Note: This is going to be a different review, as each episode of I Am Groot is around five minutes long. Instead of doing a full review of each short, this is going to be a review of all five shorts together. If you want to see where I Am Groot fits into the larger MCU narrative, or catch up on Groot’s story so far, check out this article.
“Groot’s First Steps”
From the opening seconds of this short, the style and tone is immediately established with baby Groot grabbing the remote and fast-forwarding through the Marvel Studios theme song and logo crawl. I have to admit, my favorite part of any Marvel project is the theme song, but this did catch me off guard and made me chuckle.
The short that followed was cute. Taking place immediately after the events of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, this episode shows baby Groot breaking free from his pot and learning how to walk, while engaging in a competition with another plant. Baby Groot is adorable as always, though the animation is a little bouncy and not as realistic as the films.
“Groot’s Pursuit”
Well, now I need some baby Groot tree pajamas.
In this episode, Groot wakes up to a suspicious noise, so he investigates around his ship. What he finds is the shapeshifting alien Iwua, a liquid-type alien who turns himself into a copy of baby Groot. What starts off as an “I am Groot”-off quickly turns into a dance-off between the two, until the real Groot dispatches the alien imposter.
There was a creepy underlying tone in this episode, which I enjoyed. Also, my MCU-easter egg sensor was going off like crazy in this episode – what ship were they on? What book was Groot reading that had Thanos’ face on it? Who was the shapeshifting alien? All questions that someone much smarter than me will answer in the next few days, I’m sure.
“Groot Takes a Bath”
This is by far my favorite episode of the bunch. We’re finally out of the dull world of space ships and in a vibrant, colorful alien world. Groot finds a hot mud bath that basically turns him into a chia pet, which makes him dress up in all sorts of ridiculous leafy costumes, much to the chagrin of a colorful bird that is trying to sleep.
The graphics really get a chance to shine in this episode with the alien bird and the animation of Groot’s leaves being a stand out.
“The Little Guy”
In this episode, Groot discovers a race of aliens and goes from being a god to enemy number one to a savior all in the course of a few minutes. Maybe its because I have three young kids, but I loved how well this episode captured a kid at play. From Groot’s discovery of how to build a simple structure to quickly building a massive fort, only to have it be destroyed accidentally and then have a half hour fit, was just so perfectly toddler. As was the ending, where good intentions resulted in what Groot thought was the death of an entire colony. Really great non-verbal acting in this short, and series overall.
“Magnum Opus”
Definitely the most ‘Gaurdians’ of the bunch, and not just because it featured the return of Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) and a cameo of Drax. Back on the ship, Groot wants to do some arts and crafts, which in typical toddler fashion turns into him blowing a whole in the ship and getting glitter EVERYWHERE.
I don’t know if it is because I just don’t like the drab setting of the spaceship, but the animation in this episode seemed a bit jerky, particularly with Rocket. The story was cute and it was nice seeing Rocket again, but something about this short seemed a little off.
Verdict: 4/5 Stars
I Am Groot is exactly what it set out to be, nothing more and nothing less. A collection of cute, inconsequential shorts featuring the character that kicked off the whole baby-craze, each short is enjoyable and a breeze to watch. Though the animation is a bit uneven, the show really shines when Groot leaves the ship and is able to explore vibrant alien planets. Also, I know this goes with the character, but it is pretty amazing how much nuance Vin Diesel brings to each way he says “I am Groot”. It is particularly clear in “Magnum Opus” when Rocket asks Groot why it looks like a bomb went off. The delivery of “I am Groot” was so perfectly “because a bomb did go off.” Its a small thing, but it continues to impress me to this day.
Is I am Groot essential MCU viewing? Not at all. But it is a cute and fun collection of shorts that don’t overstay their welcome. Additionally, its really nice to have something in the MCU that I can show my young kids, who are dying to watch anything superhero.
For more on the MCU, check out this How To article where we detail the order in which you should watch every single Marvel TV show and movie leading up to the release of Avengers: Secret Wars in 2025.
Mark Pereira is a senior writer for Boss Rush Network. He loves all video games, but his top three favorites are Skyward Sword, Super Mario 3D World and Batman: Arkham Asylum. You can find him on Twitter where he’s usually talking about Nintendo, video games, movies, and TV shows.
Featured Image Source: Filmyt
Leave a Reply