a 1970s sci-fi paperback cover, which at least matches the retro soundtrack. As the story progresses, the reliance on stock elements starts to show. There are numerous "You do that; I'll do this; it just might work" plans, and the inevitable effects-laden climax has all the emotional weight of a game of Space Invaders. At one point, Pratt even suggests the all-important orb thing has a "shiny suitcase, Ark of the Covenant, Maltese Falcon vibe" to it. One slip of the word "Macguffin" and a black hole might open up and swallow the entire movie. |
| But whip-smart, pop-literate, self-aware humour saves the day (and the universe, come to think of it). The movie practically satirises itself as it goes along, glossing over its own absurdity in the process. It's a mode that has served previous Marvel successes – such as Avengers Assemble – very well, though it could, itself, be wearing thin. Still, freed of all that semi-serious superhero baggage, this has few ambitions beyond providing a goofy crowd-pleasing laugh – unless you count setting up another summer franchise. It's zero-gravity in every sense. | But whip-smart, pop-literate, self-aware humour saves the day (and the universe, come to think of it). The movie practically satirises itself as it goes along, glossing over its own absurdity in the process. It's a mode that has served previous Marvel successes – such as Avengers Assemble – very well, though it could, itself, be wearing thin. Still, freed of all that semi-serious superhero baggage, this has few ambitions beyond providing a goofy crowd-pleasing laugh – unless you count setting up another summer franchise. It's zero-gravity in every sense. |
| • Guardians of the Galaxy opens in the UK on 31 July, US on 1 August and Australia on 7 August. | • Guardians of the Galaxy opens in the UK on 31 July, US on 1 August and Australia on 7 August. |
| • Marvel smashes the superhero template | • Marvel smashes the superhero template |
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