Guardians of the Galaxy

UK Release Date: 31 July 2014

Certification: 12A
Director: James Gunn
Cast: Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace, Chris Pratt, Michael Rooker, Zoe Saldaña

Rating: 88%

Review:

Back in 2014 no one could have anticipated the fame that James Gunn's Guardians trilogy would garnish. A breath of fresh air in a world saturated by unoriginal comic book movies made entirely for a cash-grab and riddled with Easter eggs. Guardians of the Galaxy is riveting. There's a magic quality surrounding the film that can't be escaped, full of heart and joy. 

The soundtrack isn't the reason for the film's success but it sure helped contribute towards it. James Gunn created a delightful mix of music from the 60's and 70's, encapsulating the feel of the film during every scene. With every needle drop started through a speaker or walkman the characters are experiencing every sound along with the audience, immersing the viewer into the Guardians' world. Kickstarted with Redbone's 'Come and Get Your Love', letting the audience know the type of film they will experience almost immediately. 'Hooked on a Feeling', 'Fooled Around and Fell in Love' and a dance battle choreographed to 'O-o-h Child'. Iconic. 

Tyler Bates' score often goes unmentioned due to the scene-stealing soundtrack. Bates knows when to be subdued with his music but also when to make it overpowering. Beautiful crescendo during pieces 'To the Stars' and 'Black Tears'. 

When discussing Guardians of the Galaxy however, it is James Gunn that deserves the majority of the credit. Gunn brought a band of unknown characters to life and they instantly became fan favourites. Audience members were sceptical to see a film with a talking tree and racoon but this was soon put to rest with Gunn's expert dialogue making each member of the Guardians loveable. 

Everyone is perfectly cast. Chris Pratt embodies the stupid, yet damaged hero, Star-Lord. Charisma comes so naturally to him. He comes off as brash but opens up as the story progresses. Zoe Saldaña is a lot less expressive but plays the angry, emotionless role fairly well as Gamora. Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel both do stellar voice work as Rocket and Groot respectively. But Dave Bautista's Drax completely steals the show, chewing up scenery in every scene. Incredibly humorous with each line of dialogue, not once failing to get a laugh out of me.

Guardians of the Galaxy spawned one of the best comic book trilogies ever made and despite several rewatches later I still love this film. Extracting all the feelings out of me that it's supposed to.