Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 1 by Dan Abnett

On the other hand, after a fiery introduction from Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), the golden sorcerer is just kind of there for the rest of his appearances. He’s played with increasing intensity and irrationality by Royal Shakespeare Company alumnus Chukwudi Iwuji. The cruelty is the point, though: its source – the High Evolutionary – is one of the most odious, punchable screen villains in a superhero film. Consider this relatively tame teaser as a test, and know that a half-dozen or so other similarly distressing scenes lie in wait. If you’re the sort of person who wells up over videos of animal shelters, the film’s flashbacks of captive, experimented-on critters should come with a trigger warning. You may very well be in tears within the first seconds of the movie as the frame transitions from the scared eyes of Rocket as a baby raccoon to his pained gaze as a tortured adult – all over the acoustic version of Radiohead’s ‘Creep’. Though Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) still has some part to play in that regard, this is really Rocket’s (Bradley Cooper) story.

3 is also full of the friction that comes with embracing and accepting family, however you choose to define it.Īs emotional as those beats may be – and they are – it’s the portrayals of running from, carrying and confronting trauma that will absolutely wreck you. The Gunn-penned banter is still as quick-witted as ever, particularly any time Drax (Dave Bautista) or Mantis (Pom Klementieff) show up on screen. The film swiftly establishes its own stakes with an urgent rescue mission and a focus on – Vin Diesel voice – family. 2, a full six years ago? Don’t fret: director James Gunn kicks this trilogy closer off with a couple of handy catch-up conversations to get you up to speed on the magic cliffs and familial revelations of the three MCU cameos and one Christmas special that followed. Totally forgotten where things ended up for the Guardians of the Galaxy after Vol.

Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 1 by Dan Abnett