Marvel Studios ‘I Am Groot’ Review - Only for Kids

I am Groot is a Disney+ series of shorts that stares at the life of Baby Groot beyond the Guardians in a never seen style, as it features a series of shorts from Groot’s life in unusual situations along with his encounter with different characters along the way.

The popular side character voiced by Vin Diesel gets a spin-off that none asked for. However, despite its questionable existence, it remains far from bothersome as it sticks to 2-minute shorts, which are quickly concluded in the blink of an eye.

Every episode provides a different story, which aims at foretelling a different kind of adventure of Baby Groot that is bounded by a common and centric theme of childhood innocence. The show tries to imagine the life of seedling Groot outside the group dynamic of Guardians of the Galaxy that attempts at building a case regarding how different Groot is when compared to other members. It doesn’t matter the chronological order in which you watch the five episodes, because none of the episodes are connected, as each story holds up on its own. Groot is seen in a variety of situations, ranging from doing activities on the ship to having a bubble bath in the middle of nowhere. What essentially binds all the episodes together is him acting independently in dealing with the context of the situation that is presented to him, as his child-like antics and thought process tailor a prime factor in his next move.

The series tries to capitalize on the positive emotions that Baby Groot and his simplicity of actions provide, alongside the genuine wholesomeness associated with his character (and his design too). His behavioral mannerism and problem-solving abilities act as the gateway to the comedy it has to offer, which is average at best. I certainly didn’t expect a story in hand, considering the duration of the episodes, so in that sense it does okay in closing out the short stories it presents without a rush.

The unexpected return of Bradly Cooper, who voices Rocket is a welcome one, and even though he is briefly there for half a minute, we get to see a glimpse of the unusually close bond between him and Baby Groot which was undoubtedly the best part about this show. Unfortunately, other than that, Groot’s encounters with other new unusual characters fail to capture any interest.

It remains nothing beyond a short-filler fest, which can be a decent watch, but is nowhere near a good one, as Marvel looks keen on the ‘quantity over quality’ ideology in recent times.

Final Score – [6/10]
Reviewed by - Devyansh Anand
Follow @AnandDevy on Twitter