Guardians of the Galaxy

It’s very difficult to pinpoint what made Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel’s

newest addition to its ever-expanding film universe, so universally appealing. I

haven’t talked to a single person that did not like it. How is it that I, a college-age

girl, find the same enjoyment in a movie as my eight year-old brother does? Marvel

has been successful in creating these movies, contributing to its dominance over DC

Comics and their movies.

If I were to explain the premise of this movie to someone who knew nothing

about it, it would sound ridiculous: a guy from earth, a green girl, a walking tree, a

talking raccoon, and a crazy tattooed man fly around in space attempting to defeat a

genocidal blue dude. Something about the mix of characters I just crudely described

is part of what makes GotG the wonderful story that it is. It is fun to root for a ragtag

group of heroes coming together to save the day. Look at The Avengers. In their own

movies, each of the heroes (I would say heroine, but for some absurd reason, Black

Widow has not been given her own movie yet) faces their own demons, external and

internal, but when they come together, they have to get over his or her personal

obstacles and work together to save the world.

Director and co-writer of GotG, James Gunn, manages to create likeable

characters almost as much as Joss Whedon did in Avengers. Unfortunately, where he

fell short was the character I went in hoping to root for, Gamora. She kicked ass as

much as I hoped she would, but in the end, she served as a motivator for Peter Quill

(you may know him by another name: Star-Lord). There was so much potential with

her crazy adopted sister, Nebula, and father, Thanos, so I’m hoping they’ll do more

with her unfortunate upbringing in future films because there was potential for

greater character development and depth.

 I walked in excited about Gamora, but walked out in love with Groot. I

thought Groot, voiced by Vin Diesel, and Rocket, voiced by Bradley Cooper, were

going to be the comic relief that my brother laughed hysterically at while I rolled my

eyes, but they both became poignant characters through their backstories. Groot

only says four words the entire movie and, yet, he’s still this amateur film critic’s

favorite.

James Gunn also almost perfectly struck the balance between humor and

seriousness, which is, in my opinion, very important for superhero movies. The

funny moments make the sober ones much more touching. Characters that can joke

about themselves and their obstacles are much more relatable. I laughed

hysterically in this movie all three times I’ve seen it so far, but I’ve also teared up

each time. Few movies have that power. I don’t think I came close to shedding tears

in Avengers, even when Loki (only kind of) killed Coulson (if that’s a spoiler to you,

go watch the movie- it’s on Netflix so you have no excuse). Yet even in the climactic

scene of GotG, as the heroes band together to save an entire civilization, Peter Quill

maintains refreshing levity as he delivers one of the most memorable lines of the

film (I won't give that one away). Clearly, James Gunn has a bright future ahead of

him, with few other generally recognizable films under his belt as a writer and none

as a director.

The whipped cream on top of the delicious ice cream sundae that was

Guardians of the Galaxy is the soundtrack. I, like Peter Quill, grew up with oldies. I

remember listening to the Top 40 radio station for the first time in fifth grade and

not understanding what I was hearing. The 60s and 70s songs throughout the film

underscore each action-packed moment with warm nostalgia, even if the songs

weren't a part of your childhood.. The album goes on repeat for a week after each

additional time I see the movie, it’s just so fun. The cherry on top of the wonderful

whipped cream is that the soundtrack advances the plot rather than just simply

adding style. We hear what Peter hears and the songs come to mean something to us

as they did to his mom and for him. I never thought “Aint No Mountain High

Enough” could make me tear up, but it did.

I do my ratings on a ten-point scale, because I’m too picky to just use four or

five stars. I’m giving Guardians of the Galaxy a 9 out of 10- it’s the redemption that

this lack luster summer needed and very much deserved.