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Home Reviews Did Guardians of the Galaxy Cure Me of My CBMFS*?

August 4, 2014 By iluvcinema 7 Comments

Did Guardians of the Galaxy Cure Me of My CBMFS*?

(* where CBMFS stands for Comic Book Movie Fatigue Syndrome)

It came on so suddenly that I initially did not even recognize what was happening. Many good, some bad, but this spate of comic book movie adaptations started to feel like an assault on my cinematic sensibilities ultimately leading to a malaise, and overall indifference from one movie to the next.

This past year this May to be exact I experienced the rather acute symptom of skipping out on X-Men: Days of Future Past. Now THIS was a rather anomalous event for me, for two principle reasons — 1) It’s an X-Men film and 2) probably more telling, Michael Fassbender stars in it. On a Venn diagram, those two factors would generally be enough for me to go fetch. Not this time …

But you are wondering, I suppose, how would the full onset of CBMFS affect my viewing of Guardians of the Galaxy this weekend? Let me preface this by saying, early signs did not look promising – all the marketing and promotion for the film totally missed me. So much so that I could not clearly recall to you any trailers or “features” I saw in the build up to its release.

GOTG_wpw_Poster

A fact I now think may have played into my response to the film – in brief, this was possibly the most enjoyable installment the Marvel universe has delivered. It was an entertaining mélange of humor, drama, a healthy hint of romance and throngs of pulse-pounding action. And if you were to strip away these layers, there is a heart and sentimentality that rendered the film’s characters whole beings. In other words, a complete package.

The unlikely leader of this band of misfits is Peter Quill, played by Chris Pratt. He is a Terra (Earthling), who after tragedy occurs is taken to the far reaches of the galaxy. The only remnant of his terrestrial existence being his Walkman™ and its accompanying mix tape, and an as-yet opened package and note from his mother.

His latest mission is to acquire an orb, which we are soon to discover is a great deal more powerful than he (or we could ever) imagine. Enter Gamora (Zoe Saldana), sent by baddie Ronan (Lee Pace) and über baddie Thanos (Josh Brolin) to retrieve the orb; Groot (voiced sparingly by Vin Diesel) and his more talkative companion Rocket the Raccoon (voiced by scene stealing Bradley Cooper), a tag team seeking the bounty for the capture of Quill. Rounding out the Guard squad is strong man Drax, played by wrestler David Bautista.

As I reflected on the film post-screening, I realized this quest/object is not the whole story, it’s just the modern day Macguffin – the thing that the players care intensely about, and the audience may struck curious about, but ultimately is a distraction from what really matters – the characters and their personal journeys. This is what was so personally affecting for me about Guardians. Everyone has a story that is punctuated by the sense of loss and personal tragedy. Yet here they are, these ‘losers,’ on a mission for a much greater good. That is why, while I understand the need for continuity with the rest of the Marvel universe, I think more than anything, Guardians stands apart from the pack as being wholly unique and standalone.

That achievement is impossible to accomplish without the aid of some serviceable scribing and performing. Co-credited with the writing honors are this film’s director (James Gunn) and Nicole Perlman, the first female screenwriter in the current Marvel cinematic franchise – make of that what you will.

In addition to the entertaining central performances I listed previously, there is the supporting cast of characters that made this a most enjoyable trip to the movies. I was planning on pointing out a noteworthy performance here and there, but soon realized I was simply reciting the IMDB cast list.

As for the music, both scored and that courtesy of the Star Lord’s awesome mix tapes is, as I friend of mine mentioned, a welcomed character in its own right.

So back to the start – am I cured once and for all of my CBMFS? The answer is an ever-ambiguous I’m not absolutely sure. But what I am sure of is that Guardians of the Galaxy is a really, really good film that I recommend others see before the summer passes.

 

 

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: guardians of the galaxy

Comments

  1. ruth says

    August 4, 2014 at 10:53 pm

    Oh don’t skip X-Men: Days of Future Past! I LOVE that one, in fact it’s my #1 film of 2014 so far! I enjoyed GOTG but I’m not sure it’d end up in my final top 10 of the year. It was a pleasant surprise as I had such a low expectation for it but it was not more than a frivolous popcorn flick w/ an awesome soundtrack to me. X-Men DOFP and even The Winter Soldier made more of a lasting impression to me on top of being massively entertaining.
    ruth recently posted..FlixChatter Review: Guardians of the GalaxyMy Profile

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    • iluvcinema says

      August 4, 2014 at 11:09 pm

      Oh I am gonna see it. I was just using as an example of my fatigue with the genre; in fact I was not really amped to see this. And I did like Captain America too and know I will likely enjoy DOFP but my thing is sometimes these adaptations seem to take themselves too seriously; like they have to prove they are above the station of the genre. The problem is not genre per se, but moreso execution of genre. Just my opinion.

      That is why I like Avengers so much; it was a frothy fun, loud romp with a story that made suspension of disbelieve possible. Here I feel the same like the silliness and fun was balanced with the characters’ tragedy and loss.

      Reply
  2. Ja says

    August 5, 2014 at 12:23 pm

    Iba, you NAILED my feelings and sentiments going into this movie initially, although I will admit that as the trailers built up to a crescendo, it really started to grow on me. And the movie delivered. It met my three criteria: 1) enjoyable for the entire watch; 2) something I am eager to re-watch, and 3) and all important for my collection (to para-quote Benicio Del Toro’s character in the movie), I would likely own this movie long-term.

    I rank it right up there with the three other seminal MCU films: Iron Man, the Avengers and Winter soldier.

    And man, that soundtrack was GREAT.

    The bonus scene with Howard the Duck, just cemented the unique, yet quality, zaniness that this film brought. I may be overstating this, but I feel this film will be revered long-term, just because it’s so uniquely entertaining, different and weird. It’s a much better Fifth Element for me, genre-wise (and a group of weirdos-just kidding, love that film as well).
    Ja recently posted..Ether Flamed Out In 2013 But Looks Forward To 2014My Profile

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    • iluvcinema says

      August 6, 2014 at 11:40 pm

      Cheers!
      iluvcinema recently posted..And Then There is the Small Screen …My Profile

      Reply
  3. Candice Frederick says

    August 5, 2014 at 8:37 pm

    Lol I hear ya on the fatigue. I haven’t seen the film yet, but it sounds fun! I saw TONS of commercials and ads for it though. They weren’t drawing me in, but it’s good to see all these great reviews!
    Candice Frederick recently posted..A Few Thoughts on Lupita Nyong’o’s Upcoming Project, the Film Adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Novel “Americanah”My Profile

    Reply
    • iluvcinema says

      August 6, 2014 at 11:42 pm

      Yeah this one kinda sneaks up on you. I think that is what makes it work so well – it revels and plays up to it offbeat-ness, if that makes sense.
      iluvcinema recently posted..And Then There is the Small Screen …My Profile

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Trackbacks

  1. Shake Your Groove Thing @ the Cinema - Fave Music From the Movies says:
    August 11, 2014 at 11:22 am

    […] is the music that accompanies the film’s action. After the high of the wonderfully-tracked Guardians of the Galaxy, I started to think about some of my favorite soundtracks. I was certain that in digging around my […]

    Reply

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