Go see Guardians of the Galaxy

Normally I’m not really into super hero movies, but a few weeks ago when my boyfriend asked me if I wanted to see Guardians of the Galaxy I said “Yes! Definitely! Chris Pratt is in it and it looks funny, so yeah.” Or something like that.

Although the movie doesn’t come out until August 1, we had the opportunity to see the movie. My boyfriend works for Yahoo, which has been promoting Guardians. He was invited to Disney Studios, along with other media people, to see the movie and bring a guest (me). There are perks of dating someone in media, my friends. Not all the time, but when they come they can be pretty special.

I’m really glad I gave this movie a chance. The thing is, it’s not really a super hero movie. Or at least it’s more than that.

In the words of writer James Gunn:

“…I don’t think of Guardians as a superhero movie. I think of it as a space epic. I guess they’re sorta superheroes… but I don’t 100 percent think of it as a superhero movie.“

When I saw that on Tumblr last week, the phrase space epic instantly made me think of Star Wars. It’s a story of group that bands together for different reasons, but in they end they’re all on the side of good. It has action, drama, comedy and a bit of romance. All the makings of a good movie, if you ask me.

We saw the movie in 3D, which I wasn’t expecting and don’t always like. I’ve seen a handful of movies in 3D and sometimes it’s seemed overdone to me. Too many elements were flying toward my face. Maybe that was around the time when the technology was new and Honey I Shrunk the Kids was a big deal. Thankfully, Guardians wasn’t like that.

The story was a little hard for me to follow. Maybe I just wasn’t trying hard enough, honestly, but keeping track of the bad guys was the toughest part. Still, the story had heart and that got to me. The characters had depth  and went through growth that felt genuine.

The movie has a stellar cast. I love Chris Pratt from his role as the loveable dope Andy on Parks and Recreation. In Guardians, he gets to play one of the smarter guys in the room and he’s still just as funny. Zoey Zaldana does a great job playing a complex character here. I think her character is actually the most nuanced of the lot of them and she plays it well. Surprisingly, I didn’t get annoyed by Bradley Cooper in this movie, but maybe that’s because he was lending the voice to a brilliant raccoon. Something about Bradley Cooper – or I guess just the characters he plays – normally bothers me, but not this time.

By the way, you can see the Yahoo Q and A with the stars and director of Guardians of the Galaxy here.

Whether you’re in it for Chris Pratt’s ripped abs (worth it) or the comic book story, you won’t soon forget this epic adventure. If you see it, let me know your thoughts on Twitter or in the comments below. I want know what you think.

P.S. Parents, in case you’re wondering, this movie is PG-13 and it seems safe for kids to me. It can be a bit scary for young kids, but I don’t think it would be bad. There was nothing sexual except for a joke that would go over their heads and no cursing that I remember.