It won't blow you away, but Guardians was a great time at the movies

Rating: 7/10 (23 August 2014)

This was a pleasant surprise and I actually enjoyed this quite a bit (a lot more than I expected). After not being particularly intrigued by the trailer, I decided to see it after the warm reception it's received. This ensemble cast of misfits actually works fairly well together and Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation, The Lego Movie) is perfectly cast as Star-Lord, the reluctant and awkwardly funny hero.
It follows the usual Marvel summer formula to a T: The plot is fairly straight forward (if not predictable), there's eye popping special effects, futuristic outer space battle sequences (the 3D version is actually worth seeing as it was well done) and of course, it wraps up neatly to set up the sequel. But I think what sets this apart is that there was *plenty of humour* (I found myself laughing quite a bit) as the dialogue is really cleverly written and loaded with well placed 80s pop culture references. I also really enjoyed the CGI characters Grott and Rocket (voiced by Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper respectively) as they were memorable, unique and at times, even endearing.
I will say I wasn't blown away however and the plot didn't quite all make sense at some points. It doesn't reach the climactic heights of X- Men: Days of Future Past nor does it have the emotional impact of Dawn of The Planet of The Apes (the best film of the year). But it excels at what it was intended to be: a very entertaining, fun Marvel action film that doesn't take itself too seriously. I've seen enough to be interested in this series going forward and I did not expect that, so kudos to the director James Gunn. I think another part of it's appeal is that it provides one last fun summer blockbuster in a time of the season that's usually barren for enjoyable movies. So I say go in with reasonable expectations and you'll enjoy this end of summer treat!
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