Review of Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) by Spencer H — 12 Jan 2016

What was first mentioned offhand in 2010 by director James Gunn is now leading the late-summer 2014 box office - and deservedly so. Guardians Of The Galaxy sets itself up as a quirky blend between the bounty hunters and outlaws of Star Wars and the heroic scale (pumped up to cosmic size) of The Avengers.

In the first trailer any audiences saw we see the comedic tone set against grim action backed up by Blue Swede's 'Hooked On A Feeling' and the feature length maintains that excellent mix. What stroke me as the brilliance of the direction was Gunn not finding a balance between all the components of humor, action, and introduction of these characters but blending all of it together so what get echoes back to the Millennium Falcon vs.

TIE fighters sequence in the first Star Wars: one liners and strong characterization carrying the audiences attention through interesting action, quick pacing, and a story that's deeper than the plain adventure Macguffin hunt, despite the self-aware line from Chris Pratt's Peter Quill/Starlord, "it's got a blue suitcase, Ark of the Covenant, Maltese Falcon kind of vibe.

" The film opens in 1988 and the story holds onto that aesthetic despite jumping to present day thanks in large to the FANTASTIC soundtrack featuring killer classic rock & pop cuts from the 60's and 70's.

In addition, each actor fits their role to a 'T' and you can't even say any particular character steals the show because they all get their moments in the spotlight over the course of the film.

Peppered in are great homages to pop culture, the actors' past careers, and cameos from other Marvel characters (STAY AFTER THE CREDITS) that are rewarding the first time, let alone the next two times you see it.

Top it off with some scenes with Thanos - FINALLY - and we see an excellent step immersing us further into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. If for some reason you wasted your movie budget on TMNT this weekend, do yourself a favor and borrow some/sell a kidney/ open a lemonade stand - do whatever it takes to catch this movie in theaters.