GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 3D - Movie Review

 Title: Guardians of the Galaxy
Running Time: 121 min 
Director: James Gunn
Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Lee Pace, Karen Gillan, Benicio Del Torro, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, Michael Rooker

Review:
Even without the rights to their biggies Spider-Man and the X-Men, Marvel Studios has managed to build maybe the biggest and most successfull movie universe of all time. So good, that while DC is still struggling to deliver outside of Nolan's Batman Trilogy, Marvel tried their luck with D-List comic heroes including a talking racoon and a tree version of hodor. What sounded like a gamble on paper seemed to have everyone hooked on a feeling after the first trailer and people got really excited about "Guardians of the Galaxy". And they had every right to do so!
If science fiction was music, then this film would be rock'n'roll! Witty, bold, insubordinate and just extremely cool: "Guardians of the Galaxy" takes you on a ride. This is a movie, that can almost get away with anything, just because it is so self-aware and doesn't take itself too serious. Yes, the writers have done an exceptional job. Instead of giving us each character's origin (with the exception of Peter Quill, but even his back story feels more like a prologue), they rather let the viewer learn about their past very smoothly through certain dialogues or scenes. With all its great one-liners, this film could as well be called a comedy and even the mandatory cheesy emotional moments of such a superhero story are quickly followed by a brilliant joke to losen up the atmosphere again. All this mixed with some kick-ass sci-fi space action and cleverly choreographed fight-scenes makes for some damn good entertainment.
But every great script relies on the delivery by the cast. The leading man in this case is Chris Pratt, who plays the charismatic self-proclaimed "Star-Lord" and gives us the perfect mix of Han Solo and Indiana Jones, with a hint of Andy Dwyer*. Next to him is Zoe Saldana as Gamora, being bad-ass as usual, eventhough she could have gotten more time to shine. Dave Bautista does his best portraying Drax the Destroyer, which might not be that much, but the way the script is written helps him out and in the end he really is a sympathetic guy. But the real showstealers here are Rocket and Groot. Especially the former of the duo provides most of the laughs and paired with that twee tree, he has the most hilarious moments of the film.
Lastly, this movie's look and style are a treat as well. The visuals effects are awesome and the use of prostetics and make-up instead of CGI can truly be appreciated. Also, the soundtrack is simply a must-buy. Almost Tarantino-worthy!
Having all that going on for it, "Guardians of the Galaxy" will make you overlook the forgettable villain or other minor flaws, mostly because you will be too busy quoting lines from it on the ride home from the theater.

 For Fans Of:
The Avengers (2012)
Serenity (2005)
The Losers (2010) 
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
John Carter (2012)
Star Trek (2009)
Footloose (1984)

Click Here To Watch Trailer! 

*Andy Dwyer is Chris Pratt's character on the show "Parks and Recreation"