"I'm a warrior, an assassin. I don't dance."

Rating: 8/10 (11 August 2017)

I'm coming late to The Guardians of the Galaxy party, but boy am I glad I finally made it. What an absolutely blast of a movie. I had so much fun with this one. Everything works. The special effects are amazing. There was a time when CGI characters looked dark and not terribly convincing. How far has technology come? The action is non-stop with plenty of explosions, fight scenes, and other general craziness. It's a well-paced thrill ride that rarely slows for a breath. That's not to say there's not a story here, because there is. Guardians of the Galaxy does as much to advance the larger MCU plot line as any film Marvel has put out. As with the other Marvel movies, Guardians of the Galaxy features a lot of funny bits. The comedy never felt forced (thankfully). Instead, it has that organic feel to it that all good comedy has. The acting is another high spot. Chris Pratt is tremendous in the lead. I can't say enough about how good he is. Underneath all that green make-up, Zoe Saldana gives a fantastic, multi-layered performance (Did I really just wrote that?). But my favorite has to be Dave Bautista as Drax. When I first read he was being cast in a large role, I was worried. His acting really surprised me. He plays Drax like an actor with years of experience. His deadpan delivery was perfect. Very nice job all the way around. I'm going to give this one a very, very strong 8/10 - and I predict I'll raise that after I watch it again.