I'm going to address every single piece of criticism I've ever seen related to this movie with a single phrase; This movie is a comedy.
I'm not sure why that feels like the most important thing to tell people about Guardians of the Galaxy, but it really does feel that way. I know that may not have been quite what you all were expecting, but the movie tried to establish this, like, super early on. In every trailer and TV spot. In the opening credits. In the dad-gum posters. It really feels like a massive statement of the obvious, but this is a comedy. That is the mindset you should be in when you watch this.
And you know what, it's a pretty darn good comedy! It's really funny, and also just lots of fun to watch! I'm not sure you could ask for anything else from an action comedy.
But what makes this so great is that we did legitimately get more than just fun from this movie. On top of "good comedy stuff" we got a story that was told well using characters we actually cared about. This movie uses an ensemble cast. Sure, Peter is the main character and one of the big payoffs at the end revolves around his relationship with the memory of his mother. But the other big payoff is all about these characters relationships with each other, and that only flies if you care about all of the characters.
What's impressive about GotG is that we didn't know any of these people before this movie started. The Avengers was able to draw on four movies worth of characterization (I'm not counting that Hulk garbage), and while it didn't totally rely on that, it sure made it easier to introduce and humanize these characters quickly. Guardians didn't have that, but it still manages to pull off the same kind of emotional payoff that we get toward the end of The Avengers.
As a writer, that's impressive. But as an audience member it's transparent; you don't notice it happening, all you know is that you're walking out of the movie rather satisfied. It's quality storytelling that you don't get in the vast majority of blockbusters, even heist movies that rely heavily on the strength of an ensemble cast to work. Heck, there are some dramas that don't handle characterization as efficiently and effectively as Guardians of the Galaxy. This is the reason that I would say, objectively, GotG is one of the best made movies in the MCU.
It's a fun movie that tells a story with serious heart based around a bunch of characters you can really care about. It's funny and touching and inspiring at various points, and there's almost nothing to distract from that at all.
Well... except for the generic bad guy. He wasn't terrible, but he was also just uninspired. It's par for the course for the MCU, but just once I'd like another villain who is as well-developed and interesting as Loki. Ultron was close, but... well, we'll get to him later.
I'm not sure why that feels like the most important thing to tell people about Guardians of the Galaxy, but it really does feel that way. I know that may not have been quite what you all were expecting, but the movie tried to establish this, like, super early on. In every trailer and TV spot. In the opening credits. In the dad-gum posters. It really feels like a massive statement of the obvious, but this is a comedy. That is the mindset you should be in when you watch this.
And you know what, it's a pretty darn good comedy! It's really funny, and also just lots of fun to watch! I'm not sure you could ask for anything else from an action comedy.
But what makes this so great is that we did legitimately get more than just fun from this movie. On top of "good comedy stuff" we got a story that was told well using characters we actually cared about. This movie uses an ensemble cast. Sure, Peter is the main character and one of the big payoffs at the end revolves around his relationship with the memory of his mother. But the other big payoff is all about these characters relationships with each other, and that only flies if you care about all of the characters.
What's impressive about GotG is that we didn't know any of these people before this movie started. The Avengers was able to draw on four movies worth of characterization (I'm not counting that Hulk garbage), and while it didn't totally rely on that, it sure made it easier to introduce and humanize these characters quickly. Guardians didn't have that, but it still manages to pull off the same kind of emotional payoff that we get toward the end of The Avengers.
As a writer, that's impressive. But as an audience member it's transparent; you don't notice it happening, all you know is that you're walking out of the movie rather satisfied. It's quality storytelling that you don't get in the vast majority of blockbusters, even heist movies that rely heavily on the strength of an ensemble cast to work. Heck, there are some dramas that don't handle characterization as efficiently and effectively as Guardians of the Galaxy. This is the reason that I would say, objectively, GotG is one of the best made movies in the MCU.
It's a fun movie that tells a story with serious heart based around a bunch of characters you can really care about. It's funny and touching and inspiring at various points, and there's almost nothing to distract from that at all.
Well... except for the generic bad guy. He wasn't terrible, but he was also just uninspired. It's par for the course for the MCU, but just once I'd like another villain who is as well-developed and interesting as Loki. Ultron was close, but... well, we'll get to him later.
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