This last question is quite difficult to answer, mainly because you could be one of two people. The answer to 'Why should you watch this film?', really depends on whether or not you're a fan of Marvel films already. In the last few years, perhaps more than ever, Marvel have gone out of their way to develop a core following; people who consume everything they churn out. A similar strategy to a brands like Apple say, who forge such a strong relationship with their consumers, the consumers ultimately blind themselves of seeing any alternatives.
Marvel is so business like in its output of films now, it even refers to them as 'phases'. The Marvel strategy is to release films that slowly flesh out the Marvel Cinematic Universe (a standalone entity inspired by, but not strictly determined by, their comics). If you're wondering we're currently on Phase 2 - Guardians of the Galaxy being one of the most important steps for Marvel to get right in the phased expansion of their marvellous idea. Phase 3 will commence shortly. Yea, you're right, this does sound a little bit like an evil corporate plot to takeover and monopolise the world. And yes, you're probably also right to think its a little at odds with the morality of some of their characters. Luckily, the great thing about Superhero brands is that their competitors are theoretically equally well matched in a fight. I can't help but feel DC are just a little slow showing up. So far Batman and Superman are really the only rival characters in the market, but I'd expect a few more DC characters to break through soon (so long as Ryan Reynolds doesn't try to play them all...). Hooray for the free market entertainment economy!
Regardless of the state of the market, I'd certainly explain the appeal of the Guardians film differently to someone I know isn't a sci-fi or comicbook fan, than I would to someone who is already rummaging around for details about the 'Age of Ultron'. I have friends that have already decided they're unhappy that the murderous robot's original backstory story will more than likely be amended for the second instalment of the Avengers. I mean, come on, its all fiction anyway.
If you've read this far I'm guessing you're at least a little curious about the film... But to help you figure out if the film is for you or not, I've written 2 viewer profiles. If even a part of these descriptions sound like you, then you need to go see this movie. I'd probably stop reading and just go. If none of the below sound like you, go see the film anyway. Challenge yourself. You can do this, you can be a better person if only you try!
Viewer Profiles:
1) You're a fan of Marvel films already because...
You're one of those people who are better trained than Pavlov's dog. For example; you're in the cinema and Thor 2 has just finished. Now you're waiting expectantly as thousands of names you should, but don't actually appreciate spend 15 minutes crawling across a screen. The names are moving so slowly you've almost forgotten that mere moments ago the very same visual space had you tripping balls with excitement. Yet, there you are. Almost patiently sitting. Twitching for those 20 seconds of additional footage found at the end of every Marvel film. Yet, the fleeting and apparently insightful clip you are awaiting will more than likely refer to a character or plot device you just won't be aware of or understand.
2) You love films, but aren't massively into super heroes - but sort of want to be, because all your friends love Iron Man, and... Mmm Robert Downey Jr.
Typically you bemoan the death of the Star Wars franchise ("There are only 3 Star wars films! Jar Jar Binks is the Devil!"), but that is actually as far as your sci-fi watching career ever went - excluding that infrequent televisual dabbling with Dr. Who. You like the occasional rom-com, but for the most part you sink your teeth into more intellectual, serious films that explore real world problems. Yet, sometimes your viewing schedule gets a bit heavy, and you feel the need to watch something new and fantastical. After a salty, gritty few weeks of only watching oscar nominated films and cult classic, you desperately need to refresh your pallet; you long to take a sorbet to your sober taste-buds. You need to see something fun, and quick witted, quickly. You don't want to watch reservoir dogs or another Tarantino film again, despite the music being awesome. You do however demand something that is soundtracked as well.
Guardians of the Galaxy - Review... And its unnecessarily long backstory, that puts the film into the context of an increasingly massive Marvel Cinematic Universe:
Before we get into this exploration of the film seriously, you better know where I'm coming from. I'm the kind of person that has been fully conditioned to sit through the credits and wait for the teaser clip at the end of every Marvel film. But, and this is the deal breaker, I am also painfully aware I don't have to in the age of youtube. I also enjoy art house and independent films that explore relatively little when compared to say... A galaxy. These films tend to observe the really boring elements of normal life in a beautiful poetic way. So, what I'm trying to say is, the following shouldn't be a massive fan boy rant... Or if it is, it'll have a slightly boring, wondrous yet kooky angle.
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| Defend me! |
Anyway! If you're like me you've been following Marvel movie releases fairly keenly for the last 10 to 12 years. If you're not like me, you will need to understand that a lot of people's appreciation of Marvel films are predetermined by the their own relationship with Marvel's comics and characters. By this I mean, lots of people (myself included) already have an opinion on the characters in most of the films before the films are actually released... Or... in a sentence:
"That is absolutely not how Gambit is supposed to act or look!"
I mean, come on...
Followers of Marvel films (and their other media) will also know that Marvel demand an investment from their readers, watchers and fans. The more you put into their products the more you get out, be it; plot crossovers, an understanding of how the Marvel Universe expands and collides, or the joy you can find in the meaningful relationships you develop with their characters. However, the fact that Marvel film story lines are now so involved and complex is understandably daunting for people who haven't really watched a Marvel film before. Arriving late to the Party is awful... Sometimes.
No one likes arriving late to a party, especially if they've missed the major talk point of the evening. For this reason, the first part of this review details a little personal history, and my own take on whats been happening at the 'Cinematic Universe Party' up until now. This should at least inform the non-invested reader about how I interpreted the Guardians of the Galaxy film, and provide some context on whatever the hell is going on in the bigger picture. Once up to speed, like the Guardians of the Galaxy themselves, you'll be fully equipped to make a cool late entrance, and become the talk of the party.
The major strength of the Guardians film is that it is relatively stand alone Vs the rest of Marvel's portfolio. True, it serves the function of priming the Marvel audiences for just how big the Cinematic Universe might become. But, it does this with almost entirely fresh faces. The few characters we've already seen only serve as plot devices, and help move the story, rather than determine and carry it.
Despite being an integral part of 'the phases', it is also clear that the Guardians film has learnt from all the phase 1 films, and pre-phase films that went before it. This is something else I'll explain whilst detailing my own experiences of Marvel films. To properly understand this film's successes it is necessary to have some context on Marvel's pervious 'misfires', and the good and bad decisions in Marvel's more recent cinematic history. As you will see, these are the decisions that helped refine a distinctive style and tone that now consistently earn big for Marvel at the box office.
...Getting back to the party. Imagine Marvel is a club. You're up for a night out, but you get to the discotheque its one in one out, with a queue around the block. The Guardians of the Galaxy are those guys who have distracted the bouncer and opened a fire exit to get all their mates inside. This film is an opportunity for a new intake of fans to get involved in what Marvel are doing. Yes, the majority of these newbies will probably love the sci-fi channel, but thats a natural consequences of setting anything in space. Everyone else admitted to the club will be the best of society; fans of jokes, quality music, great story telling, art, design and stunning computerised visuals. They can probably dance too.
Personally, I've almost always been aware of Marvel comics, rival comic brands such as DC, and the earlier Marvel film releases. I remember watching a 90s Captain America film at a friends house whilst in primary school (aged 6-ish), and becoming obsessed with throwing circular things (and then just most things) at people. My folks weren't best pleased. This early exposure to Cap definitely had an impact on me. I still like throwing things, and I am also biased enough by positive memories from my youth to overlook the horrible story telling deficiencies in the recent Captain America films.
He just throws things so well...
Anyway, the first film that really grabbed my attention and made me a true Marvel film fan was Tobey Maguire's Spiderman, which when it first came out was the most super-awesome thing an impressionable youth such as myself had ever seen (aged 13). Earlier, in the mid 90s, I watched Spiderman cartoons (multiple titles). The animated Spiderman character was probably the first characters I can remember relating too. An average teenage kid, growing up, dealing with life's problems, then, when his world gets turned upside down, he was still able to act altruistically and hold down a cool photography job.
The Spiderman I related too was great despite being flawed. He was often annoying and unsure of himself, but he was always funny. Underneath everything he had a good heart. He muddled through, and did just enough to stay on top, no matter how strange things got. Powerful stuff for a nobody kid who's trying to learn the way of the world, and figure out where they fit into the grand scheme of everything. Add to this super-powers, backflips, explosions and colours. Well, that was me sold, and willing to pester my Mum endlessly for an 'Armoured Spiderman' toy.
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| Armoured Spiderman is the silver dude. The cool one. |
Then, Marvel made everything real! Actual actors and people as I was used to seeing them, in the world I inhabited, depicting my favourite childhood heros. By doing this Marvel pretty much said to me 'its okay to still like this stuff when you grow up'.
Its pretty liberating being told its acceptable to take a constant of your youth forward into adulthood, particularly when you're a wayward, spotty, unconfident and increasingly gangly kid facing down the future.
Looking back now, of course I can see the problems with these (pre-phase stratergy) Spiderman films. Tobey Maguire's character didn't marry up exactly with how I wanted to see Spidy, he was too nice-y nice-y, and not nearly cheeky enough. The supporting cast and characters where guilty of similar. All not quite aligned with what I wanted. In my opinion the accompanying PS2 video game probably got closer to my expectations of what Spiderman was and should be than the film did. Nevertheless, at the time, I didn't care so much. I was too wrapped up in running around, jumping about and throwing stuff.
To their credit, Marvel have definitely got closer to the essence of Spiderman (as I see it) with Andrew Garfield's version (released after some Phase 1 films, notably Iron Man for example, which was game changer for Marvel). This Spidy is cheekier, and has more flaws. Yet something about the depiction still doesn't feel quite right.
This feeling of 'not quite right', misalignment and discrepancy between audience and studio visions is important. Its the overarching problem with making the most popular comic book characters into films. I'm just one of many people with an emotional investment in these characters. They've been so formative in so many people's lives, the film studio can't simply please everyone. Yet Marvel faces a pressure to do exactly that - please everyone. Every time I go to see a new Marvel film I hope to see it a certain way. I guess that is why the Marvel Cinematic Universe was formally disentangled from the comic book one. They'll never align fully.
Refreshingly, with Guardians of the Galaxy, I didn't have any pre-film expectations. I gifted Marvel a blank canvas, and waited eagerly to see what they would paint. I suspect I wasn't the only one. This series isn't the most popular in their back catalogue. The creative licence this lack of expectation afforded to Marvel shouldn't be understated.
Anyhow... As I grew up, the Spiderman franchise didn't. As I got older, and more perceptive, the films began to feel increasingly distant and detached from the near-reality positioning they once held, and the social commentary that could have made them great. Instead, Spidy seemed to stumble along next to me like a close friend drunk on his own success/complimentary liquor. The films incoherently babbled; bouncing from one unconnected idea to the next, whilst stopping every few zig-zagged steps to lean on a nearby wall or person for support. By the time Spiderman 3 was released, all we were being offered by Marvel Studios was an entertaining but slightly cringe-worthy presentation of characters we once had respect for. This short clip should clarify what I'm getting at:
Yeaaah... Talk about pre-phase awkward.
Thankfully, Marvel had a re-think, regrouped, and embarked on a brave new 'Phase' strategy. This has resulted in comic book film fans geeking out every year consistently since Iron Man. In reality, all Marvel did was employ comic book and TV series style tactics to their film production. A simple but effective idea. Consequently, Marvel films are now highly indulgent of title crossovers, interconnection, and most interestingly cross film plot impact. There are in-jokes, and subtle cross-plot devices and references in every film (to go hand in hand with countless cameos by comic godfather Stan Lee).
To get the most out of all the developments in Marvel films, they now require you to have seen everything they produce and release. Each film primes you for the next instalment. For example, hints are dropped in Iron Man about Captain America's debut by virtue of his unfinished shield lying around and being held for apparently no reason.
If you still haven't quite got what I'm getting at yet, Marvel are re-writing their massive comic book Universe into film. Characters in all the different films have shared histories and experiences. Hollywood has never seen anything like this before, and certainly not on this scale. What makes all of this cinematic interplay notable is that is being done really well. All this crossover is underpinned by a higher quality of story telling, plot awareness, and writing than in the earlier stand alone titles previously released by Marvel (such as Spiderman, discussed earlier).
As a fan I think all this integration is great, there is so much hidden in all the films. So much to debate and interpret. And no matter how many times you re-watch the films you keep finding things. Seemingly unimportant scenes hold greater importance a couple of films down the line. But, again, all this involvement can and does exclude a more passive or selective viewer. Therein lies Marvel's challenge. They require a duality. Every film needs to be accessible, and enjoyable in its own right, and only enhanced by a viewers deeper knowledge, understanding or investment.
To help accomplish this duality, further to fundamental structural changes in the fabric of Marvel's cinematic universe, the tone of films being realsed has generally changed across the catalogue. There is now an endearing self awareness to a majority of the films. This makes them theatrical, funny and memorable in their own right. This cinematic self awareness has many flavours, and is given a personalised slant depending on the title characters' demeanour. Captain America is vastly different in tone to the a Thor film, for example, but both make light of their predicaments in different ways, inline with the disposition of the lead character.
More thematically across all titles, there is a light hearted balancing of content at play. The real world is frequently blended with fantasy, but never so seriously as to distance a viewer. This light humour and tone is now strangely consistent across all Marvel releases. Complimentary to this light tone, all the films invite you to believe everything that is happening is possible if you want it to be. Yet, at the same time the films also clearly demonstrate everything is either based on nonsense, or that the 'science' behind everything that is happening is loosely plausible or entirely fictional at best. The end product of this approach is quite refreshing in its own right. The finale to Thor 2 is a great example of this, where psuedo-science is comically manipulated for both action and humour.
To a similar effect, Marvel films have for a large part integrated a 'fourth wall' awareness into their cinematic offerings. Quite often, the direction of a film will mock films of the same or similar genre. The films frequently poke fun at what might usually be expected in any given scene or scenario. Often by doing something unexpected. You'll have to forgive me on this point, as its actually difficult to explain without ruining some of the best scenes from the more recent films. Though, another reason to go watch it, some of the biggest laughs from Guardians are perfect examples of what I'm trying to get at here...
Communicating unconventionally to the audience is nothing new for Marvel. Deadpool, a less high profile but cult character, is famed for doing the comic book equivalent of breaking cinema's fourth wall and engaging the audience directly. For example, in his comics Deadpool refers to specific issues in which events previously took place, as well as addressing his readers and writers directly. He even goes as far as recommending the best music for people to read his comics too. He's an endlessly banterful creation.
Excitingly, Deadpool is strongly rumoured to be having a film made (after a short lived appearance in X-men being played by, you guessed it, Ryan "Green Lantern" Reynolds - who I do actually rate quite highly). There are a number of fan made videos and apparent test videos across the web. The deadpool clip below is new, and could be legit, but even if its not, its quiet entertaining and pretty inline with what I'm trying to get at regarding Marvel's humorous, predictive, and often unexpected tone - note the doodle in the car.
For many invested fans The Guardian of the Galaxy were still an unknown entity. My first experience of the Guardians was during the film itself. In fact I only have one friend who read a little of the Guardians series. Because they are a smaller, and dare I say it, less popular comic title, the release of a Guardians film was an exciting prospect for many loyal Marvel film viewers. There was a general feeling intrigue, and wonder about which way it would go. Again, because its a smaller title, it was probably a relief for Marvel too. In making this film they had greater freedom to define the on screen personas of existing characters without distressing massive hordes of obsessive readers. Yet, the general mystery surrounding the project posed a problem for Marvel. How do you get everyone on board? And, how do you win the moderates over, whilst not distance fans of existing Marvel film titles?
In response to this problem, Guardian's had one of the longest and best controlled pre-release hype campaigns I can remember. The film itself is quite long, and covers a lot of ground. This meant Marvel could release a lot more teaser content, and start to define the characters in some capacity before their full debut. The trailers for this film can effectively be seen as pre-season friendlies. Marvel also made sure it was the only party scheduling these pre-season matches. I wouldn't be surprised if information on how the earliest trailers were received went on to inform later filming and post production decisions. This film was imperative for Marvel to get right.
Ultimately, the Guardians succeeded where the Fantastic Four and Avengers could not. They managed to cultivate a genuine relationship with multiple new characters in one film. In truth, I never connected with Fantastic Four films, despite trying too. I think Marvel misfired by assuming a level of audience familiarity with all the Fantastic 4 characters that just was not present. As consequence the F4 films didn't spend enough time on character development. By contrast, the Avengers Assemble brought a number of different titles together. Each character had (in some cases numerous) films to define each hero's origin and identity. They were then bundled into one movie together, and expected to gel. Whilst entertaining, the Avenger's line-up ended up almost competing and not complimenting each other on screen (admittedly this might be intentional to some degree). But, what if you hadn't seen the other films? I imagine the characters would appear a lot shallower than many of us see them.
When compared to the Avengers, Guardian's of the Galaxy seems to be a much more egalitarian film. Odd, considering they're a hodge-podge group of outlaws. Whilst Peter Quill is the protagonist around which the story is centred, the film quickly forces a scenario of mutual dependancy amongst the core characters. This then means screen time is evenly distributed, and the origin stories of all the characters are covered in almost equal depth. The narrative structure of the film also means you learn about all the Guardians as they lean about each other. This is a (Tony) stark contrast to the earlier non-phase films. For example, Spiderman was not much more than a the story about a hero who was only ever going to be on the side of moral good. This incarnation of Spiderman was almost entirely formed in terms of character evolution after the first 30 minutes of his first film. Whereas the Guardians of the Galaxy film asks you to grow with the characters continually, and learn to like them as they develop as individuals. After all this is largely a story about redemption.
At this point I suggest you watch this trailer for the film:
After a little reading around, it seems that the origins story of Star-Lord alone has been altered significantly. He's gone from an intergalactic policeman to a charismatic yet thieving product of lad culture living on the wrong side of the law. If you are a long term fan of the Guardians of the Galaxy, It'd be interesting to see if the amended plot sits well with you or not (please do comment and let me know!)
As mentioned already, through Guardians of the Galaxy Marvel are expanding their Cinematic Universe. Thor and Thor 2 brought a number of other 'Worlds' to the attention fans, but Guardians brings with it a sense of vastness no other Marvel films have show cased to date have. This film is an intergalactic adventure, and it feels real. Each world they land on feels unique, overwhelmingly alien, but somehow possible. The new Star Wars film currently in production has a big act to follow. Guardians as a franchise is now a rival. All the way through the space romp I couldn't help but see the influence of Star Wars on Guardians. Its easily seen, for instance, every-time the film changes location you get a helpful interplanetary on-screen labelling subtitle. A post production effect that feels overwhelmingly Star Wars (despite being much funnier).
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| This guy is now in a Superhero sci-fi film. Seriously... |
Whilst sustainable for the moment, my fear is that Marvel will make its Universe too large, and loose the cohesiveness of the plots it currently holds. Attention could easily be lost in the sheer vastness of subject matter. That said, I get the impression Marvel have already considered this. When Quill talks about his humanity and home world Earth, Drax says: "I'd like to visit". With the Avengers having already faced an alien threat, Drax's one line, even if only said in passing, makes an über crossover set on Earth feel highly likely. Such a film set on Earth would also serve the purpose of concentrating audience attentions away from the wider universe, and bring everything back into a more linear narrative. The up coming Ant Man film will also likely shift focus back to a smaller scale. Pun intended.
So, to talk about Guardians exclusively: I must stress that this film is visually stunning. Guardians of the Galaxy is a joy to look at. It really is accessible sci-fi. The digital artwork is like nothing seen before, and is incredibly futuristic. Typically Sci-fi landscapes, no matter how amazing they look, turn a lot of people off. Yet in Guardians, the polarising nature of Sci-fi is mitigated by likeable characters, and more interestingly, a number of production and plot decisions that indulge "retro-mania"...
This film could easily have been pure sci-fi, but the limitations of this genre were neatly side step as the protagonist is not from the future, nor is he a time traveller. Star-Lord/Peter Quill is firmly on our timeline. He's an average kid who just happened to end up in space. Interestingly for us, his only memories of earth are triggered by pop music from the 70s and 80s. This facilitates an amazing theme of juxtaposed retro-mania fighting off the future throughout the film. A futuristic land, soundtracked by the likes of Bowie, the Jackson 5, and 10cc. The cinematic effect of this alone is worth seeing. Throw in epic spaceship battles, stories of loss and redemption, a multitude of bizarre looking characters, comedy actors in numerous scenes, and a talking, gun-wielding, racoon with a body guard tree. Well, you sort of have to ask. Why haven't you seen this film yet?
Oh, and as a parting tip. Expect sales of foam-cup headphones and cassette Walkman's to increase on the back of the escapades of these misfits. I look forward to being proved right.
Guardians of the Galaxy is out at cinemas now, and I imagine available to own if you're reading this 4 - 6 months after publication.
BONUS CONTENT
******FULL OF SPOILERS!******
Whilst browsing the web I found this re-cap video from Marvel. If you want a summary of all phase 1 and 2 films to date structured into a cohesive Cinematic Universe focused narrative, this is a the video for you. It probably also explains everything I've written much faster than I just tried too. But! Be warned, this includes spoilers as well as contextualised Guardians of the Galaxy footage. Don't watch this unless you are happy to see clips from every film.
A list of confirmed Marvel titles 'coming soon' can be found on the Marvel Website here.
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