To stop myself veering off on multiple tangents, here is a quick and dirty list of what Guardians of the Galaxy did right, and what left to be desired.
PRO: The ensemble.
One concern I had about the film was in relation to the token female character, Gamora. I saw her on the poster wearing pretty tight and impractical clothing (I mean, she’s an assassin, right?), and she is definitely the hottest alien I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen this character time and time again, and was afraid Gamora would suffer from Trinity Syndrome, i.e. when a ‘strong female character’ is introduced as a total badass and proceeds to be relatively useless when push comes to shove.
To say the least, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw Gamora continually kicking arse throughout the film, proving herself time and time again to be a valuable asset to the team.
I was also expecting there to be a kiss between Star-Lord and Gamora toward the end of the film, but I’m pleased to say there wasn’t. Despite being the only female in the ensemble, Gamora stands her ground as an integral part of the team, and doesn’t turn into a reward for the protagonist. This brings me to the crux of my point: this is a film about a team- about friends. Star-Lord is the main protagonist, sure, but the others aren’t left hanging. They all have their part to play in the climax, and that’s something this film got so, so right.
CON: Why Is Star-Lord so horny?
I’m definitely a fan of innuendo, and there were some great sex jokes in this film- the black-light-Jackson-Pollock line springs to mind. I get it. It’s hilarious. But it’s hilarious in moderation.
Right from the get-go Star-Lord is portrayed as a womanizer. He forgets the name of the chick he just banged, ha, classic. But I don’t get it. Why is this necessary to the plot? I mean, sure, there are times when it’s amusing, but this shit was brought up constantly. Shit, there was a scene where Star-Lord was showing off his scars inflicted by conquests. Like, what? Why? Jesus, even Rocket thought Star-Lord had issues. It’s just plain distracting.
Here’s the thing: this persona is introduced right at the beginning of the film, right after I’ve sat through a scene showing Star-Lord as a child crying over the death of his mother. That little kid is still in my head- I do not want to hear about all the women this child has fucked. Is this what happens when your mother gives you a mix tape full of baby-making music? Probably.
CON: Why is Drax a thing?
Okay, I’ll fess up, I am not at all familiar with the GotG franchise, but while I was watching the film I couldn’t help but look at Drax and think ‘what is this guy even doing?’ His place in the group seems to be ‘The Muscle’, but… isn’t that what Groot is? I mean, when you have a Groot I can’t really find the need for a Drax, especially when Groot can literally not do anything else. Except, you know, make a mean string of fairy lights. Not to mention Drax almost got Gamora killed (and Star-Lord killed when he tried to save Gamora). If Drax’s purpose was to be a plot device, I guess I can understand that. But what did he do in the comics? Am I missing something? Is he going to come into play more in the next film? I sure hope so. As far as I can tell, all Drax really did was cause problems and learn what a metaphor is.
CON: “Green Whore”.
Okay, okay, so I have a couple of qualms with the film, but we’re up to the climax and when all is said and done, I’m really digging it. Now the film is almost over and shit’s about to go down. So, when Drax refers to Gamora as a “green whore” I’m surprised, to say the least.
Now, in context, Drax is talking about the friendship he has found in this motley crew. At this point, Drax still speaks completely literally. He calls Groot a dumb tree- well, harsh, but fair. But then he calls Gamora a “green whore”. What? That doesn’t even make sense. Scanty outfits aside, Gamora isn’t portrayed as sexualized at all. I mean, technically, if Drax were to call anyone a whore, shouldn’t it be Star-Lord…? This confused me for a while, until I remembered that while our heroes were imprisoned, various prisoners used this term to insult Gamora. Okay, that makes sense. Drax took it literally; not understanding it was an insult.
But these characters were imprisoned toward the start of the film. That was like two hours ago. I think it’s a bit of a stretch to take a one-off piece of dialogue and bring it back at the end of the film as some sort of recurring joke. Gamora being called a whore in this instance was an excuse for a laugh, but honestly, it just made me feel uncomfortable. It seemed so unnecessary, and I was disappointed, because what it all boils down to is lazy writing and a bad excuse to belittle an awesome character.
PRO: The soundtrack.
For a film that is packed with action, sci-fi and superheroes, I was definitely not expecting a sound track that features Ain’t No Mountain High Enough. Having listened to the soundtrack before seeing the film, I couldn’t picture it at all. I mean, yeah, the songs are amazing, but how is it going to fit in with this genre?
Fuck. It fit. It just did. This, in my opinion, is a prime example of what separates this film from others in its genre. From Star-Lord welcoming viewers by strutting through a cave to Redbone’s Come and Get Your Love, to a montage featuring Cherry Bomb by The Runaways, this collection of songs gave so much unique character to Guardians of the Galaxy.
But what I loved most was the fact that the soundtrack was Star-Lord’s mix tape. As his most prized possession, one would expect the tape to come into play in some way in the plot- but making the tape the soundtrack to the film was a stroke of genius.
PRO: Space is fun again.
I’m sure I’m not the only person who has pointed this out, but does anyone remember a time when space was fun?
Star Trek: fun.
Star Wars: fun (well, the original trilogy, at least).
Spaceballs: fun (Spaceballs counts, right?).
What I’m getting at is this: films and television shows set in space haven’t been fun for a long time. Somewhere along the line they became less about exploration, camaraderie and various space-y shenanigans, and more about politics, danger- and little-to-no space-y shenanigans.
Guardians of the Galaxy was fun. Yeah, there were bad guys, there was action- all that pew pew pew junk, but I had a rollicking good time watching it. Even when things got real this film was still able to make me laugh. It was light-hearted, yet able to create tension in all the right places. I mean, come on, they were able to beat the baddie because Star-Lord challenged him to a dance-off. A dance-off.
In conclusion, this film put the fun back into space travel, and it was long overdue.
PRO: The message.
Finally, something that made Guardians of the Galaxy stand out to me was the message it conveyed. It was a film about the importance of friendship, working together, and being accepted for who you are. It wasn’t about getting the girl/guy, and it wasn’t about beating the bad guy- it was about a group of unlikely heroes standing up for what they believed in, doing what’s right, and finding a family.
This is one of the reasons why this film - and the superhero genre as a whole - is so popular; it’s a message that people can relate to, and it’s a message that resonates.
In conclusion, I’d say the pros of Guardians of the Galaxy definitely out-weigh the cons. I discovered some sweet tunes, found a new favourite franchise, and – most importantly – realised that Kevin Bacon is indeed the hero of our time.