Worldwide, Guardians of the Galaxy has been the second most successful film behind Transformers: Age of Extinction, making over 600 million dollars as of September fourteenth, 2014. This is a notable accomplishment for a film whose lead characters are not mainstays of pop culture.
James Gunn, who not only directed the film, but also played a role in writing is owed much credit to the film’s success in this writer’s opinion. Gunn’s particular flair can be seen in scenes throughout the movie, from the choreography of scenes to the quirky mannerism of the character Starlord, played by Chris Pratt. Gunn manages to craft a film that is not weighed down by a gritty tone or cheapened to the point of campiness by the frequent humor and intentionally dated soundtrack, finding a comfortable middle ground.
While the film tells an origin story rife with countless clichés, absurd characters and not-so-witty one-liners, the fresh characters who are not big movie frequenters on their latest reboot adventure make the film stand out from the summer lineup.
The plot is a rehash of the classic tale of a band of losers coming together to face overwhelming odds. It follows Peter Quill, aka Starlord, a young man from earth who was abducted by a group of space bandits. Shenanigans ensue and Quill finds himself teaming up with Gamora, (Zoe Saldana) Drax, (Dave Bautista) Groot (Vin Diesel) and Rocket Racoon, (Bradley Cooper) to stop the evil Ronin (Lee Pace) from destroying the universe.
This film is still in theaters and on the off chance you have not yet seen it, it is highly recommended. Guardians of the Galaxy is rated PG-13, but if you had not noticed from the amount of merchandise marketed to children based on this movie, it is mostly kid-friendly. Like many Disney and Marvel movies before it however, there is something to appeal to all ages in this movie.