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by Flick Chick Vique

I give The Guardian 3 ½ Red Vines for being a white-knuckle ride!

I’m scared to death of water. I love the ocean but my fear of drowning is fierce.  I have frequently told myself that I have no need to fear as long as I never allow myself to get in a situation where drowning is even an option. Then the next thing you know, I’m flying over the Pacific or I’m on a cruise or white water rafting-something that in my heart I just know is going to turn out to be a very bad decision. Past life experience or past trauma from cruel childhood jokes, who knows? I just know I’m scared to death of water.

So it was no small feat to sit through The Guardian! A movie fraught with tension, danger and a potential to drown at any minute. And while it is true, the movie is filled with one military movie cliché after another, (think An Officer and a Gentleman or to some degree Top Gun) the movie does those clichés very well and then some.

Now, I’m not a big Kevin Costner fan but I had no problem with his performance as a legendary Coast Guard rescue swimmer who’s personal and professional life has crashed on rocky shores. While healing from his emotional wounds, he begrudgingly takes a transfer to teach. In walks the stereotypical hotshot wannabe, Ashton Kutcher. What unfolds from here is all those training clichés. But here’s where Ashton elevates the mundane to the sublime. I felt his growing rivalry, turned admiration and eventual relationship with Costner’s ‘senior’ was an enjoyable experience.

However, the real ‘stars’ of this movie are the tense action scenes of rescue.  You know, years ago I got sucked into one of those Weather Channel true weather stories about a crazy, killer storm at sea. In what looked to me to be a totally impossible situation, all were rescued by the Coast Guard. The real rescuers narrated some of the recreated action scenes and I was totally blown away-most of all because of their extreme heroics but then to my surprise, when they showed the guys-they were some of the biggest, best looking guys I’ve ever seen! I thought, “Geez, these guys look like actors hired to play heroes but instead of seeking fame and fortune, they’re out risking their lives in the scariest way, just to save a single life! Who ARE these Supermen?!”

Well, this movie shows what it takes to become one of those ‘supermen’ and does not disappoint in providing audiences with a thrilling experience while doing so. Don’t let the criticism of being a yet another cliché or your fear of water keep you from jumping into the dark, turbulent waters of The Guardian. The experience is not to be missed.