Guardians of the Galaxy

By John Mulderig, Catholic News Service

NEW YORK (CNS) – Self-sacrificing, morally elevating love as well as dedicated camaraderie are showcased in the crackerjack sci-fi adventure “Guardians of the Galaxy” (Disney).

Chris Pratt, Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), Rocket Racoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper), Dave Bautista and Zoe Saldana star in a scene from the movie “Guardians of the Galaxy.” (CNS photo/Disney)

While not suitable for young moviegoers, director and co-writer (with Nicole Perlman) James Gunn’s rollicking adaptation of a series of Marvel comic books offers their elders top-flight escapist entertainment.

Vital to the film’s success is Chris Pratt’s appealing portrayal of its lost-in-space human protagonist, Peter Quill.

As opening scenes set in 1988 disclose, as a young boy (Wyatt Oleff), Peter was emotionally crushed by his mother’s terminal illness, and bolted from the hospital moments after her untimely death, only to be kidnapped by the crew of a spaceship. (Hints in the early dialogue already suggest that this startling turn of events was not as random as it might, at first, appear).

Flash-forward a quarter century and Peter, who prefers the moniker Star-Lord, has joined the gang of intergalactic bandits who shanghaied him. Dispatched to a depopulated planet by their chief, Yondu (Michael Rooker), Peter is charged with purloining a mysteriously powerful silver orb concealed in its recesses.

No sooner has Peter gained possession of the object, though, than he discovers that a whole range of other interested parties is on its trail as well. They include green-skinned warrior Gamora (Zoe Saldana) genetically manipulated, anthropomorphic raccoon Rocket (voice of Bradley Cooper) and Rocket’s sidekick, Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), a sentient tree.

Ostensibly, Gamora is acting on the orders of a maniacal villain named Ronan (Lee Pace). As with the relationship between Peter and Yondu, however, her real allegiance is ambiguous.

A raucous street fight for control of the sphere lands Peter, Gamora, Rocket and Groot in jail where they encounter hulking, tattooed convict Drax (Dave Bautista), who joins them when they eventually fly the coop.

Agreeing to quell their rivalry and split the profits from the sale of the magic globe, the quintet sets out to find a merchant (Benicio Del Toro) Gamora believes will pay top dollar for it. Once they discover the artefact’s vast potential for destruction, however, commercial interests take a back seat and the former adversaries unite around a higher purpose: keeping the weapon out of Ronan’s grasp.

As Peter, Pratt successfully embodies the movie’s saucy but good-hearted spirit – which is, in the end, far more important than the ins and outs of its plot. A freebooting, lovable rogue, Peter is also a sentimentalist whose most prized possession is a mix tape his mother made for him comprising her favourite pop tunes, some of them already quite out-of-date by the late ’80s.

One of the songs Mom favoured, Elvin Bishop’s 1976 hit, “Fooled Around and Fell in Love,” accurately predicts her son’s destined transformation from interstellar ladies’ man (at least according to his own boastful account) to altruistic, forsaking-all-others potential spouse. Following a similar arc to those of his opponents-turned-friends, moreover, Peter transcends his thieving past to become an unlikely, but thoroughly selfless, hero.

The positive ethical direction in which Peter and his comrades move – together with the sheer fun of observing their humour-filled exploits – makes it a shame that the elements listed below prevent endorsement of “Guardians of the Galaxy” for a wider audience.

The film contains much action and martial arts-style violence, brief shadowy rear nudity, occasional rough and crude language and an obscene gesture. The Catholic News Service classification is A-III – adults.  Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Hercules

By John Mulderig, Catholic News Service

NEW YORK (CNS) – This much can be said for the passable 3-D adventure “Hercules” (Paramount): By comparison with this year’s earlier cinematic addition to the store of lore about antiquity’s most acclaimed strongman, “The Legend of Hercules,” the new film is practically a masterpiece.

Dwayne Johnson stars in a scene from the movie “Hercules.”(CNS photo/Kerry Brown, Paramount)

Considered on its own, though, director Brett Ratner’s mildly demythologizing take on the subject – which stars Dwayne Johnson in the title role – nets out as amiable and reasonably diverting, but unlikely to linger in moviegoers’ memories.

Based on Steve Moore’s graphic novel “Hercules: The Thracian Wars,” this variation on a durable theme finds the hero – who may or may not be a demigod – following up on the completion of his 12 canonical labours by leading a band of super-skilled mercenaries around the political patchwork of ancient Greece.

His quintet of comrades is comprised of fighting prophet Amphiaraus (Ian McShane), brainy strategist Autolycus (Rufus Sewell), mute, feral slaughter survivor Tydeus (Aksel Hennie), Amazon archer Atalanta (Ingrid Bolso Berdal) and callow warrior – but gifted storyteller – Iolaus (Reece Ritchie). In addition to being Hercules’ cousin, young Iolaus is also the ancient equivalent of his PR man.

When fetching Princess Ergenia (Rebecca Ferguson) turns up to offer this formidable ensemble a job, her proposal seems straightforward enough at first. She wants Hercules and his followers to help her father, King Cotys of Thrace (John Hurt), rid his realm of a marauding rebel called Rhesus (Tobias Santelmann). Their reward? Hercules’ weight in gold.

Of course, anyone familiar with court intrigue, at least as it’s portrayed on screen, will realise that all is not what it seems and that Hercules and company will end up getting more than they bargained for when they struck their initial deal with Ergenia.

The odd witticism and some on-target messages about believing in oneself and putting strength at the service of goodness are scattered through Ryan J. Condal and Evan Spiliotopoulos’ script. But the real agenda of Ratner’s sweeping movie is large-scale combat and plenty of it.

Still, for those grown-ups content to munch popcorn in an air-conditioned theatre, this summer dole out of derring-do will no doubt … well, do.

The film contains constant, mostly bloodless violence, some gory images, and a glimpse of rear nudity, occasional sexual references, at least one use of the F-word and a handful of crude and crass terms. The Catholic News Service classification is A-III – adults. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.