[KRX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thessair

I'm in line right now.

I just watched it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by thunderstrike541

I will definitely have a review for that.

Here's mine.

Guardians of the Galaxy is the first and (as of today) only movie where I have cried. I didn't cry during the end of Avatar: The Last Airbender. I didn't cry during 3 Idiots. I didn't cry during The Amazing Spider-Man 2. I have never cried during any of the Disney movies... Except for this one.

The story of the movie is basic enough: Peter Quill is abducted by a group of extraterrestrials shortly after his mother dies of cancer. Raised by them as a thief, Peter, attempting to go by the "outlaw name" of Star-Lord, steals an orb from a deserted planet. The Orb is sought by the film's villain, Ronan the Accuser, a Kree fanatic who seeks to eradicate the planet and culture of Xandar after Xandar's Nova Empire signs a treaty with the Kree Empire. With the Orb, Ronan plans to give it to Thano, who in turn will destroy Xandar for Ronan. After Roman's forces lose the Orb to Star-Lord, Thanos sends his daughter, Gamora, to retrieve it. Gamora, however, plans to sell the Orb to the Collector, using the money from the transaction to escape Thanos's grasp. Star-Lord is also pursued by Yondu and the Ravagers, the group of thieves that took Peter in, because Yondu planned to sell the Orb to another person.

While trying to sell the Orb on Xandar, Star-Lord encounters Gamora, as well as the bounty hunters Rocket and Groot. After a very well done altercation, the four are arrested by the Nova Corps. Putting aside their differences after being sent to prison, the four decide to escape and split the bounty the Collector is offering for the Orb. They are joined by Drax the Destroyer, who seeks vengeance against Ronan for the death of his family. After a very entertaining prison break that's mostly orchestrated by Rocket, the five travel to Knowhere, a mining colony in the head of a celestial being (read: "Celestial") to meet with the Collector. The Collector, being a bit of a douche, makes them wait for him to be ready, allowing the five of them to explore the world. Drax breaks off from the group after a drunken fight with Rocket and decides to summon Ronan, his desire for vengeance getting the best of him.

Meanwhile, Rocket, Groot, Gamora, and Star-Lord meet with the Collector, who reveals that the Orb is one of six Infinity Stones. Knowhere is then attacked by Ronan, who manages to get the Orb. Realizing the magnitude of it's power, Ronan betrays Thanos, choosing instead to use the power of the Orb himself to destroy Xandar.

Knowing this, Peter contacts the Ravagers and the Nova Corps, and together, they unite their forces to defeat Ronan, reclaim the Orb, and lock the Orb away.

Of the Marvel movies, this one was the funniest. While some jokes did reference the various eccentricities of the film's concepts, a lot of the humor came from the characters. All of the Guardians have numerous moments where the audience was laughing. Heck, in the film's opening, during the credits, Star-Lord dances through the abandoned temple housing the Orb to an old '70s song (the name of which escapes me). Moments like those are joined by the exchanges between the characters, the most humorous of which come, surprisingly, from Drax, who's unfamiliarity with metaphors is played to a humorous degree.

The humor doesn't intrude on the rest of the movie, though. The writing is very intelligent, knowing when a joke is appropriate and when to take the moment seriously. It never gets too serious or too ridiculous. It immerses you in the story of the characters and, in turn, shows you what it has to offer. It laughs, it cries, it rages, it roars. It's... charming.

But the writing's greatest strength is in the characters. The personalities of the Guardians are all well developed and interesting. You've got Star-Lord, the lovable bastard with a heart of gold buried down there (some digging required). You've got Gamora, the manipulated assassin who's finally trying to make a stand for what's right. You've got Drax, the obsessive maniac who hasn't known friendship in a long time. You've got Rocket, the smart-mouthed, trigger-happy thug who harbors his pain of being a freak. And you've got Groot, the innocent, caring, gentle but formidable giant who only says "I am Groot." The weakest of the primary characters is probably Ronan. While he was intimidating and had a decent back story, he pales in comparison to the Guardians. Still, he served his part as a villain quite well.

In short, Guardians of the Galaxy is not only my favorite Marvel movie to date, but my favorite comic-book movie to date. The writing and the characters harmonize with one another to near perfection, and the aesthetic of the movie is a site to behold.

But why did I cry? What moved me so emotionally that not only were tears released, but a few sobs as well?

In the climax of the film, during the final battle in the skies, the ship in which the Guardians are in is crashing. Knowing that they will die otherwise, Groot grows into a ball around them all. Rocket, however, knows that the force of the impact would cause Groot to shatter, and begs him not to do it. Groot responds with one sentence:

"We are Groot."

And thus, reaching the end of the fall, Groot sacrifices himself to save his friends. He gets better, and I knew that, but it was such a beautiful scene.

In short, I highly recommend watching Guardians of the Galaxy (especially in IMAX). 9.9/10 stars.