The Guardians of the Galaxy Delivers

Rating: 8/10 (14 December 2014)

Guardians of the Galaxy is the story of five unlikely friends who find themselves in an outer space race to save the galaxy from the super forces of evil. This is another film adaptation from Marvel Studios which boast big adventure from a group of out of this world misfits.
The Guardians are obscure characters from Marvel and James Gunn directs this comic book, action, sci-fi odyssey. The cast of characters include an irreverent space adventurer Starlord/Peter Quill played by Chris Pratt who was abducted from Earth by aliens as a boy, and since then has traveled the stars honing his space bartering skills and frat boy sarcasm. The movie takes off as Starlord finds an orb with mysterious powers, for which he later learns the value to several sinister forces, including Ronan (Lee Pace), the fearsome leader of the Kree aliens. Realizing he needs help protecting the object, he recruits a eclectic roster of prisoners: Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), a genetically engineered raccoon with a temper and propensity for violence, Groot (Vin Diesel), a nine foot humanoid tree that has only mastered speaking his own name, the dim-witted, muscle head Drax (Dave Bautista) and the seductive green-skinned assassin Gamora (Zoe Saldana). Despite their differing agendas, they join forces to preserve peace in their galaxy, and risking their lives across the stars. The Guardians of the Galaxy movie is styled and structured much like the classic Star Trek with the characters similar to the interplanetary archetypes like Han Solo and Captain Kirk. Gunn employs a narrative style is much like the great spirit of exploration that Gene Roddenberry established inn his work. The look of Guardians of the Galaxy is a high-tech future, with laser beams, and vibrant stars and strange planets; made possible much in part to CGI. Starlord fighting lizard aliens in the puddle, and tangibly interacts with it is an impressive use of this cinematic technology.
The Guardians of the Galaxy delivers on action, visual appeal, and humorous banter. However, this film could have done without the predictable obligatory romantic subplot between Gamora and Starlord. Despite that shortcoming this film is well produced, directed, fun, and worth seeing.