Guardians of the Box Office

Marvel’s Team of Nobodies Create the Movie of the Year

If you were to ask anyone what Guardians of the Galaxy was, they’d probably respond with one word:  “Who?”  Basically a Z-list squad of superheroes, the film had its doubters when Marvel announced that they were adapting the lesser-known comic for a film.  It seemed almost destined to fail.  Its director had never made a big-budget film, its main star was still a relative unknown, and two of the main characters are a talking tree and a foul-mouthed raccoon.  Not exactly a blueprint for a blockbuster movie.  But somehow, against all odds, the movie is a huge success. And it’s not just a good superhero movie– it’s one of the best ever.

To make a quick summary of the plot, in the late 1980s, a young boy named Peter Quill is abducted by space raiders.  Quill, who is played by Chris Pratt (Parks & Recreation), becomes a raider himself, although he isn’t very good at it.  Armed with only a space gun and a Walkman containing classic pop songs, and calling himself “Starlord,” Quill stumbles upon an incredibly valuable orb (basically a small crystal ball) that he plans to sell.

Unfortunately for him, Gamora (Star Trek’s Zoe Saldana), a green-skinned assassin, is also in pursuit of the orb.  Gamora is a former follower of Thanos (voiced by Josh Brolin), an intergalactic being who is incredibly powerful.  After discovering that Thanos and his disciple, Ronan (Lee Pace), want to use the orb for their own evil, Gamora’s goal is to keep it in a place where the bad guys can’t find it.

Meanwhile, bounty hunters Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) and Groot (Vin Diesel) are after Quill, who has acquired quite a high bounty over the years.  After they all get in a destructive fight, they wind up in jail.  There, they meet up with Drax (played by pro wrestler Dave Bautista), a resilient warrior who swears revenge on Ronan after he killed his family.  Eventually, the five outcasts have to band together in order to save the galaxy from complete destruction.

Without a doubt, the movie’s strongest aspect is its cast of characters.  Pratt, whose only experience in a big-budget movie is The Lego Movie, plays the wisecracking role of Quill to a tee, and makes you believe that he’d nail the role of Indiana Jones or any other famous adventurer.  Another great performance is turned in by Bradley Cooper as Rocket.  Though he only lends his voice, his comedic timing is spot-on.  Dave Bautista’s performance as Drax is the movie’s biggest surprise.  His character is unable to comprehend metaphors, which leads to many hilarious moments.  One example of this is when Rocket explains Drax’s species to Quill, and how metaphors always go over their heads.  To which Drax responds, “Nothing goes over my head.  My reflexes are too fast.  I will catch it.”

While Saldana’s and Diesel’s performances as Gamora and Groot are good, it would have been better if they had had a little more material to work with (the only words that Groot can say are “I am Groot.”)  Still, strong supporting roles from Pace, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, and Michael Rooker help boost the quality of the movie.

Compared to other superhero movies, it’s one of the best, right up there with The Dark Knight, Iron Man, Spider-Man 2, and Captain America:  The Winter Soldier, because while it’s a superhero movie with loads of action, it never takes itself too seriously.  It seems that audiences have agreed, as the movie earned $94.3 million its opening weekend, topping 2007’s The Bourne Ultimatum for the highest-grossing August opening ever.  It’s safe to say that it’s a crowd-pleaser.  Guardians of the Galaxy is one of the best superhero movies of all time, because it has plenty of action, comedy, and above all, it’s got heart.