I'm...hooked on this movie!!!!

Rating: 9/10 (18 August 2018)

First off, let me be honest here: while I am a huge fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe - I think even their worst movies are good - there really are only two movies that go beyond great into the Amazing territory: Avengers: Infinity War and this one. I gotta say that Marvel had the biggest risk with this movie as virtually NONE of the characters were well-known. Well, when Star Lord told Ronan the Accuser who they were at the end of the movie, he wasn't just saying it to him; he was saying it to the entire world watching the movie, knowing that they were all here to stay!
First off, let me compliment director James Gunn. While what he tweeted all those years ago was horrible, IT WAS TEN YEARS AGO!!! Disney needs to rehire him, if only one more time, to complete the Guardians' story arc in the MCU. Only he knows how to do it; this is his baby. What makes it even more sick is that it was an alt-right group who unearthed the tweets. The hypocrisy is downright sickening, and Gunn is unfairly in the firing line. That's right, Disney: you know I'm right. Rehire Gunn, if only for just the last Guardians of the Galaxy movie.
Okay, so back to the movie. You want to know what it's about? For those of you living under a rock, it's about a human (Chris Pratt), a green alien (Zoe Saldana), a tattoed (?) alien (Dave Bautista), a raccoon (Bradley Cooper), and a tree (Vin Diesel) in outer space trying to save the galaxy from an evil blue alien (Lee Pace). I know; it sounds so unbelievable and somewhat stupid. But it's not; it's SO MUCH FUN!!!
The soundtrack, first off, is amazing. It is full of cheesy hits that have since resurfaced, largely thanks to this movie (seriously, did anybody else listen to "Hooked on a Feeling" before this movie came out?). Featuring songs like the previously mentioned "Hooked on a Feeling," "I Want You Back," "Come and Get Your Love," and "O-o-h Child," the soundtrack for this movie is just so off-the-charts, it's awesome!
Finally, to the actors. The main reason why I thought Avengers: Infinity War was awesome was due to Josh Brolin's amazing performance as Thanos. Well, with Guardians of the Galaxy, it is the heroes who are the real reasons for the films awesomeness. Chris Pratt is so likable and charming as Star Lord that he comes off as a jerk that you just can't help but root for. Zoe Saldana is fierce and knows exactly how to balance between kicking butt and making people laugh. Dave Bautista, who people mostly know as a wrestler, is set to become the next Dwayne Johnson, since he very clearly loves to act and is having lots of fun; his character Drax has some of the funniest lines in the movie. Academy Award nominee Bradley Cooper, who is well-known for both his comedy and action roles, fits in perfectly as a raccoon with an attitude problem. And who knew that a tree voiced by Vin Diesel that could only pronounce the words "I am Groot" could provide us with the biggest emotional scene in the movie?! Michael Rooker and Karen Gillan are all in fine and weird form with their characters, while Academy Award nominees Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close and winner Benicio Del Toro all give a certain amount of pedigree to the film
Unfortunately, this movie was made back when Marvel had a problem with its villains, and Lee Pace's Ronan the Accuser was no different. The best villains are the ones that you sympathize with, but because we are given no backstory to the character - because we don't see why he feels the way he feels or he does the things he does - we don't feel connected to him.
But, honestly, that's the only weak spot and it is a little one compared to the awesomeness that is happening in the rest of the movie. Thank you, James Gunn; thank you to the music people; and thank you to the actors who all clearly looked like they were having the time of their lives. You guys are the best!!!