Guardians of the Galaxy Movie Review

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Rent  Guardians of the Galaxy on Amazon Video
Written by: James Gunn and Nicole Perlman (written by), Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (comic book)
Directed by: James Gunn, 
Starring: Chris Pratt, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Benicio del Toro
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer

Plot
An unlikely team of five outlaws band together to retrieve an orb that could destroy the world.

Verdict
This movie is a lot of fun. I wasn't sure Marvel could be this successful with another property that isn't mainstream. It's success lies in the unique characters. Each of them is provided a unique personality. While Groot is an easy favorite, each character is likable. The story is a typical save the world from an evil despot, but the writing is better than most of the Marvel films. The soundtrack is unique for the genre, but works well and is tied directly to the story.
Rent it.

This feels like a response to Marvel's other super hero movies. Instead of the noble hero, we get a selfish thief that's often unintentionally funny. In a quest to make a few bucks by stealing an artifact he becomes tied to an unlikely group. They first must escape prison, and they end up trying to save the world.

The first scene seems like something added by studio request, and it even occurs before the Marvel studios animation. After that we get a great introduction to Peter Quill, Starlord (Chris Pratt). He's on a dark, strange planet and begins singing along Redbone Come and Get Your Love. It's not the way Marvel super hero movies have started.

The production design of this movie is stand out. From the villains to the costumes and ships, this world looks cool. The soundtrack is great, choosing songs from the 70s. That's directly related to the plot.

The standout characters are the oddballs. Rocket is a modified racoon that loves to create havoc. There's something inherently entertaining about a racoon wielding a gun as large as he is. Drax the Destroyer is a huge being that takes everything literally. That often leads to very funny observations and statements. Groot is a tree-like organism that only knows the words, "I am Groot."

These characters are what make this so entertaining, that and defying the plot points of a usual super hero movie. Starlord is unknown and insecure about that. While this ragtag group becomes friends rather quickly, they must to stop Ronin (Lee Pace), a character with a lust for power that wants to destroy an entire planet.

It's a lot of fun due to the characters and how the movie doesn't take them or the plot overly serious. Watching this after Endgame, it's surprising how many infinity stones we saw. Little did I know what a big role the artifact in this movie would play later. We even see Thanos.