Pure entertainment, Marvel can't miss a beat

Rating: 10/10 (1 August 2014)

When you're making a film set in an enormous, ever-growing series, like the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), there are high expectations for the movie to be just as good if not better than the last, as well as expectations of how the movie will be structured. In Guardians of the Galaxy (GotG), Marvel's first true attempt at bringing their lesser known characters to the MCU, the expectations are most definitely met if not exceeded and the final product is one of the most entertaining superhero movies of recent time.
As a new property in the juggernaut MCU, GotG had to carve out its own identity and boy did it ever. Unlike the films before it, 'Guardians' drops almost all of the seriousness that superhero fans have come to expect in favor of a much quirkier and humor-filled take. Expecting long, epic and emotional speeches? Well, there are, but they get interrupted by hilarious dialogue over and over again. There is, without a doubt, a large catalog of thrilling action sequences, but it's the way that the humor and wit mix into the action that sets Guardians apart from their predecessors. There is an immediate contrast to the Guardians and The Avengers. The Avengers are like the New York Yankees; the seasoned, proved winners while the Guardians are the scrappy, loser team that comes out of nowhere to surprise everyone. And in reality, the addition of the hilarity and ruggedness that the Guardians bring is a much welcomed style for the MCU, and it shows that Marvel is willing to change the game in order to keep the game going for a long time.
While the super entertaining humor is a new step in the MCU, the action feels right at home. It's intense, it's varied and it's a whole lot of fun to watch. The dynamics and different traits of each character adds a unique flavor to the action and it's a blast to watch. The weapons are cool, aerial combat is awesome and the visuals are absolutely gorgeous, with each new planet and area that is shown off more beautiful than the last. Not to mention the phenomenal CGI characters of Rocket and Groot, who feel just as real as the live action characters. The immediate story isn't anything too special, but it's the incredible sci-fi setting, amazing characters and the connected MCU story that keep your eyes glued to the screen for the entire 2 hour run time.
It doesn't take a genius to figure out that the likes of Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, Rocket Racoon and Groot don't come close to the mega-stardom surrounding Iron Man, Captain America and co. when it comes to sheer popularity. However, I have a wonderful feeling that this new set of heroes are going to make their names known across the superhero world. The extensive and expanding well of acting talent continues to pile up for Marvel. Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel join the Marvel family and play their respective roles to near perfection. Star-Lord is cocky, daring and skilled and his constant humor blends with his awesome combat skills to make into a Tony Stark-like character. Gamora is a lethal assassin with a heart of gold, while Drax is a ruthless killing machine with little tolerance for anyone who gets in his way.
Then there is the fantastic duo of Rocket and Groot; both animated characters, but brought to life with outstanding CGI and tremendous voice acting. Rocket is easily the most talkative of the group, with a high temper, hilarious sense of humor and expert tactical and mechanical skills. Bradley Cooper's voice is like a match made in heaven for Rocket and all of the dialogue he has proves that. On the other side of the mic, you have Groot, who may just go down as being the most underrated and lovable character in the entire MCU. His vocabulary may be limited to "I and am and Groot, exclusively in that order" but his actions more than make up for his lack of words. Groot is the soft-hearted one, and his character, voiced by Vin Diesel himself, easily reminds me of another animated character Diesel voiced, in the Iron Giant. He's selfless, more than friendly and will risk his life for others. But when he has to be, is a deadly warrior. There is a Han Solo/Chewbacca feeling to this duo and while they may be a talking raccoon and tree, their presence will undoubtedly be felt throughout the MCU.
On the villainous side of things, main bad guy Ronan the Accuser is a vicious, if at times underwhelming character. His power is far superior than any one Guardian, but this power is quite limited during the film. Other than the nerd-gastic reveal of Josh Brolin as the overlord Thanos, the evil side of the movie is largely untapped potential, yet still entertaining. There was a small lack of character development and back story for most of the characters, but with an ensemble cast of new characters, there's only so much room to dive into back story.
When all is said and done, Guardians of the Galaxy can be summed up into one word; fun. Walking out of the theater I wasn't over-thinking the overall MCU plot, I wasn't thinking about small details that could've been better, I was thinking about how much fun I had, and having fun while watching a movie is something that doesn't come along too often. Guardians of the Galaxy has proved to me that Marvel can do anything they want and succeed, and that even applies to the surprising after- credits scene. It's been 6 years since the launch of the MCU, and even with something as fun, wacky and new as this, Marvel still reigns as king of superhero movies.
9.5/10