'Guardians of the Galaxy': Super losers' Odyssey

By Zhang Rui
0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, October 12, 2014
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Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy," directed by James Gunn, is a breath of fresh air amid a swarm of superhero films.

A poster of "Guardians of the Galaxy" [Photo/China.org.cn] 



 

The action-packed space epic adventure is the best popcorn blockbuster of the summer, expanding the Marvel cinematic universe into a cosmos. It wastes no time in boring audiences, but takes you on a roller coaster ride with a solid script, humorous and witty dialogue, a swift plot pace and satisfying action sequences.

Chris Pratt stars as the half-human-half-alien leader of the group, an adventurer named Peter Quill who calls himself "Starlord." He finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by the powerful villain Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace). Quill forms an uneasy alliance to fight Ronan with four alien misfits - a weaponized raccoon Rocket (Bradley Cooper), a tree-like humanoid Groot (Vin Diesel), a enigmatic female warrior Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista). Rather than being heroes in the usual sense, the leading roles start off as five super losers, but they finally find their greater destinies.

"Guardians of the Galaxy" is a space sci-fi production hybrid combining the space odyssey theme with characters from vintage classics. Nostalgia is everywhere, particularly in the soundtrack, which includes songs from the 1960s and 1970s such as "I Want You Back" by the Jackson 5 and "Hooked on a Feeling" by B. J. Thomas. A Walkman, cassettes, 1980s dance moves, and references to "Footloose," Indiana Jones, and Kevin Bacon add to the retro vibe.

Everything else is fabulous. The action scenes burn your adrenalin, and the dazzling visuals of outer space make audiences feel like they’re watching a new episode of "Star Wars" or "Star Trek." Chris Pratt perfectly plays his brash character, while WWE wrestler Dave Bautista shows off his muscle and Zoe Saldana struts her fighting skills. The cutest and most hilarious moments are left in hands of the duo of Rocket and Groot, though the latter only has one line in the whole movie: "I'm Groot."

Audiences will be excited enough by the film to fondly imagine the Avengers meeting the Guardians, an event which may not be far in the future.

"Guardians of the Galaxy," produced by Marvel Studios, distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, and imported and co-distributed in China by China Film Group and Huaxia Film Distribution Company, hits Chinese theaters starting on Oct. 10, 2014, two months later than in other markets throughout the world. To help Chinese box office hype, Vin Diesel even dubbed the Chinese version by saying the one sentence line, "I'm Groot," in Mandarin. The film has already grossed more than US$323.8 million in North America, and US$654 million worldwide.

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