Guardians of the Galaxy

Marvel has released a slew of superhero movies in the last decade, but Guardians of the Galaxy- their latest offering- breaks the mold, in that it tells the tale of (largely) unknown characters.  You won't find Iron-man, Captain America, or Hulk here- instead, you have Rocket (a raccoon mutant), Groot (a weird plant-person), Star-lord (half human, half alien lover of oldies music), Drax (a red-blue alien muscleman), and Gamora (a green alien assassin).  This band of misfits comes together to reclaim a powerful relic and save a planet from Ronan, who comes to possess an infinity stone capable of widespread destruction.  Can they stop him in time?  I'm guessing 'yes.' 

Like most, I had never read or heard of any of the Guardians of the Galaxy comics, so I had no expectations going in.  Marvel rolled the dice, giving a big budget ($170 million) to such a project, but it pays off- the move was great.  It was, in a way, like the The Avengers- a team who bands together when it counts to stave off a world's annihilation.  However, there are some important differences:
- the Avengers are a group of well-known, highly-polished folks with ample cinematic back-stories, while the Guardians are a seedy "B-hero" lot, with very little back-story provided for each 
- the story is much more sci-fi than the standard superhero movie
- the characters are more eclectic, amusing, and interesting
- the 'feel' of the movie is semi-serious; it's not a complete spoof on the superhero genre, but it doesn't take itself quite seriously, either.  It's a balance, and a good one.

The humor was good.  The effects were good.  The music was good.  The story was standard but delivery was excellent.  The characters were enjoyable and off-beat; overall, this was a pleasant surprise.  It won't make as much as The Avengers, but it probably deserves to.  Marvel even managed to tie it in to the Avengers universe, in a way- that studio really has their act together.

Rating: A