Guardians of the Galaxy

Guardians of the Who Are These Guys again? Honestly, this one came out of left field. Everyone expected Iron Man, Captain America and Thor. These guys? Who are these guys. Why are these guys.

I enjoyed the film, which I'll get into, but first the parts I didn't like. The plot was pretty standard. It's your usual Team-Forming McGuffin quest, but this time In Space. The villain, Ronan, was boring as hell. He might as well have been named Evil McDullbad. I wish he had more of a backstory or motivation, but what are you gonna do. The evil robot chick, Quasar-- no, Aurora-- I mean, Nebula, was about the same. Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer seemed like a weird character. His somewhat late introduction and how he didn't seem to act very well was jarring, and I have a hunch his character was shoehorned into the writing process.

In some cases, the above would be enough for me to bash a movie. Oddly enough, these didn't seem to affect my perception of the movie. Mostly that's because it had a distinct and upbeat tone. Chris Pratt as Peter Quill (Or Star-Lord) had a great performance, even when he was talking to a CGI raccoon. And that's the thing, plotwise this movie isn't very distinct from Avengers, but it's the concept and how they pull it off that's different.

In Avengers, situations weren't funny, what was funny were the one-liners characters would spout off now and again. ("Doth mother know you weareth her drapes?") In Guardians, the situations themselves were funny. They all stand, one by one, after Peter gives a dramatic speech. Rocket stands up and says, "Look, now I'm standing. We're all standing in a circle like a bunch of jackasses." (Probably misquoted.) Something big and serious is building, but then a song from Peter's mixtape starts up, changing the scene completely.

Apart from Mr. Bad Guy and Drax, the characters were pretty well rounded, especially Rocket. He had the potential to be a walking punchline, but the filmmakers managed to give him a sense of dignity. Sometimes it seemed like Groot was created to be a fan-favorite, but I don't mind that much.

The main flaws are that sometimes Guardians of the Galaxy was too formulaic or bland, but it was the little jokes, the comedic situations, and the degree to which they took the characters seriously that make it stand out. It's certainly not the best movie ever, but it's leagues above Iron Man 3. Hooked on a feeling, this is the W Defender!