Guardians of the Galaxy - A Spoiler-Free Review

Directed by James Gunn
Written by James Gunn and Nicole Perlman
Starring: Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper, Lee Pace, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, Benicio del Toro

Marvel/Walt Disney Studios pulled it off. I was just as skeptical as a lot of you when I first heard that they were going to make a movie starring the Guardians of the Galaxy. And not only did they pull it off, they hit a home run. It's a quirky, entertaining ride with a lot of feeling and emotions.

The story is a space opera of galactic proportions but it's the solid cast and writing that really stabilizes it, transforming it into a touching journey. Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) brings together a group of ragtag loners on a quest to stop the destruction of the universe. Ronan the Accuser, played by Lee Pace, was outstanding in the role of the Kree judicator and proved to be a great antagonist. Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and Groot (Vin Diesel) are the product of some spectacular CGI, and in particular, Cooper steals the show with a lot of great moments.

Don't hesitate to see this film, you won't be disappointed. My kids told me when I left to see it, that when I came back I just had to say that it's okay for them to see (as they had seen the trailer and loved it). Unlike Captain America 2, which was far too violent, and Man of Steel, which was simply a disappointment, Guardians of the Galaxy is a movie that I'd be happy to bring them to see. There are a few mature scenes, but you can really tell that Marvel/Disney worked hard to keep the film at a PG level. It also succeeds in striking a nice balance for non-comic book fans who can enjoy the film as a stand-alone entity, but also rewards the comic book fans with a lot of Marvel Universe references.

"I am Groot!"

(Found this fan poster at:
http://geektyrant.com/news/stunning-guardians-of-the-galaxy-poster-art-by-paul-shipper)

The Wolverine (2013) - A spoiler-free review

I really went into this movie wanting to like it. I was willing to forgive the X-Men franchise for the disaster that was X-Men 3 and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. But, I was disappointed. Why? Because the movie had so much damn potential and it failed. The source material was obviously the Wolverine limited series from 1982 along with bits from Uncanny X-Men #172-173. So how could it go wrong?

The Wolverine felt like a four issue limited series that had a different creative team parachute in for the 4th issue, disregarding everything they had built up until that point. The film sadly fell apart in the last 20 minutes and unfortunately took down the entire film with it.

Hugh Jackson was again a wonderful Wolverine and there's no blame to lay at his feet. Tao Okamoto was great as Wolverine's love interest Mariko and Rila Fukusima was outstanding as his bodyguard, Yukio. As the movie rolled along, I really had a great feeling on how things were shaping up. But, then near the end, it was as if the director/writer tried to get a little bit too clever for their own good. 

The setting was also a great bonus for the film, really capturing many scenes from the Japanese adventures of Wolverine.

Make sure you stick around for the teaser after the credits. It's a nice touch to let you know that Marvel does indeed have a plan for its various movie franchises.