MovieRob Milestone Marathon – Countdown to 6K (#10 of 23) – Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) – Encore Review 6

“What did the galaxy ever do for you? Why would you want to save it?” – Rocket Racoon

“Because I’m one of the idiots who lives in it!” – Peter Quill

Number of Times Seen – 7 (10 Nov 2014, 28 Nov 2014, 2 Apr 2015, 12 May 2015, 17 Jan 2016, 29 May 2018 and 8 Dec 2019)

Link to original review – Here, Here, Here, Here, Here and Here

Brief Synopsis – A band of misfits on the other side of the galaxy must band together in order to keep a powerful artifact from getting into the hands of a ruthless villain who wishes to destroy worlds with this newfound power.

My Take on it – After having re-watched all of the 23 films in the MCU franchise, I still adamantly believe that this film is the very best of the lot.

This is a movie that introduces us to a bunch of new characters and the way that they develop them is done so well that they easily endear them all to us despite their various (and obvious) quirks.

The plot does a great job of introducing these characters and finding plausible ways for them to eventually band together towards a similar goal.

Chris Pratt is superb as Star Lord and manages to get his personality just right; he is quite arrogant, but deep down wants to do what is right and be seen as a hero.

The chemistry that he has with the rest of the characters is superb and it’s great watching him work together with Gamorra, Rocket, Groot and Drax.

The film has an amazing soundtrack that helps enhance both the story and the characters along the way.

The plot itself seems quite unique and original in the way that it is presented and that helps things move along to a point where it’s so easy to get completely immersed in this foreign world that these characters inhabit.

This is the MCU’s first foray into characters and locations in outer space and they manage the transition really well and this in turn allows for the overall story of the franchise to take a step forward into the realm of alien powers.

We are also giving a quick glimpse into the Infinity Stones saga that will dominate much of the next part of the MCU including the power of just one of these six powerful stones.

The planets and locations presented in this film are able to add so much to storyline because of the way things seem so new to the eyes yet they all seem very “lived in” which make sit quite clear that these places have been around for quite a long time and wasn’t just created for this specific story.

Bottom Line – IMHO this is by far the very best film in the entire franchise. The characters are developed really well and we get to see how their band of heroes come together despite some bumps along the way. Pratt is superb in the role of Star-Lord and gets the attitude of the character just right since he is borderline arrogant but still yearns to be seen as a hero. His chemistry with the rest of the crew; Gamorra, Rocket, Groot and Drax is spectacular to watch because they all seem to work so well together. The film’s soundtrack is exquisite and works so well in enhancing the story and its characters. The story feels so fresh and the way that things move along is done superbly in allowing us to get completely immersed in the world that they have created for us. The story does a great job of introducing us to another realm of time and space for the MCU and helps expand things to a point where we can start to see the beginning of the Infinity Stone saga as it is formed in this chapter. The planets and locations that this film visits add so much to the way we can view this storyline and the way that everything feels so “lived in” makes things look and feel more comfortable a place that has been around for years and years and wasn’t just created for this story. Highly Highly Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – James Gunn stated that Chris Pratt’s audition was so good, he was prepared to offer him the role, even if Pratt did not lose weight, or get in shape in time. Gunn joked that he was willing to CGI a six-pack on Pratt’s body. However, Pratt asked Gunn to give him six months to lose fifty pounds, and he ended up losing sixty. (From IMDB)

Rating – Oscar Worthy (10/10) (no change from original review)