ERIDAN 15Guardians ofthe Galaxy: orhow sometimesyou don’t evenknow you needa movie in yourlife until yousee itIgor RendićReviewWe love misfits. Be they real life orfictional, there is just something about thatperson that just doesn’t fit in all the way,that does things differently and whoseworldview is just that little bit askew fromwhat is considered ‘standard’ - somethingthat draws us to them, to their work andtheir life and their story.Illustration: Marie Bergeronhttp://mariebergeron.tumblr.com/We love rogues - the cheeky, the snarky,the flippant and the adventurous; the renegades with a gleam in their eye and a smirk ontheir face.We love determinators - the persistent, the unwavering; those who dedicate themselvesto a cause, be it out of love or a quest for justice or revenge or maybe even because it’sthe right thing to do, even if it kills you.And we love it when they come together and save the day.Which is why, ultimately, people loved Guardians of the Galaxy from day one and whichis why I love it to bits and will love it forever.Oh, it’s not only that - yes, I’m a sucker for the ‘ragtag bunch of misfits are forced towork together and discover they actually kinda like each other and become a team and asort of family’ stories but that is not the biggest thing this movie has going for it.And I love the ‘big stakes are at hand, let’s save the galaxy’ stories, where protagonistsquip before jumping into the fray, spaceships duke it out with lasers and stuff blows upin glorious color.But what this movie has going for it the most, in my book, is this: Guardians of theGalaxy has heart. A huge, warm heart beating to the rhythm of 70s/80s hits, sendingout a message to everyone in the cinema: “Let me entertain you. Let me show you how20
ERIDAN 15Reviewgood this can be, you and I. Let me make you laugh and cry and punch the air and whoopand not want it to end. Let me in and I’ll make you happy for two hours and then fordays, months and years later, every time you remember me or hear anything from mysoundtrack.”Oh, don’t get me wrong, it’s a big, shiny, dumb space opera - in the best possible way.It’s dumb not in the sense of idiotic but very much like a big, loveable dog: sure it hasonly two speeds, mellow and hyperdrive; sure it’s all in your face and jumps and makesa noise; sure, there’s not much depth to it storywise, no great plot twists and turns; butGuardians of the Galaxy is never, not for one second, anything *but* completely honest:yes I’m big, yes, I’m full of bright lights and colors and explosions, yes, I’m fastpaced andyou won’t have much time to catch your breath but by gods, I do not think you’re an idiotand here, let me entertain you.It’s funny and optimistic and knows when to hit you with a righteously epic action sceneand when to break it with a joke or a quiet character moment. And if your heart doesn’tbreak when you see the raccoon cry or gets all warm and goopy while you’re watchingthe little tree dance - then just what kind of bionic device do you have in your chest?!The characters are what a movie like this lives or dies by - sure, the effects can be thegreatest ever, but without great characters, a movie like this is just a pile of CGI, cold andclinical and flat. But put good characters in it and it’ll liven up and everything will be fine.And what’s not to like about the GotGs bunch of misfits and loveable rogues: the snarkyPeter Quill, the deadpan Drax, the determined Gamorra, the over-the-top Rocketor the quiet but stong Groot; about how each has depth to it - from Quill’s outlawvs. hero dichotomy to Drax’s burning desire for vengeance tempered by a discoveredcamaraderie with his fellow Guardians; and about just how great these guys are to watch- both when they’re bickering or when they’re kicking ass.The story is simple but it doesn’t have to be complex to be good - it is basic, but it is toldwell, with all the craft necessary to make it more than watchable and more than enoughjoy and artistry put into it to make it immensely enjoyable.Go watch Guardians of the Galaxy, for the first or third time. You won’t regret it. You’llgiggle next time somebody mentions Kevin Bacon around you. You’ll find yourself dancingin the street or on the escalator when you play the Awesome Mix vol. 1 on your mp3.Go watch Guardians of the Galaxy. It will make you happy.21
Change language