This latest venture into the Marvel Cinematic Universe takes us as far away from Earth and its Mightiest Heroes as we could possibly go, the only connecting point being Thanos, who we saw at the end of The Avengers but doesn’t play that much larger of a role here. Just like in The Avengers, he’s in the background orchestrating things.
Guardians of the Galaxy is about Peter Quill, a.k.a. Star-Lord, as he attempts to retrieve a super powerful orb and save the galaxy with the help of Gamora, an assassin trained by Thanos himself, Drax, who is seeking revenge for the death of his family, a genetically engineered bounty hunter called Rocket, and Groot, who is Groot.
The beginning of the movie is very exposition heavy, but that’s forgivable because they have an entire galaxy and its inhabitants that they have to introduce and the rest of the movie more than makes up for it.
The Guardians take the orb to someone we’ve already met in the MCU and have its contents and its power explained. They then vow to not let the orb fall into the hands of Ronan the Accuser, (the main villain in the movie) which it promptly does.
The back half of the movie is the Guardians coming together as a team in an attempt to defeat Ronan.
Guardians of the Galaxy is, by far, the most comic book-y of the Marvel movies. There are the obvious fantasy elements (like a talking raccoon and walking tree), but even the heavy dose of humor give the movie a comic book feel. I think this works both for and against the movie though. After watching one Avenger deal with PTSD and another deal with the corruption and destruction of what was suppose to be incorruptible and indestructible, a fun, witty romp through space that doesn’t take itself too seriously is a welcome change.
On the other hand, I have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that the Guardians and the Avengers are in the same universe. I can see that moment when Tony Stark meets Rocket for the first time and it’s jarring.
That said, I don’t think the Avengers will be meeting the Guardians anytime soon, so until then, I’ll just sit back and enjoy them both.
Two quick notes:
Guardians is also, by far, the most crass of the Marvel movies. The action and violence is on par with the rest of the MCU, but the language is a lot stronger. It doesn’t cross the line into the offensive, but it will be a long while before I let my young daughter watch this movie.
The second note: as with every Marvel movie, stay to the end of the credits. I promise you that you won’t be expecting what happens.
Just as I expected, like many Marvel films, this film has content at which I draw the line. According to Dove.org’s review, Guardian of the Galaxy has the following instances I do not look for in a movie, let alone comic books:
*2 mentions of S word
*2 mentions of the 5-letter B word
*1 mentions of the P word
*4 mentions of the A word
*Slangs for male and female genitalia (5 total)
*Some violence others would be uncomfortable seeing
*Use of middle finger
*Anything else I’m sure one would find objectionable
Has it all become the norm of American live-action action-packed cinema? It’s like Marvel’s filmmakers make films for themselves and not for all ages. Truth be told, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is NOT family-oriented. I’m beginning to wonder if it was a good idea for Disney to buy Marvel. I’ll just stick with animated shows.
Seriously? Try watching a movie like Wolf of Wall Street where they drop the f-bomb some 200+ times. In comparison, is this really that bad? and in most “male genitalia” references, in fact all of them, they were not used in actual reference to the male genitalia. All in all, this movie is fairly clean for Hollywood movies. And when I saw it yesterday in IMAX, there were plenty of children who walked away amazed by the film, with one ever saying, and I quote, “This is 100 times better than the Avengers.”
Someone said it has “Goonies” level language… I think that’s about right
I would also agree John, the Goonies was pretty tame, in my opinion. I really don’t see Guardians of the Galaxy crossing any moral lines or anything. All-in-all a fun movie and some of the language, such as the usage of the 5-letter b word toward the end of the movie produced a lot of laughs. I hate to say it, but I don’t think the comedic effect would be the same if they had chosen another word.
I guess my only gripe is how the the late 20th century and 21st century aren’t a lot like the early-mid 20th century in terms of content. The more frequent the habit of adding some inappropriate elements in movies is, the more predictable said elements become.
If you find the language offensive in this film and refuse to see it based on that I suggest you go live and work somewhere like Russia or North Korea where you can control creativity and censor what people see and hear. Filmmakers have the right to include what they see fit and after all this is released under the Marvel banner, not Disney Pictures. It is rated accordingly.
I was disappointed with the post trailer clip. I wouldn’t bother sitting around waiting for it.
yeah, the post trailer clip was a little disappointing to me as well, because I’m not a fan of that particular character. And yes, it is released under Marvel, I don’t remember the Disney name being anywhere in the credits even. Hollywood Records was mentioned, but I don’t remember seeing Disney there anywhere. I disagree with people saying it was a mistake for Disney to purchase Marvel. It gave them a tremendous amount of talent and characters to work with and the huge profit-generator that is Marvel Studios.
I see it as a glorious reunion of what should be now that Lucasfilm, which owned the rights to that character (un-named so as not to introduce spoilers), is now under the same house as Marvel. It’s like they had to do it to complete the circle. Whether that character gets their own proper film, which they deserve, or just some extra screen time on TV or in a future film, remains to be seen. But if anyone could do justice it would be James Gunn. Might be a fun project for him between the #GotG sequels.
What about a One-Shot on the GotG Blu-ray? That could be a lot of fun.
Jesse, I appreciate your fervor. But please avoid attacking other readers of the blog for their opinions. It only makes you look like a fool and will get you banned if it continues.
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I have to say that I agree with Mr. Sig in terms of being turned off by the crassness of this movie. In a movie which is clearly marketed toward children, PG-13 rating not withstanding, I didn’t find the casual use of swearing and the references to “adult” situations to be be warranted.
All in all, the movie was a spectacle, however, I’m not willing to be entertained by whatever means necessary. There were many good scenes and plenty of memorable characters but many times Guardians of the Galaxy was just plain dumb. My rating is 4 out of 10. I understand that I am by far in the minority on this rating.
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