It’s hard to talk about theGuardians of the Galaxymovies without talking about generic context. When the firstGuardianscame out, its near universal acclaim was as much a celebration of the existence of a weird space adventure as it was a celebration of the movie itself. As Matt Goldberg wrote in his Colliderreviewof the movie upon its release:
If anyone thinksGuardiansis weird, it’s perhaps because we’ve become too straight-laced. Watching the film, I started to lament how Earthbound our blockbusters have become. Even when those blockbusters go into outer space, they must return to Earth.
Sure,Guardians of the Galaxyis fun, funny, and like cotton candy for your eyes, but the way some people talk about its inclusion in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and cinematic history in general, you’d think it was the second coming ofIron ManorStar Wars. I adore Groot (Baby and otherwise) as much as the next moviegoer, butGuardians(and I’m writing about the original movie) is more of a color-saturated footnote in cinematic history than it is its own chapter. This may be an unpopular opinion, but it is an overrated film that is not indicative of the best the genre has to offer.
A fair amount of my skepticism around Guardians’ MCU myth has to do with that fact that, unlikeIron Manor evenSpider-Manbefore it,Guardians of the Galaxyis a concept that had been successfully executed on screen prior toGuardians. Yes, I’m talking about science fiction’s immensely undervalued muppet of a TV show,Farscape, which shares so many similarities with theGuardians of the Galaxyplot that they might be cousins. It’s also the perfect comparison to make when trying to parse whyGuardiansmade such a splash when it is such a mediocre film. Let’s discuss…
Farscape Is a Much Better Guardians of the Galaxy Story
A Ken-doll of a nerd gets thrown into the other side of the universe where he meets and reluctantly teams up with a hodgepodge of weird, morally ambiguous, escaped prisoner aliens. Once there, he falls in love with a tough, stoic alien woman who was trained by the villains of the story, teaching her to express emotion and develop an identity outside of that of a warrior. There’s also a deep-voiced, often unintentionally hilarious Hulk of an alien; a plant-creature who is the most Zen of the lot; and a tiny, foul-mouthed alien who gets away with being kind of terrible because, in any other story, he would be the cuddly sidekick.
Did you think I just described the plot ofGuardians of the Galaxy? Nope. That wasFarscape, and the epic tale of found family, a stereotypical white dude lead in over his head, and a protagonist group that don’t always make the “right” choices graced our television screens from 1999 to 2003. It was produced by the Jim Henson Company, which means it used a lot of practical affects (i.e. puppetry) to create believable alien characters at a time when computerized visual effects were only just figuring out how to pull off the same thing. (To put this in perspective:Lord of the Rings: The Two Towersand its fully-realized Gollum character came out in 2002, forever changing film history and what is possible on the screen.)
Like the gang inGuardians of the Galaxy, theFarscapealiens are a diverse, bizarre, and often self-interested bunch who manage to wrangle themselves into something like a crew due to necessity rather than choice. There’s romance! There’s action! There’s Crichton often being the most useless member of the crew, Peter Quill-style, as he struggles to understand the cultural quirks of various alien species! It’sGuardians of the Galaxystretched out into four seasons, one TV movie, and various comics-worth of crazy storytelling that somehow manages to work due to the strength of the characters and writing.
Superhero Hypeasked directorJames Gunnthe question that much of the nerd internet had been asking. DidFarscapeinfluenceGuardians of the Galaxy? Gunn’s answer:
The only science fiction shows that I think I ever really watched were Farscape and Star Trek: The Next Generation … Yeah, I’m sure there’s influence there. I like that show.
Look, I’m not saying that any of these science fiction elements or storytelling tropes are original (#postmodernism). Heck, theGuardians of the Galaxyfirst debuted in the comics back in 1969. I am saying that, thoughGuardiansis a hopeful step in the right direction, we need more adventure-based science fiction in our lives.
I am also saying that, when it comes to on-screen stories about a hodgepodge crew of aliens, one human dude, and plenty of adult humor and situations,Farscapeis where it’s at. Throw a show likeFireflyinto the conversation, and you’ve got a pop culture touchstone that more people might be familiar with. TheJoss Whedondarling, too, nailed the tonal balance of quippy and character-driven and it did it all in one season, showing what a TV show can do when it has a precise, inspired vision and some stellar writing to back it up.
Going into my initial viewing ofGuardians of the Galaxy, I remember being particularly excited because of the praise I had read about the film’s strong character work. In this, I was disappointed. Witty one-liners are not the same as a character arc. Neither is being a raccoon. And, while I agree theGuardians of the Galaxyhas some intriguing characters with the whispers of both backstory and future character development, it’s still noFarscape.
The Limits of a Shared-Universe Blockbuster vs TV
Crafting something as visually stunning and complex asGuardians of the Galaxytakes time and resources and a certain kind of vision. It is not, however, able to compete from a character perspective. Deep character study is a TV show’s game. As snarky and offbeat as the characters inGuardians of the Galaxymay be, they are far from competing with the nuanced, all-encompassing characterization that happens on TV shows likeFarscapeorFirefly.
This isn’t a failure ofGuardians of the Galaxy(or necessarily a failure at all), so much as an indicator of the limitations of the blockbuster film form. A shared fictional universe movie — at least the kinds we have now — will never be able to reach the same character-driven heights as a well-made TV show. Not with the narrative elements the respective mediums prioritize, at least. There are narrative consequences to the oft-cited reality that film is generally a director’s medium and TV is the writer’s domain (however much that is changing). When comparing something likeGuardians of the Galaxywith TV space adventures in the category of character, it’s not really a fair fight.
Thankfully, we don’t have to choose between big-budget popcorn science fiction and more serialized, long-form storytelling. We can have both, especially in this age of peak entertainment. Is there hope for more space adventure that hit the same narrative sweet spot Guardians is falling a bit short of? There are some that are coming close – Syfy’sKilljoyson TV, and possiblyValerianin the movie realm. Regarding the latter,Luc Bessonhas been a fan of those comics since he was 10 years old, but only decided to make the movie after seeingJames Cameron’sAvatar. The technology evolved and he knew he wanted to push it further to bring his vision to life. As he put it toScreen Rant:
I always dreamed to do it. But for a long time, I thought it would be impossible to do. Too many aliens, just impossible. Then Avatar came, and suddenly, we start to think, “okay,” thanks to Jim, now we can do it.
That’s the kind of innovation and ambition I like from my big screen space adventures. If a film can’t match up to a TV series’ ability to craft character and relationships, then it needs to bring something else to the table. World-building through cinematic spectacle is a good place to start.Guardiansis a more than competent visual action adventure, but something likeValerianfeels worthy of the imaginative genre from which it springs.
Guardian’s Legacy
I’ve said plenty aboutwhat Guardians of the Galaxyisn’t — a side effect of trying to create some more balance in the pop culture myth that surrounds this show — but not as much about whatGuardiansis. Though I think the hubbub around Guardians’ irreverent weirdness is overstated, I don’t think its affect on the MCU is. All you have to do is watch theThor: Ragnaroktrailer to see the tonal shift Marvel has encouraged, no doubt due toGuardians’ box office success. As the MCU continues to expand and age, this kind of tonal experimentation will likely be a welcome diversity from other corners of the shared fictional universe.
Guardians of the Galaxymight not have its own chapter in the story of on-screen science fiction, but it’s far from a footnote when it comes to the enduring story of the MCU. And that’s not half bad for a bunch of A-holes.
