Lots of fun and excitement in this galaxy

Rating: 8/10 (10 June 2016)

Is 'Guardians of the Galaxy' as amazing as the IMDb rating (which this reviewer learned long ago is not something that should be taken to heart) and ecstatic reviews suggest? To me, not quite. Is 'Guardians of the Galaxy' well made and entertaining? Absolutely.
'Guardians of the Galaxy' boasts spectacular special effects, gorgeously psychedelic colours, slick-yet-with-enough-visual-depth cinematography (nothing cartoonish or plastic here) and very colourful and atmospheric sets that more than effectively makes one think they are immersed in this galaxy. Costumes and make-up are also of very good quality. The 70s soundtrack and score is rousing and touchingly nostalgic. The action is beautifully edited, choreographed with lots of entertainment value and thrills and is at best exhilarating, there's plenty of it without feeling too much.
James Gunn directs with style and a sure hand, always seeming as if he knew what tone he was going for and who he was aiming at ('Guardians of the Galaxy' is far and above anything else he's done and his best overall direction is here as well. Personally really enjoyed the way that 'Guardians of the Galaxy' was written too, the jokes are enormously entertaining and the film also has heart with a genuinely emotional opening.
The story is non-stop energy and compelling, with a nice balance of comedy, drama and section. It is not perfect, and is one of the film's weaker points, with a been-there-done-that feel, a couple of overly-sentimental moments and a couple of randomly placed moments that were not needed at all and just took away from the flow and tone of the scene (Chris Pratt's dance).
The characters are on the most part incredibly colourful and engaging, with a great chemistry throughout. Peter is a likable lead character and Groot is quite adorable and amusing, but Rocket the Racoon doesn't just threaten to steal the show, to me Rocket actually does steal the show. The one exception really is the very bland and barely developed villain Ronan.
Chris Pratt is highly charismatic, Zoe Saldana is suitably fiery, Karen Gillan is imposingly formidable, Dave Bautista induces lots of laughs and charm while showing a very intensely played vengeful side (though that was a little too hastily introduced) and a surprisingly well-cast Vin Diesel does a great job as Groot. Bradley Cooper stands out, being a sheer delight as Rocky. Lee Pace tries but struggles to bring any menace or dimension to Ronan, can't say I blame him as anybody given the role if written in the way it was here would have struggled to bring believability to it.
All in all, not perfect and not quite as great as all that but exciting, well-made and lots of fun, really enjoyed it. 8/10 Bethany Cox