My Review: Guardians of the Galaxy (9/10)

"So here we are: a thief, two thugs, an assassin and a maniac. But we're not going to stand by as evil wipes out the galaxy."

Before I actually get into the review of this film I want to get my emotions out of the way first. All the wait and the hype for Guardians of the Galaxy was finally over and I was not disappointed for one second. This was exactly what I was looking forward to and what all Summer blockbusters should feel like. It was a fantastic experience with great action sequences, interesting characters, and hilarious dialogues with plenty of pop cultural references. I actually enjoyed the comedy more than the fantastic action scenes and found this to be the funniest film of the year. It kind of builds on what Whedon did with The Avengers, but I think James Gunn took it to another level and delivered a rare superhero film that I actually wouldn't mind revisiting over and over again. Although more than a superhero film this seemed like it belonged to the Star Wars franchise, and I felt like a geek all over again. I was blown away by this despite some minor issues and I would rank this as the best Marvel film to date. It was fresh, witty, cool, and despite having many characters they all get sufficient screen time and a distinct personality of their own. Seven months into 2014 I can say this is my favorite film of the year so far just ahead of X-Men Days of Future Past. This was purely entertaining and had some wonderful performances as well.

Before this film I had no prior knowledge of this comic so you can imagine how pleased I was with the way each character was introduced and how easy the story was to follow. The film has a lot of heart as well and each one of the characters have flaws which give them a more humane aspect. Chris Pratt has always been an actor that stands out in his secondary roles, but here he is given a lead role which he absolutely nails. Just like Robert Downey Jr. personified Tony Stark with incredible charisma, Pratt does the same with Peter Quill (aka Star Lord). He is irreverent and full of energy. The supporting cast is also strong. Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper do fantastic voice work with their CGI created characters, Rocket and Groot. Vin Diesel really didn't have to say much, but the way he delivers the same line over and over again made for some funny moments. Dave Bautista really impressed me as Drax because I thought he would basically be the muscle of the film and focus on the action scenes, but his character is funny mostly because he takes things literally all the time. He was great. Zoe Saldana as Gamora was also a stand out as she had some great action scenes and wasn't just in the film to be the girl that needs saving all the time. The way these characters came together was part of the unique experience this film provided. The villains may have been weak, but I didn't really care much because my attention was on the interaction between the heros and seeing them come together. I also want to give a shut out to John C. Reilly and Michael Rooker who provided for even more funny scenes.   

I wasn't really a fan of director, James Gunn's previous superhero film, Super, but I did appreciate his unique sense of humor and how different that film felt from other superhero films. Guardians of the Galaxy is a huge step forward and he really delivered the entertainment here. The soundtrack was amazing and I enjoyed how he combined that music from the 70's with this modern action film because it's not something you usually see in a movie like this. It was just such a fun experience all together and can't wait to revisit it again. It had the type of humor I enjoy and each one of the characters delivered perfect notes. The two hours fly by thanks to an excellent paced film and a well written script. It was charming and if you haven't seen it than please do!