15 Reasons to See Guardians of the Galaxy #GuardiansoftheGalaxyEvent

15 Reasons to See Guardians of the Galaxy

 

Guardians of the Galaxy premieres today in theaters across the country.  I recently had a chance to view a private screening of the movie and even interview some of the cast and director of the movie.  After all of this, I have complied a nice list of 15 reasons (at the least) you should head to the theaters this weekend and view Guardians of the Galaxy yourself.

 

A little bit more about Guardians of the Galaxy first:

From Marvel, the studio that brought you the global blockbuster franchises of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and The Avengers, comes a new team—the Guardians of the Galaxy. An action-packed, epic space adventure, Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits—Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand—with the galaxy’s fate in the balance.

 

1) Chris Pratt aka “Peter Quill, Star-Lord” – a friend and Guardians “Junkie” as he likes to call himself said that when he saw Chris Pratt dancing in the very first scene of the movie, he knew they made the right choice – he is the “Perfect Peter Quill” come to life.  Chris worked very hard to build the stamina and physique to play this role and he does not disappoint.  Chris keeps the viewer completely entranced and engaged the ENTIRE movie!

2) Vin Diesel aka “Groot” – You fall in love with Groot from his first scene drinking from the water fountain.  Throughout the course of the movie, Groot becomes the most lovable and one of the most memorable characters in the entire move.  Don’t let the hard, woodsy exterior fool you, he has a heart or rather an inner earthly mystique of gold.  By the end of the movie, you will be brought to tears of laughter with Groot and Vin’s performance.  Don’t let the fact that three simple words is all he speaks, as his character speaks volumes more!

3) Dave Bautista, aka “Drax” – Having the chance to screen the movie and meet with Dave the very next morning, I was thoroughly shocked at how natural and wonderful Dave fit into this role.  The father of two and grandfather of two, Dave had a very strong sense of family and channeled that love into his role of Drax.  Drax plays a disgruntled, angry being that wants nothing by revenge for the death of his family at the hands of Ronan the Accuser.  As humble and literal as Drax his, this transpires into a functioning, albeit wacky relationship with his fellow Guardians and I feel gives him a sense of “Family” all over again.

  

 

4) Zoe Saldana aka “Gamora” – Having had the chance to sit down with Zoe and find out more candidly how she prepared for the role really made me appreciate the character of “Gamora” that much more.  From martial arts to bull-fighting, Zoe really did her homework and gave her ALL to Gamora and it really reflects on the big screen.  The “trained assassin” may have a rough (and Green) exterior, but what lies beneath is what really resonates on the big-screen.  You won’t be disappointed with her work!

    

(I love how Zoe has the same smirk on her face in the movie poster and real-life premier)

5) James Gunn, Director – James took a aged storyline having been around (in comics) since 1969 (Marvel Universe) and brought this world and team of misfits, or “A-Holes” as they have been referred to, onto the big screen and made them lovable, relatable and even inspiring!  From a score of amazing music, to comedic performances throughout the movie, James Gunn‘s personal stamp on “Guardians of the Galaxy” is prevalent and makes it one of his best works, to date!  I can’t wait to see the sequel, James (July, 2017!)

6) Bradley Cooper, aka “Rocket Racoon” – Bradley Cooper brings an edgy flavor to Rocket in Guardians of the Galaxy.  You can hardly tell it is Bradley, as he changed his inflection a bit to play Rocket.  Rocket is intelligent, articulate, strong-minded, determined and aggressive.  This is a arsenal of difficult attributes that would be challenging to channel for any given actor; however, Bradley does an prodigious performance.  Throughout the movie, you want to applaud and smack Rocket all at the same time, but in the end you learn this furry little guy has the personality as large as an atomic bomb, yet stuck in the tiny vessel that is Rocket Raccoon.

7) Lee Pace, aka “Ronan the Accuser” – One of the dirtiest villains I have ever experienced on the big screen! You would never even imagine or believe this is the handsome, Lee Pace.  From the very beginning, you learn to really detest Ronan and want nothing more than to see his ultimate annihilation.  Ronan’s mission is for nothing more than to destroy Xandar, but his efforts are continuous thwarted by the “A-holes”.  Will Ronan succeed or will the A-Holes prevail in stopping Ronan and his path of destruction?  You have to go to the theater to find out!

8) Karen Gillan, aka “Nebula” – Nebula is the “other daughter” of Thanos, and sister to Gamora.  The blood that runs through Nebula’s being is as cold and blue as her exterior.  She is calculated, and a formidable opponent to Gamora, whom she detests.  Karen Gillan gives a very profound performance as Nebula, but also shows the more human-esque side of Nebula, in the jealously she harbors for not be Thanos’ “favorite daughter”.

9) The Music – James Gunn and the rest of the team put together what they refer to as “Awesome Mix Vol. 1”.  From classics to “Hooked on a Feeling” (Blue Swede) and “Cherry Bomb” (The Runaways), to softer tones like “O-o-h” Child (Five Stairsteps) and “Fooled Around & Fell In Love” (Elvin Biship), the entire set list of music for Guardians of the Galaxy are songs that every generation will know, love and sing along too, well after you have left the theater.  The soundtrack will rekindle some favorites of those days long-ago and even introduce a newer generation to some timeless classics!

10) The Effects – The effects are some of the best I have seen in Marvel’s works.  Chris Pratt described the scene as a “360-degree, football field sized set of props and green screen” making it more diverse and more realistic capabilities in created the “total effect”!

11) The Collection – Benecio Del Toro gives and eerie performance as “The Collector”.  Residing in Knowhere, he covets all things different, unique and out-of-the-ordinary.  Once the crew arrives in Knowhere, you get to see various angles of his collection and it is weird/funny/creepy.  You must see it, to believe it!

12) Michael Rooker, aka “Yondu” – Having become the “Guardian of a Guardian” as I like to call it, Yondu is the person who has taken young Peter Quill and reared him as his own.  Yondu is not one of those people you want to mess with and really does a cool trick (or five) in the movie.  Michael gives a believable performance leaving the viewer to question whether they love or hate Yondu, and really never being able to answer that same question.

13) The Guardians – Watching these five very colossal and fantastic personalities meld into a troop of hap-hearted misfits who unnaturally, but at the same time, naturally fit together leaves me as a viewer, smiling and laughing.  I love a movie that can make me laugh so hard, I cry and Guardians of the Galaxy delivered just that.  To see these five characters interact is nothing short of an on-going, massive comedic performance.

14) The Jailhouse scene – to me, this is the heart of the movie.  The place and time where all five outspoken, outcasts come together to form the ultimate, immeasurable band of heroes Marvel has ever created.  They meld together to get the job done, with a few hiccups along the way.  The end result is heart-warming, amusing and will make you want the story line to continue. As entrenched into the film as I was, I was nearly sad when the movie was over and wanted to scream out “keep going, show it again, do SOMETHING to give me more Guardians Action”!

15) Chris Pratt, AGAIN – I really can’t say enough about how Chris and Star-Lord seem synonymous.  It is hard to tell where Chris’ natural comedic personality ends and Star-Lord’s begins.  Also, seeing Chris shirtless after working so hard to get the physique was a HUGE bonus!

What I loved most about Guardians of the Galaxy is that you really can get a great insight into the personal story and history of each character.  It leaves open the possibilities of other performances, perhaps in neighboring Marvel story lines or a headliner of their own.  Marvel did an OUTSTANDING job with this one and really got me as a novice comic lover to rekindle the passion I once had as a kid for some of those childhood favorites.

Get into the theater TODAY and see this movie!  You won’t be disappointed! I wasn’t!

Be sure to “Like” and “Follow” GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY on Facebook | Twitter

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY opens in theaters everywhere TODAY, August 1st!