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Friday, May 31, 2013

Hero Worship: Guardians of the Galaxy the Boldest Marvel Movie

A few months ago, I excitedly posted a Hero Worship column about Robert Redford being cast in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, calling it “one of the greatest things [to happen] to superheroes.” While I maintain that sentiment, my mind was once again blown apart by the latest Guardians of the Galaxy casting news, in which Glenn Close reportedly joined the cast as, get this, the leader of the Nova Corps.

Forget the fact that we’re going to get a Nova Corps in the same movie as a badass gun-toting raccoon, but the idea that an actor like Close is in the same movie as former WWE Superstar Batista is enough to melt brains. Not that the crop of actors in Marvel Phase One were unremarkable, but it’s interesting to watch the paradigm shift from the “type” of actors that make appearances in these movies. I suppose the precedent was set, to a degree, with Marlon Brando in Superman: The Movie, but even then that was nothing more than a glorified cameo with no repeat performance.

Giving Close a role that’s been described as the cosmic version of Sam Jackson’s Nick Fury is a pretty big deal, as she’d potentially be a connective thread between Marvel cosmic properties. With the Marvel flicks becoming such huge successes, it’s kind of fascinating to see what renowned actors gravitate toward these roles. Obviously it’ll be a decent pay day, but the question I’m more interested in is if they’re being considered a more viable piece of cinema in terms of artist value.

Of course, Close is no stranger to genre movies herself; she’s played against her rep as an actor’s actor on many occasions. Mars Attacks, Hook, 101/102 Dalmatians, and The Simpsons all spring to mind. Perhaps this is simply her next jaunt into that sort of territory.

In any case, it’s quite clear at this point that Guardians of the Galaxy is shaping up to be one of the most fascinating films of recent years, purely from a production standpoint. Not only is it asking audiences to accept bizarre characters like Rocket Raccoon and Groot, but it’s smashing together renowned thespians (Close) with action movie veterans (Zoe Saldana) with on-the-verge TV-to-movie stars (Chris Pratt) with C-movie action stars/former wrestlers (Batista).

The cast is certainly eclectic, and piled atop the risk of being a sci-fi fantasy with no bankable money-maker names, this is going to be one fascinating journey to watch unfold.

Like I’ve said before, Guardians is already the boldest of not only any Marvel movie, but any superhero movie to date. It’s stretching the boundaries of every aspect of modern summer moviemaking; from an untested franchise to untested characters to untested actors, this is truly going to be the movie that makes or breaks how far and how quickly the Marvel franchise can expand.

And hey, even if it falters, it will always earn recognition in my mind for giving me Glenn Close as a protector of the universe.

oey is a Senior Editor at IGN and a comic book creator. Follow Joey on Twitter @JoeyEsposito, or find him on IGN at Joey-IGN. After Man of Steel comes out, his life will lose all sense of direction and purpose.


Source : ign[dot]com

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