An epic space ride. The new age Star Wars. Review on Guardians of the Galaxy

So Guardians of the Galaxy has become the highest grossing movie of the year, overthrowing Transformers: Age of Extinction. And I am glad, for guardians is by a million miles a better movie than Michael Bay’s latest explosion CGI fest.

But enough about Transformers. We are here to celebrate one of the most fun movies in a long time, and one which you should watch, even if you are not a comic book / superheroes fan.

Who are the Guardians?

Guardians of the Galaxy starts off with a bang, with a treasure hunter Peter Quill(Chris Pratt), in search of expensive ancient artifacts. Kind of like Lara Croft, actually. He calls himself Star Lord and listens to an old Walkman mix tape which he got from his dying mother. He stumbles upon an artefact which leads him to a whole lot of mix-ups and chaos across the Galaxy. Ultimately in jail, he forms a pact with a deadly assassin Gamora(Zoe Saldana), a humanoid tree Greet(voiced by Vin Diesel), a talking intelligent racoon – Rocket(voiced by Bradley Cooper), and a warrior in search of vengeance –Drax(Dave Bautista of the WWE).

Of course, they do not get along at all. Their fights, bickering and put down are hilarious to watch But ultimately they decide to work together as circumstances have brought them together to bring down a powerful being called Ronan, who wields the power to destroy the Galaxy.

Why it works

Now, based on the above premise, Guardians might not seem like a very new or appealing concept, right? But it works and scales the heights of epicness. The reasons for its success are manifold:

The Humour

Guardians is at heart a movie filled with humour. While that might not have worked in Iron Man 3, it works admirably here, because there is no brooding or serious parts to disturb the flow. Whether it be Drax’s dry wit, Rocket’s wisecracks or Groot’s facial expressions, they all serve to ensure that you are giggling, smiling or laughing your way through the movie. A few of many memorable moments:

Groot smiling like a pleased puppy after single handedly dismantling around 20 of the enemy’s goons.

Rocket asking for a prosthetic leg for the prison escape, and laughing thoroughly when he tells Quill that he did never needed it.

Peter Quill dancing to distract Ronan to allow time to defeat him.

Groot and Rocket are adorable

Strange as it seems, it is the two CGI-d characters that form the heart and soul of Guardians. Groot, voiced by Vin Diesel, comes across an innocent and compassionate. Yet he can be fiercely protective and will fight like a warrior when he needs to. Yet he is at heart sweet and loyal. The scene where he forms a cocoon from it body in the form of twigs to protect his teammates is especially moving. Even though he only says three words ‘I am Groot’, Vin Diesel’s delivery allows it to convey the entire range of emotions.

Rocket comes across as a wisecracking little scamp and is full of sarcasm. He likes to make jokes at the expense of others and seems cruel. But when the time comes, he steps p and is loyal and will fight to the death to protect what he cares about. He and Groot play off each other like opposites and its works brilliantly.

The visuals are nothing like what we know about space

After seeing Gravity, you might be expecting a space movie to be black and dark. But Guardians remember, is set in a fictional setting. So the visual of space are breath-taking, with colours like green, purple, magenta and teal intermixing at times to create a spectacle that beats even the best fireworks display you might have seen. Everything is well detailed and stunning, from the Guardians spaceship to the outpost of Knowhere. Even the prison settings are ace.

It is fun all the time

Unlike recent superhero movies like the Dark Knight or Man of Steel, which were brooding and serious, Guardians is fun all the time. Yes, there is danger, and yes, people get hurt. But it is all in a sense of adventure and feels fun all the time. Kind of like how the Original Star Wars trilogy was.

The soundtrack is addictive and worth purchasing

Guardian’s uses songs from the 70s a lot in the movie, and it adds a lot to each scene it is in. Seriously, the songs are so good I actually bought the album called ‘Awesome Volume. Mix 1’. Some new songs which have become my favourites include: Hooked on a Feeling by Blue Swede, Fooled around a Fell in Love by Elvin Bishop, and Spirit in the Sky by Norman Greenbaum.

Verdict

The truly great movies are those which bring you into their spell and immerse you. They leave an indelible impression and can elicit feelings of love, hate, happiness, sadness, or many others. Guardians is great too, but for a different reason. For when you leave the theatre, it will elicit one thing from you, and that is a big smile on your face.