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Calendar: Saturday, Sept. 13 ... 10 things to know for Monday ... Calendar: Monday, Sept. 15 ... Calendar: Saturday, Sept. 13 ... ON SCREEN 'Guardians of the Galaxy' is worth the trip By Chris Honoré for Revels DailyTidings.com By Chris Honoré for Revels Posted Sep. 11, 2014 @ 12:01 am By Chris Honoré for Revels Posted Sep. 11, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Social News I should acknowledge that when I viewed the trailer to “Guardians of the Galaxy” in July, well, I was skeptical. I couldn’t help but notice that one of the guardians is a trash-talking raccoon, a varmint named Rocket (Bradley Cooper) who has a ton of attitude. Even better, so to speak, the raccoon’s sidekick is an ambulatory tree called Groot (Vin Diesel). And not to forget a green female assassin named Gamora (Zoe Saldana). Plus a huge, ripped guy, covered in tattoos, and answers to the name Drax the Destroyer (David Bautista). The only full-on humanoid in this unlikely crew is Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), who yearns to go by the inflated moniker Star-Lord. Hence I balked and reviewed other movies, assuming that the shelf life of the “Guardians” would be short to really short. But as August waned, the number-crunchers began their season-ending tallies. The surprising result: “Guardians” was the highest-grossing film of the summer and is still finding an audience. So far, it’s earned $169 million domestically and counting. Worldwide sales could easily double that. Which begs the question: Why? I mean, what the heck? So I went. This is, after all, a big-screen movie. And, as it turned out, the special effects proved amazing. The word spectacular comes to mind. The cost to make the film: some $170 million. “Guardians” does have a moving opening wherein Peter, as a small boy, say 10 or 11, stands at his mother’s hospital bedside. She is dying. Feeling overwhelmed by emotions, he runs outside and is… wait for it… kidnapped by a space ship. Zap! Really? Fast-forward 20 plus years. Peter is now alive and well somewhere in the galaxy, the owner of a fixer-upper starship, and is a practiced slacker/picker/scavenger (he was taken by galaxy scavengers). Peter, as a character, is, shamelessly, an amalgamation of Han Solo and Indiana Jones, and the new opening scene has him looking in a cave for what is called “the orb,” about the size of a tennis ball, ornate, with a polished aluminum luster. It’s reputed to have special powers and is very valuable. Some bad guys show up and separate Peter from his just-found orb, and thus begins the “Guardian” ride. The plot? Don’t ask. The story is a mess. It’s like a manic stellar travelogue to places called Kyln Prison, Knowhere, Dark Aster and Xandar. The serious bad guys, all with bad skin, are led by Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace), who calls Dark Aster home and really wants the orb (which becomes the movie’s MacGuffin). His plan is to sell it to another bad guy for a gazillion units (think $). That dark, nameless dude wants to use the orb to blow up the peaceful planet of Xandar, ruled by Nova Prime (Glenn Close). Why turn Xandar into a cinder? It’s never made clear other than pure, cussed meanness. There were moments during the movie when I decided it was a parody of “Star Wars.” But it also has a “Raiders of the Lost Ark” feel to it, only populated by intergalactic megalomaniacs with dark visages instead of Nazis. Was I entertained? I was. It’s an adventure with lots of throwaway lines, some funny. The cinematography is superb. And, unexpectedly, Rocket was one of the best things about the movie. The raccoon has heart (well, maybe a heart with cybernetic enhancements). And so does Groot. Peter’s pretty cool, too. Lesson learned: You can’t always judge a movie by its trailer. No matter that the raccoon has some of the best lines.    Guardians of the Galaxy 121 minutes Rated PG-13   By Chris Honoré for Revels DailyTidings.com By Chris Honoré for Revels Posted Sep. 11, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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