Guardians of the Galaxy is out of this world fun. Very entertaining.

Rating: 9/10 (5 August 2014)

When people first heard that Marvel Studio & Walt Disney Company were making Guardians of the Galaxy; a lot of people were scratching their heads, what & why!? First off, the comic book series created in 1968 by Arnold Drake and Gene Colan, wasn't that popular. Second off, there are way better comics that could be made into movies. Third, some critics thought that the movie couldn't be pull off. After all, who will go see a movie about a talking raccoon and walking one word talking tree? This movie prove, every doubter, wrong. It was very successful. You can pinpoint the exact moment in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy became a success, when the comic book was reboot in 2008 with the Annihilation: Conquest storyline. It was there, that the comic book, got a face-lift, with new characters, and new story lines. The film would use these comics as an outline, but even the film would change things around. As of most comic book characters, there are reimagining's, and different version of people's past. The film writers Nicole Perlman, and director James Gunn change the group from an interstellar group of space cops into a group of criminals turn super-heroes. James Gunn also add some really needed humor and indeed also a very awesome soundtrack, made from 1970s & 1980s hits. Great use of Blue Swede's version of "Hooked on a Feeling". The soundtrack on a mixtape in the Walkman, and the pop culture references work for the audience as it was a good way to stay connected to the real world. Too many, out-there fantasy would made the audience feel lost, and disconnect, as they can't relate with the characters. The story tells the story of a theft named Peter Quill AKA Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) who find himself, being chase down by an alien lunatic name Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) after rediscovering and stealing an Infinity Gem from an abandoned city. Along the way, he teams up with an alien Assassin, Gamora (Zoe Saldana), two alien bounty hunters, Rocket Raccoon & Groot (Voiced by Bradley Cooper & Vin Diesel), and a vengeance driven maniac named Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista) to prevent Ronan from getting the stone and destroying entire planets that go against him. I wouldn't say, the plot is anything new from Marvel. It's pretty much the same plot in most of their films. It's just in space, this time. The movie did need a little more exposition, and things did felt a little bit rushed. The whole thing about them, becoming friends so quick seem a bit forced. There were a few good emotional scenes. The acting was pretty good for the main cast. Chris Pratt proves that he can be a main lead actor. Zoe Saldana is alright. Fans and children will probably go crazy over Rocket & Groot. Bradley Cooper did a great job. You really couldn't tell that it was him, the whole time. While, Vin Diesel is limited in his speak; he was charming. It was like watching Iron Giant if he was a tree. Last of the main actors, Dave Bautista was pretty good with his role. He has really improve his acting chops. The villains were alright. Lee Pace was menacing, but his character was a bit one-dimensional villain type. Karen Gillan as Nebula is just plan hot. She was pretty good as the henchmen. Still, there were a few supporting actors were a bit disappointing like Michael Rooker as Yondu or John C. Reilly as Corpsman Rhomann Dey. I'm sorry, but I can't picture, Rooker as an alien with his redneck voice. Also, I can't picture Reilly as a starship trooper with his overweight body. There were a few scenes that I just couldn't picture, as well. The movie became a bit too unrealistic even for a Sci-Fiction with scenes like the heroes surviving dry-freeze temperance in deep space or them surviving large spaceship crashes. I just had to suspense my disbelief to get through them. Still, for the most part, the movie was indeed great. The humor was mostly hits, then misses. I love the 'over my head' joke. For a PG-13, the language is a bit harsh, there were a lot of frighten imagery, and extreme violent, but I think it's still alright for most children to watch it. The special and visual effect are pretty awesome. The action scenes are really stunning to the eyes. The 3D works, but it's not a must to see it in 3D. Watching it in 2D was good enough. The movie is also comic book Easter eggs nest that would make any comic nerd come to see the film and notice. Look for the cameos of horror director Lloyd Kaufman, musician Rob Zombie, and comic book writer, Stan Lee in the film, when watching. The whole collector (Benicio Del Toro) scene had enough to get fans talking for months as it has a lot of characters from previous films. The post-credit sequence was a bit disappointment, as it didn't really, promote 2015's The Avengers, the Age of Ultron nor any hint at any other oncoming Marvel film. It was a bit of a bad joke. Why did the movie had to remind me that Howard the Duck still around? At less, we know, for sure that a sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy will happen, one day. Overall: While, it's a good movie, it's not the best movie, I ever saw. It was indeed a pretty good popcorn film. I have to say, I can say I recommended watching this ragtag epic.