Fun? Yes. But far from groundbreaking.

Rating: 7/10 (7 August 2014)

Did I enjoy Guardians of the Galaxy? Absolutely. It was fun and cute and definitely one for sci-fi fans because it was a near-perfect blend of Star Wars meets Avengers (both Disney properties now so that makes some sort of sense.) Yet in the same vein I would hesitate to say that the film sits anywhere near either of those films. As with many comedies and action films the bulk of the movie can be seen in the trailer. The gags in Guardians of The Galaxy felt nearly stale I had seen them so many times in the trailer, there was not much new outside of that. The story was decent as was the performances and they did a decent job of establishing this group of outcast misfits forced to work together and find something meaningful as a make-shift "family." The movie was a lot of fun, it just didn't really floor me that way I had hoped. I have a great deal of respect for Marvel in what they've created and I am glad to see them start a new franchise with some connection to the Avengers Universe but this one felt a little bland when all was said and done. There was a ton of action scenes, space battles and hand to hand fights but they were just okay. I can't pinpoint why this wasn't "amazing" for me, only that for me it just missed the boat a little.
Chris Pratt is perfect for the role of Peter Quill aka: Starlord. His one liners and comedic timing works very well and he does a decent job of establishing some depth to his character. Its almost a little hard to take him seriously when the emotional scenes begin but he pulls it off. Zoe Saldana is also perfect for her role as vengeful assassin Gamora. Saldana and Pratt have good chemistry and some of the best action scenes are pulled off by her battling in hand to hand combat. Some comparisons could be made to her Avatar character but its a good performance nonetheless. I thought for a long while that Dave Bautista was a bad choice for this film. Wrestlers' moving into mainstream acting is becoming more common but in the beginning he seems cheesy and campy and then I began to understand that his character Drax is supposed to be exactly that. He doesn't understand sarcasm, takes everything literally and becomes ferociously protective of his new friends. He ended up being not so bad and he pulls it off. I still think he's a weaker member of the cast but he still impressed me. I don't even understand why Vin Diesel was cast in this film. I love the character of Groot...don't get me wrong...he was perfectly awesome but with one growly line in various tones, it could have been literally anyone behind the voice. You will never know its Diesel so in that regard I can't say he was good or bad. The star or person behind Groot is irrelevant. My favourite character and even performance was that of Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon. He has a definitive edge and a big heart and his character was insanely fun and funny. I could have done a whole movie with him. Cooper was spot on in his voicing of the CGI character. You could hardly even recognize him. Lee Pace was an extraordinary villain as Ronan and distinctly comparable to a Sith Lord from Star Wars. Still, he was definitely a villain worthy of an epic action flick. Watch for great supporting performances from Michael Rooker (he always plays the same role but heck he's good at it), Djimon Hounsou, Karen Gillan, John C. Reilly and Benicio Del Toro.
This is one of those films where it doesn't matter what I say about it because its clear its already a HUGE hit for Marvel. Did it do it for me? Not entirely. Will I see it again? Sure! And I will watch sequels because it was fun. I just didn't think it was truly epic. Marvel continually sets a bar for itself and I personally didn't feel this reached that bar. I would never tell anyone it was terrible because it is very well done. The CGI was decent, the 3D was unnecessary as usual, the action and comedy was good...everything about it was good. I actually think director James Gunn was a bizarre choice to helm a major tent-pole franchise because he hasn't done a lot (although he did direct a film early in his career that I LOVED called Slither) and I'm interested to see if he can learn something and really impress me next time. Until then, I liked it but didn't love it. See it for yourself and make your own call. 7/10