'Guardians of the Galaxy' Review: I'm Hooked On This Movie

There's a reason why Marvel is trouncing DC Comics in box office revenue, successful franchises and pretty much every other metric as far as movies are concerned, and that reason is illustrated perfectly by this weekend's new release, "Guardians of the Galaxy."

To put it simply, Marvel just doesn't take itself as seriously.

"Guardians" is a reminder that superheroes, especially those from comic books, are mostly colorful and fun. There are a few that should always be brooding (Batman turned out much better in "The Dark Knight" than in "Batman and Robin"), but for the most part, these movies work when there's humor, heart and good old-fashioned heroics.

The movie follows Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), an Earthling who is abducted at an early age and grows up to be a self-aggrandizing thief who goes by the name Starlord. When a job takes a bad turn, he finds himself in an unlikely alliance with the assassin Gamora (Zoe Saldana), a brawler out for revenge (Dave Bautista), and a pair of bounty hunters who happen to be an anthropomorphic tree (voiced by Vin Diesel) and a talking raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper).

Considering the strange cast of characters and the outer space setting, it's not surprising that the beginning of "Guardians" is a bit uneven. Character introductions and backstories are a bit ham-fisted, not in their details but in their presentation to the audience.

Once the exposition is out of the way, though, "Guardians" is a smooth and thrilling ride. The action is exciting with laugh-out-loud moments of humor sprinkled in, but the jokes never detract from the gravity of the situation: Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) and Thanos (Josh Brolin) are serious threats and serve as excellent villains, although the Kree/Xandarian/Skrull conflicts might be a bit much for the non-Marvel-initiated to fully grasp in one viewing without a little reading first.

With "Super" director James Gunn at the helm, it's no surprise that "GotG" is funny, irreverent and more than a little strange. But the movie also packs a surprising emotional punch, which is especially refreshing in a genre that tends to favor the action and broad emotion over the characters and interpersonal details. We dare you not to fall in love with Groot by the end of this movie, and even Rocket Racoon, who was created in the comics as a joke, as a backstory and emotional arc that'll make you feel for him.

Some of that, as well as the humor, may be attributed to the cast, which is so good it's almost unfair. Pratt is a bonafide movie star now, Saldana does her tough girl thing that she does so well, and even former pro wrestler Dave Bautista has his moments as the overly literal Drax. The supporting cast is equally fun; John C. Reilly and Michael Rooker are particular standouts.

Ultimately, it's hard to imagine anyone being disappointed with "Guardians of the Galaxy," which already ranks among Marvel's top offerings in terms of reviews. Those who find sci-fi completely inaccessible might have trouble getting into it, as there's plenty of planet-jumping, various alien races, and other elements that have not yet been major factors in previous Marvel films.

As always, be sure to stick around for the post-credits scene. It won't reveal much in terms of future Marvel plot points, but comic book movie buffs will appreciate it nonetheless.