I really thought the Marvel Cinematic Universe had lost its plot after The Avengers. Iron Man 3 didn't quite work for me. The interpretation of the Mandarin had me on the wrong side of love and hate and the movie itself was not Iron Manly enough, if that makes sense. Then came Thor 2. This movie surprised me by how unremarkable it was. It was borderline mediocre and only as a part of the grand shared universe, already established considerably thanks to the phase one movies, did it have any value at all. Captain America took the Iron Man 3 route of almost taking the superheroism out of the superhero movie but the end product was infinitely better. It was an excellent movie, but the sense of awe that Avengers had inspired in me was still somehow fading.
It was then up to the last marvel movie of the year to get me starry-eyed-excited for Avengers 2. But then this movie is what you'd call the rookie of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A movie based on almost obscure second tier Marvel property that most of us knew nothing about. Well, having seen the movie, the rookie is one hell of a player. No, it's still no Avengers but its very obviously cut from the same cloth. And it's astoundingly entertaining.
The movie begins on earth with a brief sequence in a hospital that sufficiently establishes Peter Quill's (a.k.a Star Lord's) origin. It's not the most informative back story but it does something critically important. It's makes you connect to a young Peter Quill at the very beginning. After that it's a relentlessly fun ride through beautifully rendered (and slightly candied) space as the other main characters get introduced one by one.
When Peter Quill steals an orb not knowing of the value placed on it by Ronan the Accuser, a fanatic who is unhappy about the Kree empire's peace treaty with the planet Xandar, he triggers the events that lead to the group of outlaws eventually coming together. Ronan sends assassin Gamora to retrieve the orb from Quill. A bounty on Quill results in bounty hunter and mercenary duo of Rocket (voiced brilliantly by Bradley Cooper) and Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) also getting thrown into the mix. Along the way they also pick up warrior Drax who has reasons to seek vengeance on Ronan. Of course they don't get along well initially. Of course they bicker and fight in the beginning and then slowly gel into a team. Marvel is the master of that particular trick. While the conflicts are kept light hearted and humorous there are also moments where you really feel for a certain character or the other.
The performances are delightfully good. Chris Pratt as Peter Quill charms his way through a role that seems tailor made for him. Saldana too seems comfortable in her skin (this time green) as Gamora. Bautista surprises with great comic timing and a wonderful presence as Drax the Destroyer. But the real stars of the movie are the CGI duo of Rocket and Groot. While Rocket as the fast talking genetically engineered raccoon is a delectable mixture of funny and dramatic, it is Groot, his sentient tree companion, that actually made me want to stand up and whistle on occasions. Everything about him is cool, the visual design, his mannerisms that vary from adorable to freaking intimidating, his extremely limited vocabulary. Everything. He is simply the most endearing character in the movie which is surprising as he's basically all wood. Even his set of powers seemed fresh, which is a gargantuan feat in the extremely saturated world of superheroes.
The movie is not without flaws. Marvel movies have always entertained more than thrilled. Here too I was never at the edge of my seat. No nails were bitten during the watching of this movie. The plot is actually very simple at its core and not very unlike that of Thor 2, basically with a macguffin of a different colour. There is not much to say about the main antagonist either, or any of the other baddies for that matter. Thanos makes a blink and you miss appearance but the scene doesn't serve much purpose other than as a thread linking with the preceding mythos set up by the other movies.
What is impressive is that the movie, like Avengers before it, finds a way to make it work even without a particularly exciting climax or a memorable villain. And I'm not saying the ending disappointed me. It tied up all the necessary threads and there was even a brilliantly unique face-off between Quill and Ronan that I rather liked. It could have done much more, but what it did do was quite enough. All in all, I had fun at a Marvel movie again. Loads and loads of fun. The movie's job is done. Avengers 2 can't come soon enough.
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