I Am Groot Review: Marvel’s Adorable Short Series, What It’s Like To Live As A Baby Superhero

Stars: Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper

Director: Kirsten Lepore

Streaming Platform: Disney+

Filmyhype.com Ratings: 3.5/5 (three and half stars) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Few words, but good I Am Groot, the animated series dedicated to the hugely popular three members of the Guardians of the Galaxy, arrives on Disney+ starting August 10, 2022. It’s clear that something like that, for someone who has been an appreciated supporting character up to now, is a great step forward. The mess that started with the first film in the series has finally paid off. He grew up, while in the meantime, above and all around, the box office and the pop profile of the MCU exploded. It should be added that one of the keys, if not the key, to the success of the Guardians of the Galaxy, in addition to the intervention in the almost authorial genre of dad James Gunn, has always been the playful and colorful celebration of diversity and self-acceptance.

The shorts remain one of the most fascinating and complex artistic expressions because very trivially to condense so much in such a short time available there must be a creative mind prepared and eager to experiment. In a short film, even if not immediately at first glance, there is a level of preparation and programming that is sometimes inhuman, which however can lead to sensational results. Yet we still feel a certain distrust of them from the public, as if they were minor productions, of little importance or, perhaps even worse, simple stopgaps to fill slightly poor moments and add another name to the list of new arrivals.

And this thing seems like a crime to us, the shorts would deserve much more gratitude and attention and we hope that I Am Groot, the new series of shorts by Marvel Studios that debuts on Disney+ can attract a slice. not indifferent to that public that in other circumstances would never have approached a similar project. A bit like Baby Yoda for Star Wars, Baby Groot has become a concentrate of tenderness – mixed with piquant sadism – that lands on Disney+ with a miniseries consisting of five shorts, each starring the anthropomorphic sapling of Planet X. Ours I Am Groot’s review will explore the invoice of this product intended for the streaming platform, giving everyday pills for a character capable of catalyzing attention on himself.

I Am Groot Review: The Story

Why exactly I Am Groot? Because it has an incredibly strong connection represented by its absolute protagonist, the sentient tree of the Guardians of the Galaxy, especially in its baby version has won the hearts of millions of fans thanks to its tenderness and involuntary clumsiness. Moreover, it also has much more substantial attention from the marketing section of the House of Ideas, which advertised it on a par with or almost like the other serial productions of the MCU – a very different treatment compared to the One-Shots ., for example; in short, it can be the animated series that will push at least some of the users to trust the shorts more and to launch into their world.

But putting an end to these turns of phrase, what is I Am Groot about? It is nothing more than a collection of 5 as small as delicious misadventures concerning our favorite alien tree, which will find itself in the most disparate situations possible or, to do something sweet and tender, will, as usual, combine a disaster on the verge of ‘irreversible. True, it is a collection that lasts very little, around 20 meager minutes, which however is impossible not to spend with a boyish smile printed on your face and alternated with classic exclamations of pure tenderness.

Despite having matured over the years, having assumed a teenage form in Avengers: Infinity War and also keeping it in the closest Thor: Love and Thunder, for the operation in the short film version starring Groot, Marvel has opted for the return to the preferred variant. of the woody seedling. I Am Groot is the fast and funny adventures of a little creature who must return to move in the world (and in the cosmos) with his legs, amusing the viewer and creating disasters.

A hilarious offer full of entertainment, despite the short minutes in which the stories are enclosed, ranging from links with films and mosaic works of the MCU or that open and close simply to tell a piece of the private life of this unpredictable and irrepressible protagonist. If a short film sees the infant discovering the way to make his hair thicker, in another it is the discovery of how Groot has (re) learned to walk to see the character engaged, creating a connection between his being in a jar at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy and his wriggling as on the dancefloor at the opening of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 to the tune of Mr. Blue Sky from Electric Light Orchestra.

I Am Groot Review and Analysis

It doesn’t matter whether it’s a simple relaxing bath on a green planet or an unlikely dance competition with a mysterious glittering copy of himself, Groot will always be able to amaze both the little ones and the older ones, awakening that side. childish and jovial that basically, we all keep. How not to cheer on the tiny tree when a cruel plant steals its place and the loving care of the robots on board or in its absurd attempts to draw the Guardians as if it were a painting to hang on the refrigerator?

For what it is, I Am Groot does its duty very well, a perfect pastime to spend a breakfast or an aperitif in the company of a light product that yes, maybe on balance will not leave an indelible trace in your memory nor an imprint. decisive – if not perhaps on a purely commercial level – on the medium, but full of beauty and skits of unique and unmistakable sympathy. Sometimes it doesn’t take much to create something satisfying, I Am Groot is the perfect example.

A return to his adorable appearance in contrast with the malice and the peperino soul of the young Groot, who does not fail to take it out on a bonsai or to remove all the feathers of a bird that makes fun of him, while always maintaining an air irresistible and lovable. And then it is also his familiar side that comes out in I Am Groot: between drawings and friends with whom to navigate in space, the protagonist will also be able to indirectly involve his fellow travelers in the Marvel films, making the spectators find again his friend Rocket and remembering the protagonist’s affection for his allies.

With Vin Diesel once again lending his voice to Groot and dubbing appearances like Bradley Cooper as the space raccoon, I Am Groot is a fun parenthesis to get to know the personal side of a much-loved character. A moment of lightness for a faithful audience, but also to initiate the little ones to a dimension made of expeditions to the universe and battles against titans and aliens. On the other hand, so much of the MCU has to do with the clash between good and evil and it’s not that behind the scenes things are all that different. Spectacular cinema and quality entertainment, genetically engineered to not go one step further than necessary.

The series brings with it, almost as if it were a shadow, a sort of double modesty, the modesty inspired by a solid pragmatism and that suggested by the wallet. It will certainly not be I Am Groot to untie this knot once and for all. It will be the turn of “heavier” productions, from every point of view. Returning to the main discussion, it is time to remember that there are also several things well done. A very respectable animation; limited time and limited space “call” a targeted and more effective technological intervention. The soundtrack of our Daniele Luppi, completely consistent with the mother universe of the Guardians, smuggles into the musical fabric of the story a couple of tasty pop (or reggae) goodies as in the case of the great Jimmy Cliff) to be kept.

The young Groot comes to terms with the world in a saraband of highly physical gags. Were it not for the repetitive inflection – perhaps we should simply be content with the fact that a tree can speak and not split the hair in four – one might think, avoiding going too far, of the old and glorious days of the mute. After all, this is the essence of I Am Groot. Humor, tenderness, good workmanship. Without exaggerating, for better or for worse.

I Am Groot Review: The Last Words

Sometimes a little simplicity is enough to create something pleasant that may not remain in history but can still convey a lot. I Am Groot is a perfect example: it doesn’t matter whether our alien sentient tree is taking a relaxing bath, challenging a strange, brilliant copy of itself, or helping (more or less) a small alien population to feed themselves, the new series of the short films by Marvel Studios will be able to make you spend 20 minutes with a boyish smile printed on your face alternating with infinite manifestations and expressions of tenderness. And basically, this was what I Am Groot had to do, nothing more, nothing less. Sometimes it takes very little.