Guardians of the Galaxy

This review is more about my experience with this film more than a review of this film. Guardians of the Galaxy is easily my favourite movie of all time and of the Marvel franchise. I have probably re-watched this film about 100 times, or at least more than any other film I’ve seen. I’m also the most annoying person to watch this movie with because I can pretty much recite the whole movie word for word, so I’ll say the line before the character does. I’m a huge fan of this film and of Marvel, which this film has introduced me to. If it wasn’t for this movie I wouldn’t be the Marvel fanatic that I am today. I love James Gunn’s work as a director and his firing and rehiring definitely took me on a roller coaster of emotions. Additionally, I even did a school project on the film for my music class all the way back in grade 8. So, it’s easy to say I have a connection to this film.




My experience with this film first started when my brother got a free ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ comic book at our local comic book store. I remembered it because it was such a weird concept and there were characters like a raccoon and a talking tree. Then when the movie came out back in 2014, I was asked if I wanted to go see it and I chose not to because I was dumb and thought it looked ‘lame’. Apparently I had no taste back then and I missed out on seeing it in the theatre. When I finally got around to seeing it, it quickly became my all time favourite movie.




I was never into Marvel or superhero movies as I didn’t see the appeal. I was also able to enjoy this movie without understanding any of the connections to the rest of the MCU. Which I think is interesting given you can’t really watch most of the other movies in the franchise without the background information of the other films. However, this movie was made to introduce these characters and the power stone to the MCU equation, so it doesn’t actually make a lot of connections to the Avengers. Then, it wasn’t until the guardians were set to appear in Avengers: Infinity War that I decided to watch the other Marvel movies. I wanted to understand what the rest was all about before I went to go see Infinity War. Especially, since I was only going to see it because of the guardians.




So, as the good fan I am, I watched all eighteen movies with the exception of The Incredible Hulk as it seemed irrelevant. It took me about two weeks and was a combination of Netflix and taking out movies from the library, which I continue to use as a Blockbuster. I made a list of all the films I needed to watch and crossed them off as I finished each one. It’s one of those experiences with a film or in this case a series of films that you truly never forget.




This movie also started my collection of various Guardians of the Galaxy items from t-shirts and socks to movie posters and figures. Then when I went to Disneyland in California, obviously the first ride I went on was Mission Breakout. Which I geeked out about. It really is one of the ultimate fan experiences. I don’t really go to Disney often so it will be interesting once they build the Marvel themed land, bringing me to return to Disney once again.




The movie itself is creative and driven by the most interesting and bizarre group of characters. I think their dynamic together is so crazy it works. The characters are easy to connect with and you become emotionally involved. You really just fall in love with the gang of misfits, which is why it’s especially hard when Groot “dies”. The movie is hilarious and yet can switch well to a more serious tone. Additionally, the music and soundtrack overall are what make this movie unique in comparison to the other marvel movies. I can’t hear ‘Hooked on a Feeling’ or ‘Come and Get Your Love’ without thinking of this film. I think James Gunn did a really good job when selecting music for the movie.




To conclude, I have a deep connection with this film and am very attached to it. I think the film is witty and funny. I would suggest watching this movie to basically anyone, but I'm biased. However, this movie is great because you don’t have to love Marvel movies or need to watch the other movies in the franchise to watch and appreciate this film. I think it fits nicely into the series of films while also being a good stand alone.