D

I haven’t checked the box office statistics yet, but I’d be floored if Guardians of the Galaxy, the latest in Marvel’s Avengers series of superhero films, isn’t right at the top. And for the most part, I can see why. The movie’s damn funny, has good action, and almost every aspect of the film was very lovingly crafted.

Except the women. And boy did their treatment of the film’s heroine have me disappointed.

For a quick recap, GotG follows a band of five heroes (or maybe anti-heroes) who have misadventures in space. We have Peter Quill (AKA Star-Lord), a “so sleezy you love him” type; Drax the Destroyer, a no-nonsense hulking alien out to get vengeance for his family; Rocket Raccoon, who is indeed actually a raccoon, as well as a bounty hunter; Groot, a tree man not unlike Lord of the Ring’s ents, save for his inability to say anything other than “I am Groot”; and Gamora, the film’s sole heroine, who is an assassin out to stop her evil adoptive father’s nefarious plans, and also get vengeance (lot of that going around) for her parents.

When your cast includes a talking tree and a genetically modified raccoon, you know going in it’s not going to be your average film, nor all that serious of one. And indeed, a lot of people’s response to my criticisms would probably be “it’s a COMEDY movie, don’t take it so seriously!” But I have to. When I see ...