Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

So Guardians of the Galaxy is finally out and how is it?....it matches every expectation you had about it. Essentially, it is an absurdly fun, cheesy, old-fashioned space adventure with a superhero edge. For those of you who didn't know, the Guardians are pretty much the polar opposite of the Avengers - they're loud, brash, free-spirited, and most of all.....human....or as human as you can be being 4 aliens and 1 human. Unlike the Avengers, they don't play nice when it comes to saving the galaxy.

This movie has so much going for it that you can't really explain it in one paragraph but all you need to know is that the humour is great, the action is non-stop, the drama is riveting and genuinely heartwarming, the soundtrack rocks and unlike most superhero teams - everyone of the guardians are 100% awesome in their own way.

I won't spoil the plot for you but i will say that what makes Guardians work so well is that it has a genuinely good-natured, back to basics, rock n' roll approach that has swagger and style aplenty. Despite their late entry into the Marvel franchise, rest assured that the guardians are here stay and will be defending a galaxy near you soon.

Fmovies: Recently, I began to understand that I was tired of blockbusters: these incredibly spectacular, voluminous, incredibly expensive, but by and large similar to each other and empty films. In 2014, apart from bitter disappointments like the "New Spider-Man 2", there were really standing copies (whether the new "X-Men" or "The Face of the Future"), but they also failed to arouse my special trepidation. And that's why I did not expect the "Guardians of the galaxy". And if it were not for my long-standing affection for the Marvel universe and the invitation for the preposition, I probably would not even have gone to this film and ... Much would have lost!

During the viewing of "The Guardians of the Galaxy" I was surprised at the fact that it was gradually becoming ecstatic. I could not imagine that I can still empathize with screen characters and laugh at their words and deeds. This film really gave me back the love of blockbusters and revived the hope that in the film world of fiction it is really possible to do something new and unusual.

And now I will try to briefly note those components of the film that bribed me the most.

1. Cool plot. This tape contains several storylines, which, due to the abundance of central characters, are revealed as completely as possible. The main action is twisted around an artifact, which everyone abducts from one another. However, developing this storyline, the creators of the tape have time to give us and a spectacular escape from prison, and many spectacular interplanetary battles, and the history of the formation of a real strong friendship between the five main characters. The plot develops very rapidly and practically does not sag, keeping spectators intrigued to the very titles. Personally, I would have sopped the melodramatic part of the film, however, the reaction of the viewers to these episodes was absolutely normal, so it's more of my harmfulness and natural cynicism, and not some miscalculations of the writers. By the way, the film itself is more associated with "Star Trek" or "Star Wars". So not special lovers of the Marvel universe can appreciate this tape.

2. Excellent humor. "Guardians of the galaxy" is a very funny film. And the cool thing is that here there is a place of self-irony, as the tape makers coolly ridicule various clichés peculiar to blockbusters. In general, it is necessary to see and hear. Probably, this is the most cheerful film of this year, although according to official information it is not even a comedy.

3. Team spirit. I remember two years earlier I was choking with enthusiasm, praising the Avengers precisely for their team unity. However, one can not help but notice that in the Ironman and the company the team spirit was a little bit pretentious. The heroes were constantly measured ... hmm ... by forces, and the friendly atmosphere was relegated to the background. In the "Guardians of the galaxy", things are different: the characters are so different that they have nothing to compete with. This five of the losers (and they call themselves that) form a real friendly union, which more than ever realizes the principle "We are different, but we are together."

In connection with the above, it makes sense to mention the work of a stunning cast of actors. Chris Pratt creates a very bright character who can compete with his own charisma, even with Tony Stark himself. It's amazing that I did not pay attention to th

With each new film they release, Marvel outdo themselves time after time, from 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' to 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' and now to this amazing and irreverent superhero space opera packed full of humour and action in a visually stunning galaxy. Admittedly, I have slowly become more and more bored with superhero films since the high point of DC's 'The Dark Knight' and Marvel's 'Avengers', however 'Guardians' was something that was truly different, something that truly blew me away and has, as a result, become what is arguably my favourite Marvel film. Previous Marvel films have tried too hard to place humour in situations that didn't require it, 'Guardians of the Galaxy' however employs it frequently and due to the constant stream of jokes it works perfectly. Chris Pratt is by far one of Marvel's best casting choices since Robert Downey Jr. as 'Iron Man', even beyond this the other acting bodies were cast perfectly. The visual effects are utterly stunning and the battle scenes are epic, 'Guardians' is a truly amazing and thrilling superhero flick full of visual splendour.

Guardians of the Galaxy fmovies. (Rating: 12A, 121 mins) Written by Zen Terrelonge

Starring – Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel

If you've seen the trailers for Guardians of the Galaxy, you'd be within your rights to think Marvel Studio execs have been hitting the bottle hard or taking LSD.

The film revolves around a group of dysfunctional but goodhearted criminals – think Robin Hood's Merry Men of the future – comprising human thief Peter Quill aka Star-Lord (Pratt), green assassin Gamora (Saldana), talking raccoon Rocket (Cooper), knife-wielding Drax the Destroyer (Bautista), and walking tree Groot (Diesel).

Like the Avengers, the Guardians get off to a false start but soon unite over a common cause, namely, the galaxy being obliterated by genocidal maniac, Ronan – not Keating – the Accuser.

Ah yes, the old, let's-exterminate-everyone-for-the-mistakes-of-their-forefathers ploy.

But unlike Avengers Assemble, Guardians of the Galaxy oozes offbeat originality and frankly, it's the most unique and delightful film Marvel has created to date.

It's a hell of an achievement given the extensive movie library the company is building up and when you consider the characters aren't household names like 'big three' Iron Man, Thor and Captain America, but Marvel seems well aware of that fact with the final production risky to say the least.

The film opens in 1988, which is when Quill is abducted from Earth, and 26 years later we see he's become a crooked intergalactic outlaw with a taste for all things shiny, valuable and not his.

Given the distinct decade in which he was taken, his cassette player and mixtape of 70s and 80s tracks are laced throughout the film, which creates a quirky yet grounded quality in the midst of all of the dazzling interstellar warfare that takes place along the way.

In addition to the soundtrack, jokes and comedy have never been more of a feature in a Marvel film – perhaps Iron Man 3 was the closest – as gags are thrown into the unlikeliest of scenarios to lessen the tension, and I would imagine, to really differentiate itself from Avengers Assemble, Star Wars and Star Trek, which by comparison are left looking very sombre.

That said, if you were going to compare Pratt's Quill to someone, the character is quite reminiscent of Chris Pine's Captain James Kirk – smart, womanising, reckless leaders, who eventually find their feet.

The editing is supreme and makes each bit of dialogue super-sharp and tight, so when the infamous five are bickering or talking generally, the repartee all feels really clean and natural without being awkward or forced.

Thor can be stubborn, Iron Man can be arrogant and Captain America is considered too stiff, but all of the Guardians bring even more wildly different qualities to the table and offer some diversity that doesn't ever grate or bore, which wouldn't have been possible without such excellent casting.

Meanwhile, the film is very much in the here and now, with Quill's backstory the only one that truly gets a look-in, which creates a sense of intrigue about his colleagues who only have their pasts hinted at, meaning sequel fodder.

There's just no way of knowing where you're going and tonally the movie delivers a piece of everything and it's done big and without hesitation.

Guardians may have been a gamble, but I'm Grooting for it to Rocket to the top.

You might expect a movie studio at the top of its game to play it safe rather than strike out in new, bizarre directions. Certainly, it's hard to imagine any other studio giving the greenlight to Guardians Of The Galaxy - a huge blockbuster movie based on a title unfamiliar to anyone who isn't a comics aficionado, starring a relatively unknown actor playing a character most people have never heard of. And yet, Marvel scores once again with its willingness to head off the beaten track. GUARDIANS is a fun, fizzy delight, even as it mines some surprising depths of emotion from its ragtag group of anti-heroes.

Peter Quill (Pratt) - a human abducted from Earth as a child - has grown up into an intergalactic thief who has no idea what he's getting into when he takes possession of a mysterious Orb. Little does he know that Ronan (Pace) - a genocidal Kree radical - will do just about anything to get his hands on said Orb, including sending alien assassin Gamora (Saldana) after it. Gamora, as it turns out, has an agenda of her own. Trapped in an intergalactic prison (long story), Peter and Gamora are forced into an uneasy alliance with three other misfits: a brainy, sarcastic raccoon-like creature named Rocket (voiced by Cooper), a giant tree by the name of Groot (Diesel), and the vengeance-minded Drax The Destroyer (Bautista).

The truth is that there's almost too much going on in GUARDIANS. Not only do we meet a host of characters we've never met before, on a raft of new planets teeming with brightly coloured life and detail, we're also introduced to several plot lines all stuffed somewhat awkwardly into the film. We have Ronan's planet-destroying aspirations, which are somehow bound up with the evil plans of Thanos - that creepy purple- skinned dude who popped up at the end of The Avengers. Peter's kidnappers turned surrogate 'family' are also on the trail of the Orb, turning up at moments both enormously convenient and inconvenient to the plot. It all makes sense in the end, but until it all clicks into place, it can make for a rushed, unsettling experience.

But, despite its occasionally unwieldy script, GUARDIANS triumphs because of the gang of scruffy losers (a term that will take on a different, more heartfelt meaning during the film) at its heart. Director James Gunn, who co-wrote the script, clearly feels a strong affinity for each one of these outcasts, all of whom are easily outlaws in some (if not all) parts of the solar system, each one battling - at least initially - to save his or her own skin rather than to save the world. It's fascinating to watch the five members of this unlikely group slowly banter, bicker and batter their way into becoming a team.

Most joyfully of all, Gunn never loses sight of the prickly, selfish side of his characters. He gives them plenty of rich, emotional moments - whether it's Peter and Gamora bonding over the loss of their parents, or Rocket's ability to read a whole range of meaning into Groot's extremely limited vocabulary ('I am Groot') - but never allows the film to descend into dangerously sentimental territory.

In fact, Gunn pumps up proceedings with a healthy, hearty dose of humour. Films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) have always been more tongue-in-cheek than the likes of the considerably more dour Dark Knight franchise, but GUARDIANS is a heady trip of a different order. It practically delights in bursts of odd, subversive comedy, and actually dares to punctuate its most epic

It's no surprise that when Marvel's latest movie was released many, many people (the non comics reading kind, mainly) said "Who?" The comic itself has never been what you call top tier, with various incarnations having been around for decades, although the film is based on the team created by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning in 2008, now being serviced by top writer Brian Bendis.

Marvel certainly have made sure the Guardians have plenty of publicity, turning a bunch of also rans into a must see event and even having the confidence to proclaim "The Guardians Of The Galaxy Will Return" at the end of the movie. This is a company with the utmost confidence in their product, and after seeing it it's very easy to understand why.

First and foremost, Guardians... is fun. After a truly heartbreaking beginning everything goes a bit daft, mixing swashbuckling sci fi action with larger than life characters, and whilst at first you may be a little puzzled, it all streamlines into a simple plot soon enough. Basically, Guardians leader Peter Quill (known mainly to only himself as Star Lord) has a plot device, and other people also want the plot device. He forms an alliance with a very disparate bunch of people who each have their own reason for helping him. To go into more detail really isn't that necessary, as all it will involve is laying out a roster of names and personal grievances, and you'll get all that when you watch the film, because if you're reading this review I will lay odds you're going to see it.

The movie looks beautiful throughout, probably thanks to the thousand or so "Digital Artists" who take up a large part of the end credits. Ship design is fantastic, with many looking like they were pulled direct from a Chris Foss art book, and if you know Foss you'll know this is a high compliment. Yeah, the bad guys have dull, dark vessels with inadequate lighting (surely evil needs to see as well?) but the good guys have some sexy vessels indeed. Sound wise, it may seem odd that a 2014 state of the art sci fi movie will have a 1970's chart soundtrack, but the inclusion of The Runaways, Rupert Holmes and, of course, Blue Swede's "Hooked On A Feeling" is completely explained and rather poignant. It would be nice, too, if kids start downloading some of this awesome old stuff and finally start listening to real music (so speaks an old fart).

So in a nutshell this is a very good movie. It's packed with fun and enjoyable characters, but also has it's fair share of down beats and dead beats. Top honours are fought out for between Chris Pratt, excellent and ridiculously likable as Peter Quill, and the brilliant Rocket Raccoon, a purely CGI character stuffed with attitude and some great one liners. The other main characters all do well, however, with even big bag Ronan (no, not the Boyzone one, mores the pity) being well served and very well played with menace aforethought by Lee Pace.

One thing people want to know about Marvel films is what's the after credits scene like? Well, without being spoilery, I'll say two things: one, it's NOT a big reveal or anything like that, but two, it's really funny if you have a knowledge of a certain old Marvel character. Oh yeah, and you get to play everyone's favourite game in the movie - 'Spot Stan Lee'. It just wouldn't be the same without him mugging it up somewhere.

In closing, "Guardians Of The Galaxy" is right up there with the res