In the latest release from Marvel, the studio that brought you the blockbusters of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and The Avengers, comes a new team, the Guardians of the Galaxy.
It’s an action packed epic space adventure where American pilot/outlaw hero Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) after stealing a mysterious orb, is hunted down and thrown into an inter-galactic prison.
In order to secure his freedom, Quill reluctantly joins forces with alien bandits. The revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), the deadly and enigmatic Gamora (Zoe Saldana), gun-toting genetically engineered raccoon Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and a tree-like humanoid with a limited vocabulary, Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) to form an alliance of misfits known as the Guardians of the Galaxy, and with the all-powerful villain Ronan (Lee Pace) hunting the orb.
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.
Guardians borrows heavily from adventure film favourites of the past. The stolen relic and chase of Raiders of the Lost Ark the disparate creatures, beings, and arch adversaries of Star Wars stitched together with lots of humour and a soundtrack that while it may be new for some, will be very familiar for those who lived through the 70’s.
As the story unfolds, the bandit’s self centred objectives give way to teamwork, to fight a common enemy and no longer purely for selfish purposes but for a greater good.
Visually it’s a special effects masterpiece. A fast paced, shoot em up action packed adventure with characters and story that are warmly familiar and entertaining. Take the whole family.
Word of advice though, stay for the credits.