Movie Review: Marvel Strikes Again With GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY.

Guardians of the Galaxy

Director: James Gunn

Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Lee Pace, Vin Diesel, and Bradley Cooper.

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and for some language.

Who are the Guardians of the Galaxy, and why should I care? That's exactly what I thought when this movie was first announced. Even the first trailer didn't have me convinced. I thought it looked weird and stupid. Slowly, I started gaining an interest the more I saw from the marketing. However, I still had my doubts, but they were not necessary. And while this newest entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is not perfect, it is filled with so much visual wonder, exciting action, and wild humor that you can easily overlook its flaws. 

Guardians of the Galaxy introduces general audiences to a whole new crew of bizarre characters that still exist in the same universe as Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, and Hulk. There is Peter Quill (Pratt), aka Star Lord, a human taken from Earth when he was a child; Gamora (Saldana), an assassin who is also the adopted daughter of the Mad Titan, Thanos (Josh Brolin); Drax the Destroyer (Bautista), who is seeking vengeance against the ruthless tyrant known as Ronan (Pace); Groot (Diesel), a walking tree whose entire language is composed of three words: "I am Groot"; and Rocket (Cooper), a raccoon with quite the attitude. Not your average superheroes, right? Well, somehow they band together to stop Ronan from using an Infinity Stone to destroy whatever world is in his way.

Guardians was quite the risk for Marvel Studios. These are not characters most people are familiar with, and yet writer/director James Gunn does a fine job introducing us to these odd balls while giving us one of the most entertaining movies of the year. The comedy is top notch throughout the film, with some minor flubs here and there, but the entertainment level is bursting through the seams. The villain, Ronan, is pretty stereotypical with little depth to him, but he sure is cool to look at and has a menacing voice. He even delivers one of my favorite lines from a comic book movie: "It is the tinder upon which you will burn." Awesome. 

Chris Pratt is a star, plain and simple. He's got loads of charisma and charm that carries this film. Zoe Saldana fits into her role well as the badass assassin, Gamora. Drax was, surprisingly, a really funny character, while Rocket steals nearly every scene he's in. Don't call him a raccoon, rodent, or any other animal name, cuz he'll kill you. Groot is a tender tree, but watch out when he's pissed! 

The plot may not be wholly original and not every joke works, but there are lots of thrills and laughs to be had by everyone. It's hard to even compare this to any other superhero movie simply because this doesn't feel like a superhero movie, and yet, it totally feels like a Marvel movie. I'll tell you one thing, this movie makes me that much more excited for Star Wars Episode VII. 

RATING: A-