Chris Pratt
Zoe Saldana
Dave Bautista
Vin Diesel
Bradley Cooper
Lee Pace
Michael Rooker
Karen Gillan
Djimon Hounsou
John C. Reilly
Glenn Close
Benicio del Toro

James Gunn
Nicole Perlman

121 mins.
Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
August 1, 2014

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and for some language. (MPAA)

“Guardians of the Galaxy” is a hodgepodge of previous films in the space-adventure genre. I guess it’s Marvel’s take on that genre, much more so than “Thor.” Of course, it owes a lot to “Star Wars” and “Star Trek.” It even contains elements from “The Chronicles of Riddick.”

The lead character, Peter Jason Quill (played by Chris Pratt), is a lot like James Tiberius Kirk. He’s a charming rake. And, like Riddick, he’s being chased through outer space. Ronan, one of the villains, looks like a Darth-Vader-like samurai; Thanos, another villain, who was featured in a few of the “Thor” comic books, would easily fit into the “Thor” films, too; and so on. The star-studded cast is there largely to ensure that no one makes a mistake, rather than to add any spice to the film.

This film works best when it zips along, light and nimble on its feet. Unfortunately, it doesn’t do that consistently. At times, it sags, especially in the middle. It’s never boring, though – just mediocre when it loses its sense of humor. While I didn’t find it funny, I did think it was mildly amusing. At its best, it’s spirited and entertaining.

Plus, it looks great. The visuals are crisp and distinct. The colors are varied yet not overdone. Also, the soundtrack provides a nice departure from what you’d expect from a space-adventure film. The music comes from familiar ’60s and ’70s pop music because of Peter’s attachment to his Walkman, which he had as a kid in 1988. The film starts with that story: the story of the death of his mother, the mysterious identity of his father, and Peter’s seeming alien abduction. His mother’s favorite music was on the tape in the Walkman that he had with him at the time.

Since this film is more of a homage to the genre, with a comic-book wink, it needs a more consistent narrative momentum to be fully successful. There’s nothing new here, so they should just get on with it. At times, the story gets weighed-down with detail. That sucks the fun out of it. By the end, it simply runs out of steam. It turns into “Thor” or “The Avengers,” but with attempts at cheesy comedy.

However, overall, the familiarity of “Guardians of the Galaxy” is the reason to watch it. It will remind you of what you like about the genre, without adding much to it or requiring much thought.

Verdict: Somewhat Good

About: (Source: guardians)

From Marvel, the studio that brought you the global blockbuster franchises of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and The Avengers, comes a new team—the Guardians of the Galaxy. An action-packed, epic space adventure, Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits—Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand—with the galaxy’s fate in the balance.