"They call themselves the Guardians of the Galaxy"

Rating: 8/10 (4 August 2014)

This was one of those films where nobody was sure how it would do. Many were unfamiliar with the characters and it was going to be a difficult task to introduce the characters to mainstream audiences. But then we got hooked on a trailer, with people loving the music and quickly opening up to this new band off a-holes. Whilst it's not the major overhaul of the standard marvel formula that some were hoping for, Guardians of the Galaxy is both enjoyable and successfully introduces audience to a different kind of superhero.
Part of the appeal of the the characters is that they're not the usual heroes. There's Starlord (Chris Pratt), a space bandit who acts like a goof and was taken from earth at a young age. Gamora (Zoe Salanda), an assassin who was raised to be the perfect weapon. A revenge obsessed murderer named Drax (Dave Bautista). A talking tree whose vocabulary is limited to "I am Groot" (Vin Diesel). And an aggressive genetically altered Racoon named Rocket (Bradley Cooper).
They're greedy, rule breaking rogues who usually act only for themselves. The only reason they're saving the universe is because they were put in a situation where they had to. They're different from the normal heroes because we're not all sure that they will do the right thing. Since many audiences weren't familiar with the characters the film did a good job of introducing them. The exposition never feels forced and we progressively learn more about the characters as the film goes on.
By learning more about these characters, we actually begin to feel for them. Each characters seems to blend hilarious comedy with great tragedy. Take for example Rocket Raccoon. At first he makes us laugh with his aggressive personality and small demeanour. But then we learn about his insecurities about feeling judged for being different and alone in the universe. By the end of the film we begin to feel genuinely sorry for him. This is thanks to the great performances from each of the main cast who successfully combine comedic delivery with genuine sentiment in their performances.
Just like other memorable team superhero films like X-Men or Avengers, Guardians does a great job at juggling its characters. With so many great actors getting roles in the film (John C Reilly, Karen Gillan and Benicio Del Toro to name a few) the script does a great job to give every character there own funny and memorable moment.
Then there's the soundtrack. It is a 'best of' remix of some of the most memorable tracks of the 70's, with classics like 'Hooked on a Feeling' and 'I Want You back' certain to make this a high itunes seller. It performs many important roles in the film. Sometimes it sets the tone for a cool action sequence. Others it will create some funny completely out of the blue moments. It even plays an important role in the story, acting as Starlords only link to earth to create a touching back story to the character.
Whilst it didn't link too much to the rest of the current marvel film universe, it did begin to further establish Thanos to audiences and establish potential future story lines. Fortunately unlike others like Iron Man 2 that became all about establishing future films, Guardians never lost focus on the humour and action that makes the film so great. And by doing so it leaves us wanting to see some more of this part of the universe.