pleasant surprise

Rating: 7/10 (15 August 2014)

I first read about this Movie in one of those free Magazines you get in Theatres in Sweden and I remember thinking: "what the hell is this? A cartoon or perhaps a spoof on Avengers?" Then I saw the trailer and studied the cast, hmm...Dave Bautista...in a quite big part in a Movie like this...In the end I felt it is either going to be a downer or pretty good...
Plot: oddballs and outcasts come together to save the galaxy, and so they must keep a ancient and powerful weapon from a bloodthirsty villain seeking revenge.
Guardians of the Galaxy, a sci-fi action Comedy - yes, it tentacles into many genres and surprisingly it works. It is mostly a sci-fi and then split evenly between Comedy and action, a bit like Lethal Weapon (except the sci-fi part).
It Clocks in at 121 minutes and it holds many different settings and stories, almost each one could be a separate Movie. One would like to Think that such a Movie cannot work, but it does. The different settings merge together just fine and do not become the least episodic like, say, Terminator 2, which I love but none the less is very episodic and just loosely connected by the characters "driving" to the next scene. Or why not the Da Vinci Code, where Hanks just seek out clues one after the other.
The plot is very basic and is certainly not the strong Point of the Movie. No, instead it relies on scenographic detail, characters and the high quality of the acting. The surroundings/scenography are very good, and this is important in sci-fi Movies, especially those set in space/other type of World. The only really bad thing is the CGI work on Thanos, the CGI is really bad and very cartoonish.
What surprised me the most was the solid acting, which does not include Chris Pratt. I would not say he was miscast nor being bad, just boring. Lucky for him, he is surrounded by more experienced actors like Zoe Zaldana, Benicio del Toro, Michael Rooker, Glenn Close, John C. Reilly. I have Always liked Rooker, especially in roles where the character is bit crazy, like in the 6th Day. In Guardians of the Galaxy he owns. But the one who surprised and impressed on me the most is Dave Bautista. I haven't seen all his work, but until now I have just liked him, but mostly seen him as a brute or a Sidekick. But here he manages to deliver his lines convincingly, after all he is a "Walking thesaurus". He also succeeds in showing off a comic side. After Riddick and Guardians of the Galaxy I can see him getting good roles, but perhaps not rise as high as Dwayne Johnson.
You don't see this kind of Movie often so it is difficult to say who would like this Movie. But if you like sci-fi, space, Star Trek-esque, Comedy, action and is looking for something "easy" to Watch, meaning, something that does not require a lot of thinking, Guardians of the Galaxy is for you.
I give it 7 out of 10 simply because it is entertaining, fun and well executed.