Guardians of the Galaxy Review

Marvel's Cinematic Universe has grown in popularity by featuring some of the lesser known heroes from their comic books. When its latest movie installment was announced, few people had any idea what to make of Guardians of the Galaxy (2014); it was an obscure title that had less notoriety than that of Thor or Hawkeye. But when the trailer was released, everyone was psyched to catch this sci-fi action movie. And it did not disappoint.

Brash adventurer Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace), a powerful villain of the Kree race with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits--Rocket (Bradley Cooper), a gun-toting raccoon; Groot (Vin Diesel), a tree-like humanoid; the deadly and enigmatic Gamora (Zoe Saldana); and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista). But when Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand-with the galaxy's fate in the balance.

Part of what made this such a fun movie was the diversity of the characters. It's funny that DC comics has been so hesitant to make a Wonder Woman movie on the grounds that audiences simply aren't ready for something like that. Then Marvel goes, "Hey! Here's a heavy weapons wielding raccoon and a talking tree! Have fun!" Rocket is a hilarious  pint-size tough guy who is a bounty hunter, a mercenary, and a master of weapons and battle tactics. He's not like a ridiculous throwaway furry sidekick in the middle of The Avengers; he was genetically created to be a mean fighting machine. Peter Quill is kind of a mix between Han Solo and Marty McFly in that he travels around space, making out with hot alien girls, and acting like a rogue, while looking for a higher purpose. Quill also has an obsession with 1980's nostalgia, which makes for some great lines and funny references. Gamora is a rebel formerly aligned with Ronan and seeks to overthrow his plans from within; she's also a very lethal assassin. Drax is a warrior in search of vengeance after Ronan killed his family; he's very literal minded which creates a lot of comic relief, even though Drax is oblivious to it. Finally there is Groot. He's an innocent; everyone starts out as a miscreant except for Groot, who is a hundred percent deadly and a hundred percent sweet. All of these characters have their moment to shine and all of them get great lines. Each character was fun, relatable, and even lovable from the start.

Guardians of the Galaxy reminded me a lot of the first Star Wars movie. There is a group of ragtag rabble traveling the galaxy to stop a tyrannical villain and they meet a variety of delightfully engaging characters along the way. In truth, Ronan gets more lines and screen time than Darth Vader did in that first movie, but doesn't have nearly the presence. Most of the Marvel villains, apart from Loki, have been pretty generic and uninspiring. They're evil for the sake of being evil. Other characters were great, and if you've been watching other Marvel movies you'll see some familiar faces. The Collector (Benicio Del Toro), The Other (Alexis Denisof), and Thanos (Josh Brolin) return from other movies. The cast also includes Nebula (Karen Gillian of Doctor Who fame), Nova Prime (Glenn Close), Yondu Udonta (Michael Rooker), and John C. Reilly as a Nova Corpsman. There's even some cameo voice over work from Nathan Fillion, Rob Zombie, and Seth Green. As was the case for Star Wars characters, few are granted much depth in Guardians, though we get a sense of their personality and history. None of the characters in Star Wars would have been that interesting without giving them the chance to develop further in future movies. Similarly most of the characters and storyline in Guardians should be taken as they are. We know we'll see them again in the future where they will develop even further.

The special effects here are stellar. Groot and Rocket are CGI animated, of course. There's lots of highly detailed digital backgrounds and green screen stunts, and it all looks fantastic! The resulting visuals look gorgeous and really help sell the setting of the movie. While there is a lot to take in, you should still watch for the many easter eggs strewn throughout the movie. There are lots of references to other Marvel movies and storylines that have yet to become movies, tons of 1980's nostalgia as per Quill's preferences. Some of it is easy to miss, and some of it went right over my head because I'm more familiar with Marvel's earth-heroes, not the cosmic heroes.

The story is a bit of a mess, but it's an extremely good-natured mess, full of humor and warmth. It's got kind of a Sci-fi B-Movie soul (also much like the original Star Wars) and it encourages you to enjoy yourself even when you're not quite sure what's going on. It's a simple story with lots of plot holes in it, but the sheer fun and energy of the movie overshadows these lapses in narrative. It's a lighthearted and self-referential comic book movie with loads of action and fight scenes, some laugh-out-loud moments, and some surprisingly touching scenes as well. The humor is occasionally juvenile, but even then it's in a witty sort of way.

The music was almost a character unto itself; it's a collection of 80's classics that blended beautifully into the story. Sometimes it was used in to ramp up the energy of action scenes, while other times it was used for humorous irony. Following the debut of the trailer, Blue Swede's version of "Hooked on a Feeling", which was prominently used throughout the trailer, went up 700% in sales the following day.  Not only is the movie great fun, but the soundtrack is also worth getting!

Guardians of the Galaxy was far better than I had anticipated, and I was already hoping for a good summer blockbuster. Director James Gunn tossed together a dizzying blend of superhero bravado, outer-space adventure, and off-the-wall comedy while introducing the world to some of Marvel's strangest and most enjoyable characters. The story has some weak points to it, but the funny antics and edge-of-your-seat action will keep you from dwelling on them too much. The movie is much more fun than should be expected this time of year. I highly recommend seeing this in theaters, and getting a copy when it becomes available on home video.

A note on the post-credit scene: You should of course stick around for Marvel's traditional post credit scene. I half expected a teaser for, like, The Avengers 4, or something. I won't tell you what it is, but it introduces another very obscure character. I laughed, but it made me wonder if they're actually going make a movie for this character, of if they were just joking around. That would probably be even weirder than putting a gun-toting raccoon on screen. At any rate, I laughed.

The Iron Giant Movie Review

I love Brad Bird. He’s an outstanding writer and director. He’s done a couple of my favorite animated movies, including The Incredibles and Ratatouille. His directorial debut in major motion pictures was The Iron Giant (1999). I do not understand why The Iron Giant was a box office flop. It’s message was meaningful in its day, but is probably even more pertinent today.

Set in 1957, Hogarth Hughes (Eli Marienthal) is an imaginative nine-year-old boy who daydreams of superheroes, alien invasions, and of protecting the homeland from Communist agents. He lives with his single mother (Jennifer Aniston) whom he frequently begs for a pet.  One day, he overhears a fisherman talking about seeing a metal man crashing into the ocean from space. Later, Hogarth finds a trail of crushed trees leading to the power plant near his home. There he finds the giant robot (Vin Diesel) trapped in the electrical wires. Hogarth rescues the robot from electrocution, and discovers the giant has lost its memory. Before long, FBI agent Kent Mansley (Christopher McDonald) begins snooping around looking for evidence of the alien threats, or worse Communists, in America. Hogarth seeks help from a beatnik junkyard owner, Dean McCoppin (Harry Connick, Jr.), to help hide The Iron Giant. But with the paranoid government, spooks are closing in, ready to obliterate anything with the potential to oppose America.

I love movies that take place during the Cold War. The McCarthy-era is a fascinating time period when paranoia of threats from other countries was rampant; we were even suspicious of the neighbors we’ve had for years of being Communists. Paranoia itself seems to be the antagonist in The Iron Giant, rather than Mansley, himself. He is a good power-hungry villain, but he genuinely is concerned about the safety and future of America. His fear and paranoia of a Communist invasion has reached unhealthy levels; he simply cannot conceive of a world where robots fall from the sky to do anything other than annihilate America.

The animation is stellar. It’s done in glorious 2D cel animation with beautifully detailed and smooth movement in all the characters. The backgrounds are gorgeous to look at. The Giant is animated with CGI; which looks great for its day. A lot of the art drew inspiration from Norman Rockwell, Edward Hopper, and N.C. Wyeth. This gave the movie a classic, even nostalgic feel.

The Iron Giant is also well written. The characters are deep enough to be believable, and the story tackles some touchy subjects. In 1957, the Soviet Union had launched Sputnik, raising the possibility of nuclear attack from space. This cultivated an atmosphere of fear and paranoia. In one scene we see Hogarth’s class watching an animated film called “Atomic Holocaust,” based on the “Duck and Cover” film shown in schools that offered advice on how to survive if the USSR bombed the USA.

The Iron Giant also has a message of nonviolence. The Giant sees a deer killed by hunters, the naïve robot with memory loss has to have the concept of death explained to him and how guns kill. Hogarth repeatedly tells The Giant throughout the film that “Guns kill” and “You are not a gun.” Fortunately, with the nonviolence theme the military is not demonized in any way. General Rogard (John Mahoney) is actually depicted as being a rational and sympathetic military figure, which contrasts the power-hungry civilian Mansley. There’s also the excellent message of “you are who you choose to be.” It’s not clear what the Giant's purpose is for coming to Earth originally; even the Giant doesn’t know. But he has the ability to be a force of unstoppable destruction, and he is faced with the choice of what to do with that ability. The Iron Giant tells us that peace is very hard work and that killing is the coward’s campaign.

I think the reason The Iron Giant was a box office flop was because Warner Bros didn’t realize what a fantastic movie they had on their hands, and therefore didn’t put much effort into their marketing campaign. I have never heard a single negative thing about The Iron Giant. It tackles some tough issues while remaining engaging, hilarious, and charming. It’s a beautiful animated movie with an outstanding story that is safe for the whole family. The Iron Giant reminds us how mistrust and paranoia can be stopped when everyone decides to lay down their arms and start using their hearts and minds. It reminds us that heroism can come in many forms. I think these are valuable lessons in our post-9/11 world where we are fearful and paranoid of terrorist attacks. I recommend The Iron Giant to anyone of any age. I’ve got a copy on my shelf along with other favorites of mine; it’s worth owning even if you don’t have young kids in your home.

I can think of several Cold War era movies that I enjoyed. X-Men: First Class comes to mind. Can you think of some other good ones? Comment below and tell me why!