Review of Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) by Joel M — 19 Jul 2016

**** Good.

Call me lost in space for taking an eternity to experience the "Guardians of the Galaxy", but I finally launched into it and it was worth the ride. The blockbuster stars Chris Pratt as a charismatic intergalactic criminal named Peter Quill who also goes by StarLord. Peter himself was abducted as a child by a clan of intergalactic criminals just after his mom passed away. His national treasure has always been a walkman with a cassette of some classic tunes, which was one of the classic aspects of the movie. Through unexpected circumstances, Quill teams up with other intergalactic bad guys that are really good; including the green gal Gamora (Zoe Saldana), the vengeful prisoner Drax (Dave Bautista), the sarcastic loudmouthed raccoon Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), and the one-phrase tree Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel). Sure, they are a diverse bunch but their mission to stop madman Ronan's Run to control the universe was quite imperative. Director James Gunn sure had some fun developing this one, and he did a commendable job, even though there were one too many action sequences. Where Gunn hit right on target was on the witty screenplay he scribed with Nicole Perlman. What I thought was really a blast off about "Guardians of the Galaxy" was the zany, pitch-perfect vocal performance from Bradley Cooper as Rocket. His Rocket launched vocal greatness, even though Rocket was off his rocker. OK, my pun mission is done here. Have a blast with this one, if you haven't already.