'Guardians of the Galaxy': What the Critics Are Saying

Summer of 2014. The summer we didn't have an Iron Man, Thor or Hulk movie. Captain America came out back in May. What's a moviegoer to do?

Answer: Go see "Guardians of the Galaxy."

The early reviews are in, and the consensus is about as clear as it gets: "Guardians of the Galaxy" is one of Marvel's best outings, although it might be a little different than the kind of superhero movie you're used to.

With an overall rating of 93% on Rotten Tomatoes with roughly 60 reviews counted, "Guardians" is primed to be one of Marvel Studios' best-reviewed movies to date. By comparison, "Iron Man" ended up with 93%, while "The Avengers" came in at 92% when all was said and done.

This isn't a movie that will take itself too seriously, as the Captain America and Thor franchises sometimes do. Rather, "Guardians" prides itself on being a bit zany and plenty irreverent, much like the comic book source material. After all, this is a movie starring a deft comedic actor in Chris Pratt...and a talking raccoon voiced by Bradley Cooper.

The movie's only detractors claim that it ends up being a little "overstuffed" with action-heavy elements and extraneous plot points that are designed to set up future characters, events and arcs in other Marvel properties, such as "Avengers: Age of Ultron." While that might be a burden for the uninitiated, it's a good bet that those with some Marvel Comics knowledge with take joy in the hints and easter eggs rather than find them burdensome.

Overall, "Guardians" looks to be your best bet for good, entertaining fun in theaters this weekend, and it's all but guaranteed that it will be the week's top grossing film. However, if you're looking for something smaller, you can always check out "Get On Up," a biopic about James Brown, or "Calvary," a dark comedy featuring Chris O'Dowd and Brendan Gleeson.

Consensus: See it!