Guardians of the Galaxy
In cinemas now
★★★★★
No spoilers are giving in this review
Sci-fi is probably the most important film genre there is. I can already hear people gasping at that statement, but think about it; sci-fi let’s our wildest fantasies come to life. We can recreate dinosaurs, travel through time and space and project an image of what we believe our future could be like.
In 1917, Edgar Rice Burroughs (known best for Tarzan) wrote A Princess of Mars. That story was the catalyst for almost every sci-fi film you have ever seen. Due to film and special effects limitations, sci-fi always looked fake – until 1977 when George Lucas released Star Wars. A lot of that film is based on A Princess of Mars which is why when Disney released John Carter in 2012, audience goers doomed it by saying they had seen it all before, not knowing that it was a film adaptation of the original sci-fi story.
Since Star Wars, studios across the globe have been trying to get to the same standing as the cult classic. Some have come close, but for a two hour film to engage an audience and make you care about people you’ve only just met is a difficult task. So many films concentrate far too much on the effects and forget the story or by casting quality actors. Dazzle the audience with CGI, flashing images and fight scenes and who cares about the story, right? No! It’s infuriating. The story is the most important thing, not what you can do on an iMac.
In 2009, Disney bought Marvel and since then, the films have progressively gotten better. When The Avengers (Avengers Assemble) was released I didn’t think they would ever top it. But they did. Captain America 2 was a fantastic film and now The Guardians of the Galaxy has blown everything else out of the water. Not just Marvel films, but everything since Star Wars: A New Hope.
For the first time since 1977, we now have a film that not only looks great but has a fresh and gripping story, characters we can relate to and feel compassion for and a soundtrack that engages people of all ages. This truly is the best sci-fi film for decades.
I only have one problem with this film, the 3D. I’m not sure whether it was just the screen I saw it in or the fact the film wasn’t shot on iMax cameras, but at different points of the film, the 3D was blurry and out of focus – especially on the left side. I have spoken to a few people who also noticed this, but many online reviews say it was great. If you see this film in 3D, please let me know what your experience was like.
But do see this film at the cinema. This will not be a stand-alone film, I foresee many sequels and if they are as good as this one – who knows – this could be the next Star Wars… Well, until Star Wars: Episdoe VII is released at least.
Rotten Tomatoes give this film 93% and although that’s pretty high, I honestly believe this film ticks all the boxes and deserves 100%
Now stop reading and go and see it!
#TerryGee
Oh, and remember this is a Marvel movie – so stay until after the final credits role!