Guardians of the Mumbo Jumbo

As an avid comic book collector in the '80s and '90s I remember and enjoyed the Guardians of the Galaxy.  I even own a Rocket Raccoon #1.  Yet I was still very surprised that Marvel chose this series as their next big budget extravaganza.  It's a bold move, and they deserve credit for launching a film with a tree and a raccoon as central characters.  The movie, however fun, is still an oddity with an unknown world, and incoherent plot, and a cast of random villains that never seem to matter much.

The story begins on Earth in 1988 as young Peter Quill is abducted by aliens and taken to a far-off galaxy.  Years later, the adult Peter (Chris Pratt) still listens to the same Sony Walkman with the same "Awesome Mix" - only now he's a space scavenger known as the self-anointed Star-Lord.  When he finds a mysterious orb, he becomes the target of the evil Ronan who desires the supreme power that the orb will bring.  An evasive fighter with a price on his head, Quill soon attracts a renegade bunch of space outlaws who want what he's got.  This includes Rocket, the genetically modified Raccoon who resembles Han Solo, and Groot, the strong silent tree who resembles Chewbacca.  Rocket and Groot are voiced respectively by Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel, and their banter and humor is one of the movie's highpoints.

Quill is also chased by green-skinned Gamora (Zoe Saldana, of blue-skinned "Avatar" fame), who has betrayed the evil Ronan and now is also hunted across the stars.  Once these space avengers assemble, they set out on a complex mission to first sell the orb for it's extreme value, but then later to prevent Ronan from getting it in order to control the universe.  Or something similar as this convoluted plot becomes one of the movie's lowpoints.  

Unfortunately, "Guardians of the Galaxy" is saddled with ridiculous space dialogue about odd-named aliens from the planet something, who are fighting with some other species who may or may not be from the original "Star Trek."  It eventually all sounds the same, which is too bad because the movie does have a lot of originality.  I really don't know what the conflict is about, except that the orb creates some really cool explosions and the bad guys wear black.

The filmmakers would have been better off making the whole movie a comedy.  Rather than being SO influenced by the original "Star Wars" they should have learned more lessons from "Spaceballs."  When the characters lighten up, the movie works best.  When they get bogged down with serious saving the universe talk, the movie becomes an unbearable load of clichés ripped from the mouths of comic-con teenagers.  

Original Rocket Raccoon #1

Don't get me wrong, "Guardians of the Galaxy" is an enjoyable summer adventure due in part to the sheer oddness of its existence.  The cast coheres well, bringing a fun likeability to each misfit character.  As the voice of Rocket Raccoon, Bradley Cooper has never been better - no really:  he's the most complex character in the movie.  It's refreshing to see Marvel make a movie outside their comfort zone of Avengers.  Maybe next time out they can have a bit more fun, and tone down the gibberish.