Guardians of the Galaxy - B

Rated PG-13, 121 minutes

Action-packed "Guardians" a solid thrill ride

Chris Pratt as Peter Quill

The summer of 2014 hasn't been cinematically top-notch, in terms of both quality and box-office, but that may change with the arrival of the latest Marvel Comics film and thrill ride "Guardians of the Galaxy" and a distant cousin to "The Avengers" series. The ambitious film, filled with many characters and plot points that only fans of the comic books will truly understand, to those of us non-comic book fans it's still an enjoyable, often funny ride. "Guardians" is about brash adventurer Peter Quill (a bulked-up Chris Pratt) finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan (Lee Pace), a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits-Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), a gun-toting raccoon, Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista) to fight against Ronan. But when Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he rally with his new pals to fight for the galaxy's fate. Directed and written by James Gunn ("Slither"), the action-comic-fantasy "Guardians of the Galaxy" may be the film you (and most fan boys) have been waiting for all summer, and might invigorate the rather stale movie box-office as of late. It's a comic-book paradise, but this time filled with some ragtag characters that provide a little levity along this fast-paced ride. Technically speaking, the visuals and action are the most memorable part of the film, and "Guardians" keeps rolling along even if you don't quite understand its comic book source and meaning, and fortunately Gunn also fills with some nice humorous touches to help you forget that. If you're unfamiliar with the "Guardian" stories and characters (as I was), then you're best to not make a big deal of it and just go with it; the ensemble cast, including Pratt, is mostly a treat, with Cooper getting most of the best lines as the talking raccoon, while Diesel's voice is inspired casting as the humanoid tree. However, outside of the "Guardians" group it's less successful, with Pace in particularly lacking power as the chief bad guy, while there are talented actors oddly cast in smallish roles or cameos (Djimon Hounsou, Benicio Del Toro, Glenn Close, John C. Reilly among others) that seem more like stunt casting choices than adding any real value to the film. "Guardians of the Galaxy" is terrific fun for fan boys and non-fan boys alike and it's certainly better than anything related to "Transformers" as of late (I'm looking at you, Michael Bay), though really it's just a warm-up for the next "Avengers" film next summer, which is superior to this film. Still, it's a worthy "Marvel" entry, and worth seeing for one last big box-office hurrah this summer.

Wes's Grade: B