Almost objective review !

Rating: 7/10 (3 September 2014)

SO, I am not at all familiar with these marvel characters nor did I every get a chance to read the comics either while i was a kid so I walked into this film without any expectations whatsoever. It was a fun movie for the most part, but of course some of the characters felt forced and there was not enough back story or screen time to develop the characters. However, it was a bold film by marvel to take and i praise them for making the efforts and trying something different.
I will tackle the characters first since there is a lot! While Chris Pratt as star-lord fits the part well and opens up with his abduction by aliens or bounty hunters of sorts as a child outside of a hospital after his mother dies from cancer. It was a very emotional moment and helps you sympathize with the character and his motivations. Rocket was a comedy relieve character for the film mostly having a smart ass attitude, but resourceful and intelligent, but despite these entertaining qualities i couldn't connect with his character at all. At least until later on in the film in a bar fight where we see an emotionally damaged hero discovering how victimized he was at the hands of genetic experimentation's which continues to be a hidden suffering in his life. It was a surprising scene in the movie because it comes out of nowhere in the film and arguably one of its darkest moments. That one scene alone sold me on his character since you saw how vulnerable his personality can be. The knowledge of the experiments were revealed early on in the film but marvel did a great job with showing the impact of how that experience still haunts him. Groot the big tree despite having only 3 lines in the movie was either a hit or miss for some. He was character served the films climax well and his loyalty as a sidekick to rocket was admirable. His powers throughout the film was a treat to watch as well but i wish there was something more to his character.
Unfortunately the other characters were a little under developed and lacked something. Zoe Saldana as Gamora was another cool character and her dilemma is being the unwanted sibling of Thanos and is at odds with Nebula played by Karen Gillan both competing for thanos's exception. Gamora's home was destroyed by thanos and was later adopted and trained as a skilled warrior?(double check that one) So of course when she finds out Thanos is the underlying mastermind, her loyalties are quickly turned to the good guys while turning against her master Ronan. This creates the opportunity for Nebula to be the favorite and further amplifies her rivalry. Drax on the other hand is a bone head really. His back story is pretty much the same as Gamora except that his family was killed on a planet that was destroyed by Ronan the main villain and now he wants revenge if I'm not mistaken. So these little similarities are the connecting thread that ties all these characters together out of necessity to conquer a common enemy and is the binding tissue that will create a lasting friendship. This is where the problem is for me as well. Their back stories are too wrenched into the main plot of the story since their are so many little subplots in the film with all these characters so the film has to address them quickly. Selling their inhibitions while moving the characters through the story at a fast pace gives the film too much to juggle in my opinion. But what made the ensemble cast work is their comedy and little cultural differences such as Drax being a literal person and not understanding star-lords metaphorical language. There was also a a quick love subplot between star-lord and gamora which was a little out of place and didn't serve the film much either. I didn't find any build up to that point in both of those characters relationship and perhaps could've been explored in other films. There are other little subplots i didn't mention above since like i said this film has a lot.
As for the story overall it was entertaining. However this compliant is not only directed at this movie but is a common trend occurring in all marvel films as of late. It is this city ending, world ending, or universe ending plot lines. The avengers film, thor 2, cap 2 some what, and now guardians. The second avengers film appears to be heading down that path as well but i am just hoping for something different. There is so much source material to take from but we keep ending up with these same plots. It seems a little bit lazy or is what sells and is probably both.
Overall the film was riddled with comedy, action and suspense. The acting was good for the most part and a completely different territory that has been unexplored. But i did have to lower my score only because the plot was formulaic which is, the goal of the villain is to destroy a city, a world or universe. I don't know if that's the writers fault or the source material, but Its starting to become a played out theme in the marvel films. There has to be some new ideas in these films in the future otherwise it will get boring. But that is a minor compliant. It is familiar storyline for script writers to rehash and be safe, but at least marvel still manages to make it exciting! Would i go watch again ? No. but if its on TV or netflix in the future sure !