This is the new benchmark

Rating: 10/10 (2 August 2014)

What is the point of continuing to make films when you have made an action packed extravaganza like the Avengers already? The answer is so that you can produce a film like Guardians of the galaxy! Essentially, Guardians is everything that was right about the Avengers, minus what was wrong with it (not that there was much wrong with it).
The story is extremely well paced, with no time to get bored between the action scenes as these are separated with essential plot details and very amusing comedy lines. The villain does not get to do much, but this film has to introduce so very many characters, locales, items and ideas that the lack of development for the bad guy can be expected and not judged to badly.
Rocket and Groot steal so many of the scenes that it automatically makes them the easiest characters to love, but Pratt's Star Lord is still a great character perfectly cast. Gamora was not as lethal as I would have liked, but was still well played and Dave Bautista As Drax is the best performance i have seen from a wrestler, being better than even Dwane Johnson.
The special effects are visually stunning, with lots of colour and detail in the environments. Rocket and Groot look amazing and the first proper look at Thanos was also pleasing. Even the make-up effects look good, when added to the performance of Micheal Rooker, you get even better supporting characters to compliment the main cast.
If the success of Avengers gave Marvel the confidence to make this relatively obscure comic into a film, then i hope that this film brings in the kind of money that proves it was the right choice so that more brilliant characters can be shown to the general public. Marvel, Please keep making films of this quality!