Critical popcorn

**SPOILERS AHEAD!** 

In the middle of Leicester Square, and at the impressive all-new Empire Cinema IMAX screen, we’ve seen 17 minutes of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY and we’re very excited to declare that it looks absolutely amazing.

If you don’t want to know anything about this major scene shown, then click away now but we guess you’re here to find out more. First up, we’re definitely recommending you book this in IMAX 3D, the sheer scale of everything happening deserves to be in the beautiful format and it really shows off every aspect in this fleeting moment.

The footage begins with that line-up scene that you might know from the first trailer. It features our GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY being introduced and discussed one-by-one as they’re booked into a high security prison. Obviously there’s a little extra in the extended footage as we learn a bit more about the team but also, interestingly, Gamora’s links to both Thanos and Ronan the Accuser.

As they’ve pushed through the system, it’s feels like the guards think they’re ordinary criminals with no extra bite – even though they do know that Rocket and Groot work together – and get inserted deep inside the prison. On this short journey, we have the first kick of the great soundtrack with Blue Swede’s ‘Hooked on a Feeling’ and an ensuing fight after Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) tries to get his stereo back. He’s then repeatedly electrocuted and hosed down. We’re then assuming this happens to the others because Rocket arrives after him also downtrodden, but with Quill notices something in his back.

Once inside the prison block, in a large circular room, our Guardians are greeted by howls of hate, mostly directed at Gamora, and Quill is confronted by a huge LORD OF THE RINGS-style ogre but then…Groot comes into play. Without hesitation, Groot picks up the beast through his nostrils and Rocket makes a strong, valiant, funny, and aggressive speech. And everyone backs off.

As they make themselves comfortable, we see again how much Rocket is the centre of things to come and starts an idea of how they’re going to escape. His plan is also pre-empted because he’s already mentioned that he’s escaped from the previous 21 prisons, so we’re sure this is going to be good. As he tells the others what they need to do, Groot jump-starts the escape plan in the background of the shot by going for the end part of the plan…first. Then, my friends, they improvise in the most beautiful ways to launch their fight to get out and so much greatness occurs.

What comes across most impressively with GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY is how fresh and original it feels. It’s got all the great hallmarks of Marvel but yet it’s sharper, quicker and somewhat more inventive in a short space of time.

The footage we’ve seen produces a beautiful mash-up of humour and intelligently timed stupidity, plus a lovely unstoppable aggressively entertaining outcome. We get to see how good Rocket looks and sounds (Bradley Cooper has this down perfectly and meet the real Rocket Raccoon here!), his relationship with Groot (Vin Diesel) and amusing variations on ‘I Am Groot!’, Gamora’s (Zoe Saldana) strong predatory nature, Drax’s (Dave Bautista) strength mixed in with Thor’s vocab and finally, of course, Pratt as Peter Quill almost echoing Han Solo and that cheeky charm you found when you first saw STAR WARS – Yes, it had that level of chemistry for me and could hopefully be the gang for a whole new generation.

Sure we’re over excited and, yes, this was just a brief amount of footage in movie terms but it makes a positive impact and in response to Marvel’s tagline ‘You’re Welcome’, we’re finishing with…We Thank You. Bring on the Galaxy!

[Article originally published on The Hollywood News]