“Guardians of the Galaxy” conquers the action-comedy genre

“Guardians of the Galaxy,” the next piece to the Marvel Universe puzzle, is so far its only true action-comedy film. 

“Guardians,” which was directed by James Gunn, follows Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), a space outlaw who likes to refer to himself as Star-Lord, and his band of misfit prison buddies (a talking raccoon, a walking tree, a well-known assassin, and a vengeful brute). Together, they try to protect the galaxy from Ronan the Accuser.

Ronan is a Kree who hates his race’s peace treaty with the Xandarians, another race of many human-looking characters, who the Kree have fought in a seemingly endless war. Ronan attempts to obtain an ancient weapon to destroy all Xandarians and the galaxy. Peter and his team are clumsily skillful and, despite a rough start, they become great friends and even better guardians!

What sets this movie apart is the how equal the two genres are. Usually in an action-comedy, one aspect will cloud the other, but this movie is as much a comedy as it is action. Gunn has outdone himself this time, he has set both aspects equal and created something brilliant that I have never seen another movie accomplish. For the entire movie, during and between action-packed fight scenes, you will be cracking up.

Although every Marvel fan should watch this film, it’s not exclusively for them, as no previous knowledge is needed to enjoy the film. However, something that Gunn could have done better was add depth and understanding to the Kree and Xandarian conflict. Without previous comic book knowledge, the audience has no way of knowing the true extent of the conflict, only that it is an ancient war that recently ended with the treaty. Considering it’s the villain’s main driving force, more info could have helped.

In between major scenes, Gunn not only included great comedic snippets, but was able to add a lot of depth to each of the characters (yes, even the talking raccoon and the tree). He added deep emotional scenes that made the audience relate to the characters and understand them.

This movie is a must see for all Marvel fans, as it is a pleasant escape from the usual secluded Marvel Universe of the Avengers we have seen so far. I would recommend this movie for all ages. Besides minor sexual suggestions and scarce use of minor language, this film is childish, and pure fun!

I give the movie a 5 out of 5. I absolutely loved every aspect of it, from the perfectly synchronized action comedy, character selection, story, character development, and the amazing 3D!

–Aug. 1, 2014–