Guardians of the Galaxy

I am Groot – and that's great. Complaints about the fact that Guardians of the Galaxy turned out to be just an "ordinary" Marvel movie can be attributed primarily to the extensive media massage all around, which deprived us of any surprises. It is difficult to imagine a stranger situation than when the main blue-black villain is faced with a group consisting of an 80s fanboy, an unfunny fighter, an unpredictable talking raccoon with a machine gun, and a tree in the foreground. And, of course, it's another pursuit of the devilish stone that can destroy everything. Because why not, when all the teams, villains, and artifacts successfully merge into one pile a few years later in the spectacle called Avengers: Infinity War. However, for now, the Guardians are struggling as a cohesive group with an incredibly positive song-filled soundtrack, shockingly self-assured direction by James Gunn, and an opulent finale that dazzles with every new idea, even in a relatively small space. I usually don't find pure space journeys particularly enjoyable, so this exception is all the sweeter. (07/08/2014)

At first, I thought: another Marvel movie that’ll get lost in the mix. Then I read some enticing articles about it and slowly but surely, I was beginning to inconspicuously change my opinion of it. In the end, I was only truly convinced at the moment when I watched the movie at a cinema. This Marvel movie isn’t mediocre at all and most importantly, it’s different from all the other superheroes they keep shoving down our throats all the time. It takes place in space, it has a bunch of alien races, a talking raccoon and an overgrown tree. It’s fun, amusing and it has an amazing CGI that makes you feel like you’re in space with them. Plus, it offers Dave Bautista, a wrestler whose door to Hollywood was forever opened by this movie, in my opinion. And I’d love to see him again. All of these points are connected by originality and humor that has managed to tell this two-hour story with ease. And I wouldn’t have guessed that length at the cinema, not even after twenty minutes of contemplating. It was amazing! I’m just so pleasantly surprised and I can’t wait for the sequel. (08/08/2014)

An unforgivable waste of potential. The most entertaining (because it’s the most crackpot, most absurd and the biggest sneer at classic superhero team movies) Marvel squad movie whose wings have been clipped by being grafted onto the standard template of an endless stream of Marvel movies “putting our money only on the tried and tested"; this time dressed up as a space opera with shamefully unremarkable action. Although they should have chosen a rather more revolutionary approach to the material. Maybe some time in the future; maybe with that already cult character from the post-credits scene. (31/07/2014)

Guardians of the Galaxy take advantage of the fact that people love galactic soap operas and don’t worry about the rest, and it is given to them because they belong to the Marvel universe. In other words, one thing is not true of this film: it really is not subversive. The film always smirks slightly at the right time, but that doesn't change the fact that it takes full advantage of the potential of cosmic heroic sagas and Marvel hubs. Its humor is similarly superficial as the choice of 70's musical hits, but it works as a well-trodden galactic sitcom with excellent characters, and even in serious moments it seriously entices as a "superhero" spectacle (it got to me 2 times with the pure essence of heroic pathos, only to then laugh at myself along with the heroes). It's touchingly childish, yet very adult self-aware. And calculated to the last detail. When it comes to Marvel films, they simply know. Years ahead of the competition. [75%] (07/08/2014)

The comparison of film and a rollercoaster perfectly suits Marvel blockbusters. The standardised products from the shared workshop of the Marvel Studios and Disney divisions attract viewers with a spectacular ride, which is, however, constructed in a completely mechanical way. Just as fairground machines differ from each other in their effect on one’s emotions only in their scary murals, extravagant names and number of flashing lights, Guardians of the Galaxy is absolutely identical to, for example, Big Hero 6. The narrative construction and dramaturgy, i.e. the rails conveying the audience to the individual emotional hoops and loops, are exactly the same; they differ only in their particular twists and turns. This is most striking in the conclusion, when, immediately after the spectacular climax comes an emotional twist that transforms the given film into a tear-jerker. Distinctive directors are hired for Marvel flicks solely for marketing purposes in order to help create the impression that the individual films are different, but in practical terms, their contribution has the same weight as the authorship of carnies who paint unlicensed portraits of pop-culture icons on midway rides. (11/07/2016)