Plot: Peter Quill Lord(Chris Pratt) has been hired to an collect a mysterious orb, that many villains also want, and thus begins a complicated story involving a green lady Gamora (Zoe Saldana), a muscle-y guy Drax, a walking tree Groot, and genetically-engineered, talking raccoon Rocket. When they have the orb someone else takes it; when they don't have the orb they scheme to get it back. [imdb] [photos]
The irreverent dialog and camaraderie carry the movie, and provides the glue between action scenes that move the story along -- usually the orb being taken or regained. Often superhero movie tropes are skewered, like people laughing when Peter says he is called Time Lord.
Guardians reminds me of Joss Wheden's Firefly in that it is about an unlikely ensemble of misfits in stealing stuff in space. (Perhaps intentionally since Joss Wheden now produces Agents of Shield for Marvel.)
Smaller scale special effects are excellent. The larger effects such as the spaceships and the other worlds -- they seemed either fuzzy or un-original -- nothing spectacular. (I saw it in 2D.)
The orchestral music was forgettable. There a few sixties & seventies songs featured in the plot. I liked Ain't No Mountain High Enough by Tammi Terrell & Marvin Gaye. One or two got annoying.
Zoe Saldana is skinny as a twig and not a very likely warrior woman, but she did this walk that made her look confident & not to be under-estimated. The scene of the Guardians walking together out of the spaceship was so well done that they actually put it in the trailer.
Guardians was fun and refreshing, but not over the top because it had no central moral theme -- after all they are professional thieves -- and because it lacked something special that could have put it over the top -- like a clever plot twist, great dialog, cool design or etc.
The orchestral music was forgettable. There a few sixties & seventies songs featured in the plot. I liked Ain't No Mountain High Enough by Tammi Terrell & Marvin Gaye. One or two got annoying.
Zoe Saldana is skinny as a twig and not a very likely warrior woman, but she did this walk that made her look confident & not to be under-estimated. The scene of the Guardians walking together out of the spaceship was so well done that they actually put it in the trailer.
Guardians was fun and refreshing, but not over the top because it had no central moral theme -- after all they are professional thieves -- and because it lacked something special that could have put it over the top -- like a clever plot twist, great dialog, cool design or etc.
