A solid Sci-Fi film and one of the better films in Marvels 'Phase 2'

Rating: 9/10 (31 July 2014)

Before watching this film i had no previous knowledge about 'Guardians of the Galaxy' in comics and went into to with an open mind unlike other Marvel films were i have had a bit of knowledge on the characters and what their like. So i was looking forward to this ever since it was announced, It seemed like Marvel are really trying to expand their universe here and not worry about the Avengers or really involving Earth that much which i'm kinda glad, because i always wanted to see a Thor film not take place on earth but i was let down with that with Thor: The Dark World (I didn't dislike Thor, i was just hoping it would be more like this)but i think it was a brave direction to take in the franchise and helps open more doors to introduce new characters into the universe.
I liked fact it can be viewed as a stand alone film and doesn't rely on any of the other marvel cinematic universe films. So if you haven't seen Iron Man, Cap America, Thor or Avengers its not really a problem. This film has its own solid story and doesn't rely on any previous knowledge from the other films in the universe.
I really enjoyed all the characters, A ragtag group of criminals with their own personal missions and back stories all fighting for their own individual causes but all remain a group to combat a bigger threat. Chris Pratt was perfect for Peter Quill, he had the perfect balance of humour and seriousness for the right moments and helps carry the film keeping it entertaining. Zoe Saldana pulls off a sexy assassin type character again similar to her character in 'Colombiana'. Bautista surprised me, as being a wrestler i assumed his acting would be pretty plain and he would pretty much be utilised for some fight scenes, his fight scenes are pretty cool, but he surprisingly pulls it off with a solid emotional back story to carry his rage throughout the film and some of his humorous lines help bring out his character. Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper as Groot and Rocket nearly steal the film for their own, the 2 of them were perfect, Rockets dialogue is great and his character has some pretty cool moments and Groot is always near by either showing off his brute strength or bringing some humour to the screen. Then there's Lee Pace! who is one of the better villains iv seen in the MCU in a long time! by far the best villains to be seen in phase 2 so far.
I really liked the settings and props, its visually stunning and uses an amazing colour palet. I loved the amount of detail in this film from the look of the prison near the beginning to the final fight at the end. one of my personal favourites was the Collectors room were he had different species in cages (Chitauri from Avengers, Dark Elves from Thor and a cameo of another character that marvel fans should recognise after the credits)and other interesting thing that will make you want to pause when you buy the DVD/Blu-Ray to see what you can spot out. The cool Sci-Fi guns and gadgets used in the film, from Peter Quills mask to all the gizmo's and gadgets used by all the characters throughout the film. Loads of them are pretty cool and imaginative weaponry which helps make this one of the better Sci-Fi films of the year.
Overall its one of the better Marvel films coming close to Cap America: Winter Soldier and one of the better stories from phrase 2.
cant say much was wrong with it and feel this film will be great for Chris Pratt taking him out of supporting roles and hopefully into more lead roles in future films, same goes towards Dave Batista. So yeah i would highly recommend this film to anyone who's a fan of Super Hero films or Sci-Fi lovers.