A surprising treat that I"m happy to say works.

Rating: 10/10 (9 August 2014)

I remember watching the trailers for James Gunn's "Guardians of the Galaxy" and scratching my head in confusion. A science fiction comedy set in the comic book world of Marvel's Avengers? It didn't add up to me along with the 1960s-70s soundtrack. However, all of these different things add up to make one of the best summer blockbusters of the year.
With a script co-written by Nicole Perlman, Gunn introduces us to a new part of the Marvel's Avengers universe with Chris Pratt leading the group as Peter Quill, who likes to call himself Star Lord. Pratt is great as Quill. He's able to do everything in this role, from the action scenes to dramatic moments to dancing on a strange planet.
Pratt is joined with a green Zoe Saldana as the assassin Gamora, the very literal and muscular Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), the ferocious and hilarious raccoon Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), and the simple tree creature Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel). Although they are visual effects, Cooper and Diesel are great as the scene stealing duo. They always come in at the right moment and have the right thing thing to say or do. All these characters have some loss that defines them. Gunn does a great job of combining that pain with laughter and making these characters feel real.
Perlman and Gunn's script is quirky and action packed. They follow a comic book movie formula, but always add a little twist to complement the strange and fun characters we follow. It's nice to see a big budget movie like this play around with itself. "Guardians of the Galaxy" feels like Edgar Wright's "Shaun of the Dead." It's great for its genre, but also adds great, witty humor to it.
Tyler Bates does a good job with the score, but its the 60s and 70s songs that you'll remember. The songs work so well and help give the film its edge. It seems odd at first, but they fit right in. Ben Davis' cinematography is epic and colorful. He gets to work with many colors with the backdrop of space behind him. The visual effects are also top notch. It's a very good looking film.
You don't necessarily have to watch the other Marvel's Avengers film in order to understand this one. "Guardians of the Galaxy" is a very new part to this universe. The films that would help a little are both the Thor films and Joss Whedon's "The Avengers." There are little things that hint at these films.
Gunn's "Guardians of the Galaxy" is a fun film that delivers both laughs and blockbuster action. It can be wacky and strange at times, but it's a really good film that keeps you engaged. Everything that I thought would go wrong for this film actually worked. It's a nice surprise for the end of this summer that is worth treating yourself to.