A Space Odyssey
Film: Guardians of the Galaxy
Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldanha, Glenn Close
Directed by: James Gunn
Duration: 2 hrs
Rating: * * * 1 / 2
From Marvel studios comes Guardians of the Galaxy, based on
the comic book which mostly aficionados will know of. Director James Gunn hasn’t made too many
films and is a relatively unknown name but this seems to be his big ticket, he
is also helming the sequel slated for a 2017 release.
Guardians of the Galaxy is a crowd pleaser all the way, there
is no doubt about that. It doesn’t deviate too much from the standard formula
of what appeals to the audience. Even though there is not much in terms of
breaking new ground, you will still come out suitably satisfied.
They may not exactly come running on the streets like
Archimedes but comic book fans will come close to repeating that fear after
watching the film.
In the last decade or so there has been a spate of films
based on comic books, while some have been run o’ the mill a few have stood out
and this enterprise has a good chance of topping the list or at least coming
close.
For a change, the story is set in outer space and barring
the first few minutes, there is no mention of earth. Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) gets abducted in an
alien ship at a young age and grows up to become an outlaw on the planet Morag,
he likes to call himself Star Lord. As a mercenary he steals the orb not
knowing the importance of it.
The evil guy is Ronan who knows of the orb, the possessor
can become all powerful (haven’t we heard that before) and sends Gamora (Zoe
Saldanha) to retrieve it from Quill. But they end up being on the same side of
the fence and they have a new team that will save the galaxy –a rather smart
raccoon called Rocket (voice of Bradley Cooper), his faithful friend Groot
(Voice of Vin Diesel, who didn’t have to speak much but mutters a line that
will be mentioned for a long time in the future). Joining them in an endeavor
to fight the bad guys is Drax the destroyer. Glenn Close plays Nova Prime, the
head of the prosperous Xandar planet which is targeted by Ronan.
The film works because it has zany characters and keeps the
tone lightweight almost throughout the film.
It aims to please and succeeds in keeping the target audience happy.
Those who are not into comic books, the visuals of the film will stand out
along with the tongue in cheek humor.
The screen play in some ways is generic but within that, it
is among the best of the lot – there is action, drama, comedy, while it may not
be very intense, it is still there.
All in all, Guardians of the Galaxy offers good times at the
cinema, especially with a tub of pop corn.
Published in The Navhind Times on 10th Aug 2014
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