Friday, 29 March 2024

Superhero antics prove humorous and fun with 'Guardians'

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (Rated PG-13)

Just when it seemed like, at least to this relatively uninitiated consumer of the Marvel Comics cinematic universe, the superhero genre from “Thor” to “Captain America” had become too solemn or stolid, along comes an intergalactic adventure that doesn’t take itself seriously.

That’s the great fun of “Guardians of the Galaxy,” where the leading character is a swaggering contrarian, an earthling who had been snatched at a young age by aliens piloting the galaxy in an enormous spaceship and is now a brash adventurer in the cosmos.

It all began in 1988 when the blue-skinned Yondu (Michael Rooker) and a gang of outlaws known as the Ravagers, seemingly on a whim, abducted a young American boy who had just lost his beloved mother to cancer.

Twenty-six years later, the now adult Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is an interstellar buccaneer who has adapted to life in outer space.

Raised by Yondu, Quill has become a fortune hunter pillaging his way through the galaxy with a constant eye towards personal enrichment.

Quill’s cocksure attitude and often frivolous nature readily bring to mind a knockoff version of Han Solo in the original “Star Wars,” which had plenty of humor.

He goes so far as to introduce himself as “Star Lord,” producing snickers of derision from the other aliens.

Though a self-assured, weapons-toting swashbuckler, Quill has a deep, sentimental attachment to his vintage Walkman that contains great classic rock songs from the 1970s, loaded on an “awesome mix” tape that he got from his mother before she died. This allows the film to have an awesome soundtrack.

The latest object of Quill’s treasure hunt is a mysterious silver orb that is coveted by an assortment of really bad guys.

One such sinister villain, a complete and utter sociopath, is Ronan (Lee Pace) who has struck a deal with Thanos (Josh Brolin) to retrieve the orb in exchange for a deadly favor.

Ronan has a grudge against the peaceful planet of Xandar, a place much like Earth because it has water, plant life and blue skies.

The future of Xandar becomes a central point to the action later in the story, and military leader Nova Prime (Glenn Close) and her trusted officer Rhomann Dey (John C. Reilly) are put to the test to stop the planet’s annihilation.

Getting himself arrested and tossed into a real hell-hole of a prison, as well as having the orb taken from him, Quill ends up bonding with an assortment of misfits.

Most threatening of them is the green-skinned Gamora (Zoe Saldana), a professional assassin and the adopted daughter of the villainous Thanos.

Then there’s the bad-tempered and foul-mouthed raccoon named Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), a gun-toting maniac, and his sidekick Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), a giant walking tree with communication skills so limited that his only words are “I am Groot.”

The one person with a personal grudge against Ronan is the hulking, massive Drax the Destroyer (former WWE champion Dave Bautista).

Drax seeks vengeance on the person that murdered his wife, daughter, ruined his life and took everything from him.

Covered in tattoos, Drax has an imposing physique that will prove helpful in fights to come.

A daring prison break results in Quill, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora, the snarling Rocket, the tree-like humanoid Groot, and the revenge-driven Drax forming an uneasy alliance of bickering, blundering misfits that reluctantly put aside their self-interests to evade the ever-persistent Ronan until it becomes obvious that the true power of the orb is a menace to the cosmos and Ronan must be defeated.

It’s up to Quill, who can be charming when he’s not too cocky, to do his best to rally his motley, ragtag crew of eccentric mercenaries, thieves and thugs to chase after Ronan and to stay on mission, even when Yondu and the Ravagers inconveniently appear on the scene intent on possessing the orb for their own nefarious reasons.

At times, there’s such a mixed bag of aliens getting into the act that one feels the need to have a scorecard of the players.

One standout oddball is The Collector (Benicio Del Toro), an obsessive keeper of interstellar fauna and relics, who apparently wants the orb just to add to his collection.

I don’t know if Marvel Comics fans will take issue with the unorthodox pleasures of “Guardians of the Galaxy,” but I confidently predict this rousing, pleasing comedic action adventure film is a box-office winner now and for the inevitable future installments.

Chris Pratt, who’s had great supporting roles in a number of films, really shines as the wacky fortune hunter moving to his own beat(or at least to that of his favorite mix tape).

Having made her mark in “Avatar,” Zoe Saldana is the perfect rebellious intergalactic badass. The rest of the quintet is equally good for bringing absurdity and hilarity into this weird space adventure.


“Guardians of the Galaxy” has the delightfully playful tone that ordinarily is an afterthought for the pantheon of Marvel Comics superhero films.

Here’s hoping that the film’s success will result in the emergence of a new franchise that dwells on humor and fun even as it delivers great action sequences.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

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