Review #33: Guardians of the Galaxy

Release Date: August 1, 2014
Writer: James Gunn, Nicole Perlman
Director: James Gunn

Logline: Light years from Earth, 26 years after being abducted Peter Quill finds himself the prime target of a manhunt after discovering an orb wanted by Ronan the Accuser. (Source IMDb) Action, adventure, sci-fi. 121 min.
Bechdel Test: Passed all 3 tests.

Review
Superhero Blockbusters aren't my favourite kind of movie, but I can appreciate them when a good one comes along - Guardians of the Galaxy is definitely a good one.

The film has everything a summertime popcorn movie needs - lots of action, explosions and an attractive cast. But what really pushes Guardians into perfect blockbuster territory is its lighthearded tone and commitment to being pure fun.

The film's charm is completely encapsulated in the character of Peter Quill who is played by Chris Pratt. (Let's hold up for one second and talk about how good he looks, it's insane right??) He's courageous and strong but also kind and goofy - he's like Blane and Duckie all in one and you can't help but fall a little bit in love with him. That's what the whole movie is like; it's a compelling action movie and a comedy all in one, and you can't help but fall a little bit in love with it too.

The rest of the cast was also great; I really didn't think I'd be on board with a talking raccoon and tree, but it totally worked. Zoe Saldana's Gamora was badass in the best way and Dave Bautista brought humour and heart to Drax.

My favourite part of the whole movie was the soundtrack. Quill's obsession with his walkman was beyond endearing and the 70's music was the perfect finishing touch on the film's fun summer vibe.

You know what, the John Stamos reference was actually my favourite part. Soundtrack is a close second though.

Portrayal of Women: Just as we took a moment to appreciate Chris Pratt's physical condition, let us now take a moment to appreciate that this is the first Marvel movie to be co-written by a woman. You can read about Nicole Perlman and her work on Guardians here.

Just because the movie has a woman writer doesn't mean it's completely female friendly. I wish Quill would have been more respectful toward woman instead of seeing them as opportunities for one night stands. I also could have done without the whore jokes and some of the unnecessary lingering shots of Gamora's physique.

That being said, the film got a lot of stuff right too. For example, Gamora is a full fledged part of the team who has a significant part to play in the plot. She isn't just a placeholder or a quota filler, she has a defined purpose and that purpose even extends beyond being a love interest!

One of the easiest strategies that has been suggested in improving gender parity in Hollywood is to make more background characters women. Guardians does a bit of this - I noticed a few times that there were more women than usual in crowd scenes as well as in smaller roles.

44% of the Guardians audience was female - that's more than any other Marvel film.  It's also almost half of the entire audience. This proves the assumption wrong that it's okay to cast action movies with primarily men because they're "guy movies." Women are showing up to these movies, they're showing up to them more when there are good roles for actresses, and I'm willing to bet that they'd show up even more if a woman was the star.

Sisterhood Moment: Gamora has a complicated relationship with her sister and their backstory was interesting and compelling. It's not too often that a female character is that fleshed out in an action movie, let alone two!

Rating: 4 Jackson 5 songs and a tube of green lipstick.

IMDb - Guardians of the Galaxy (8.8)
Wikipedia - Guardians of the Galaxy

Rotten Tomatoes - Guardians of the Galaxy (92%)