Best Marvel Yet!

Rating: 10/10 (14 December 2014)

So I finally got round to watching Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and I have to say, I freaking loved it!
For those of you who've been living under a rock, Guardians of the Galaxy is the latest superhero film from Marvel. Its about a group of misfits who have been brought together by a common goal, money and revenge. The aim was to sell an orb they had been fighting over for an obscene profit and go their separate ways. But as they come to find out what the orb actually is, and who wants it, their mission changes and they come together as the self proclaimed 'Guardians of the Galaxy' to do just that.
Now anyone who has seen this film will tell you, its not your average Marvel superhero film. For starters they aren't superheros, in fact they are, in their words, losers. That is what I loved about the film, there wasn't any blind patriotism, no compelling feeling to do good, just the motivation that if they didn't fight then they would all die.
The characters were varied and engaging, I liked each one of them which is odd for a superhero film as I tend to feel a little sick of their self-righteous attitude. But with this set of characters there wasn't a moment where I disliked them. They each had their own story, their own motivation for doing what they do and I understood and empathised with each one.
Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) was great as the lead and added some great moments of humour which is sometimes cringeworthingly done in Marvel films, but in this case it worked and actually made me laugh. Another great character was Rocket (Bradley Cooper) who brought some laughs but also produced a very moving scene when intoxicated explaining his frustrations of always being taken at face value and written off because of what he appeared to be.
Groot (Vin Diesel) was a great example of how facial expressions and body language can say just as much as actual words and produced some rather wonderful moments himself. Gamora (Zoe Saldana) was the serious character absolutely brimming with honour. But as we got to know her we found she had lost just as much as the rest and began to thaw as the film progressed.
But I have to say Drax (Dave Bautista) was the surprise favourite of mine. Not only did he look immense and fight like a demon but was hilarious. The fact his species knew nothing of idioms made for some hugely funny moments, that and his short attention span and even shorter temper.
What I loved about this film, and which I believe is missing from many of the Marvel films is that it didn't take itself too seriously. Yeah it had some serious points in it but it managed to tell the story in a way which wasn't all 'for king and country'. The character's personalities played huge part in this, the fact they were anti-heroes proved to be a refreshing take on the superhero film. There was no reason for these outlaws to save the galaxy besides self preservation. That and camaraderie, having each been alone for most of their lives, they found solace and companionship in each other and above all they fighter for each other as much as for the galaxy.
Also, hats off to the soundtrack which was truly original for a superhero films. Every time one of the tracks popped up I was instantly taken back to the beginning of the film to Quill's mother's death and it reminded me that even though he is a funny character, he does in fact have a sad past, not to mention a mysterious father which i'm sure we will hear from in the sequel.
Overall this film was a resounding success, if only Marvel would make more films like this. Character based, with personalities you connect with and back stores you care about instead of CGI fuelled fight-feats. So Marvel, if you're listening, more of the same please.