MARVEL Entertainment Presents its First Comedy

Rating: 9/10 (1 August 2014)

Well, sort of. Although it is very humorous, "Guardians of the Galaxy" is still, in fact, a superhero film. Thus, no matter how funny it may be, fans are going to expect certain elements out of it. Said elements include a decent story, a certain degree of action, character development, and, perhaps most important of all, a special post credits scene to show how the latest film fits into the expanded universe. This film, thankfully, meets most of these requirements and puts a unique spin on some of them.
This movie does have a decent story, and it develops its characters surprisingly well. It also uses an extraordinary amount of CGI. I actually found it a little overwhelming at first, but once a person settles into the film, it makes much more sense. And while this CGI universe does better befit the movie's atmosphere, I personally wished that there had been a few more "normal" settings. I attest this to the fact that, subconsciously, I was still half hoping for a normal superhero film. Because of this, I will say that if one goes into this movie expecting something more akin to "Star Wars," the movie will feel less odd. After the first half hour, I completely bought the film.
As this is a comedy, the re-watch ability of this movie rides heavily on how effective its humor is. Thankfully, the comedy works and it does not overshadow the action. In fact, it actually helps the action at some points, giving a fresh look on the superhero genre. But like all comedies, I would not recommend watching this film over and over again, or else the laughs will become ineffective. I'm not saying this film cannot be watched multiple times, but I am saying that watching this film in moderation will certainly allow it to remain fun throughout the years.
While this movie can be downright funny and has interesting characters, I will admit that the villain came across as verythrowaway. Once again, MARVEL manages to concoct a great cast of heroes and even manages to flesh out the side characters well, but for some reason they just cannot seem to make their villains come across as threatening or unique in this post "Avengers" universe. This is a problem that could be VERY easily remedied, but for some reason MARVEL cannot figure it out. I cannot really give my opinion on how to fix the villain without spoiling anything, so I will simply say this. When someone goes to see this movie and compares "Ronan the Accuser" to most of the villains in the MARVEL Cinematic Universe, one will understand what I am talking about. For example, the villain needs more reason for his or her dastardly plot. These MARVEL villains just do not feel believable AS villains anymore; they do not have enough depth and eventually all come across as the same character.
Ultimately, I see the "Guardians of the Galaxy" like this: it is worth going to see in theaters and it is probably worth seeing out of theaters a handful of times. But after that, I don't see this movie having as long of a lasting appeal as, say, the original Iron-Man. "Guardians of the Galaxy" is very funny, and can certainly be enjoyed by mass audiences, but the fact remains that this is a superhero film that may be a little too out there for some people. I can understand why some people will find this film disappointing, but I personally enjoyed the film, despite expecting it to be bad.
Here are my ratings for this film. Comedy: 9/10. Action: 9/10. Story: 7/10. Unique take on the Superhero genre: 10/10. Overall Rating: 8.75/10.