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Guardians of the Galaxy

2014, Sci-fi/Adventure, 2h 1m

What to know

Critics Consensus

Guardians of the Galaxy is just as irreverent as fans of the frequently zany Marvel comic would expect -- as well as funny, thrilling, full of heart, and packed with visual splendor. Read critic reviews

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Guardians of the galaxy videos, guardians of the galaxy   photos.

Brash space adventurer Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) finds himself the quarry of relentless bounty hunters after he steals an orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain. To evade Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with four disparate misfits: gun-toting Rocket Raccoon, treelike-humanoid Groot, enigmatic Gamora, and vengeance-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when he discovers the orb's true power and the cosmic threat it poses, Quill must rally his ragtag group to save the universe.

Rating: PG-13 (Some Language|Intense Sci-Fi Action/Violence)

Genre: Sci-fi, Adventure, Action, Fantasy, Comedy

Original Language: English

Director: James Gunn

Producer: Kevin Feige

Writer: James Gunn , Nicole Perlman

Release Date (Theaters): Aug 1, 2014  wide

Release Date (Streaming): Nov 15, 2015

Box Office (Gross USA): $333.7M

Runtime: 2h 1m

Distributor: Walt Disney Pictures

Production Co: Marvel Studios, Moving Picture Company, Marvel Enterprises

Sound Mix: Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital

View the collection: Marvel Cinematic Universe

Cast & Crew

Chris Pratt

Peter Quill

Zoe Saldana

Dave Bautista

Drax the Destroyer

Groot Voice

Bradley Cooper

Rocket Voice

Ronan the Accuser

Michael Rooker

Yondu Udonta

Karen Gillan

Djimon Hounsou

Benicio del Toro

The Collector

John C. Reilly

Rhomann Dey

Glenn Close

Laura Haddock

Meredith Quill

Kraglin, On Set Rocket

Peter Serafinowicz

Denarian Saal

Christopher Fairbank

The Brooker

Screenwriter

Nicole Perlman

Kevin Feige

Louis D'Esposito

Executive Producer

Victoria Alonso

Jeremy Latcham

Nikolas Korda

Cinematographer

Charles Wood

Production Design

Fred Raskin

Film Editing

Hughes Winborne

Alexandra Byrne

Costume Design

Tyler Bates

Original Music

Sarah Halley Finn

Supervising Art Direction

Mike Stallion

Art Director

News & Interviews for Guardians of the Galaxy

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An Oral History of Guardians of the Galaxy by Chris Pratt and James Gunn

Marvel Movies Ranked Worst to Best by Tomatometer

Critic Reviews for Guardians of the Galaxy

Audience reviews for guardians of the galaxy.

I honestly believe Guardians of the Galaxy would never have worked without James Gunn. I have to reluctantly admit that Joss Whedon put it the best when he said: "James [Gunn] is what makes me think it will work ... He is so off the wall, and so crazy, but so smart, such a craftsman and he builds from his heart." The casting was fantastic. Each of the major actors fit their roles like a glove. And it's another example of how music elevates a movie. GoG is he first MCU movie to actually have real songs (nostalgic 70's music) played throughout, setting the tone in the first 30 seconds with the melancholic I'm Not In Love by 10CC. But what really sets this apart from all the others MCU movies before this is the mastery of the humor. I think this is the first Marvel movie that I busted my gut a bazillion times while watching. Nearly everything that comes out of Drax's mouth and so many quotable quotes it would fill up a cassette tape. It is so apropos that James Gunn was tapped to reboot Suicide Squad. I hope his R rated version kills at the box office and makes Kevin Feige reconsider his stupid "only PG-13" for MCU movies (except Deadpool 3) rule. "We are Groot."

the fox/rat/gerbil character was an interesting novelty as was saldana as the green lady. groot the tree became a little tiresome alot quickly and the big blue chap was totally dull. never seen chris pratt before in anything but he was alright. i kinda cared about whether he ended up wormbait or not despite his mixtape, doubling as the soundtrack, being a load of old cobblers. the supporting cast was a definite positive with benicio, glen & djimon being worthy distractions from the, at times, super sillyness. really enjoyed the sheer vastness of the environment. there was even that one bit where everyone was in the head of a giant dead elder god or some sh... i'm glad though that johnny cage and his cohorts finally defeated shao khan with a little help from a slightly confused kano! it's a compliment that i'm comparing it!

Guardians of the Galaxy is one of the most surprising comic book films I've ever seen. Here's what I liked. Positives: 1. The characters; The lead characters are a odd mix. We don't know anything about these characters, so is this a hit or a miss? The characters are a huge hit and I want more of them! Chris Pratt is awesome as Star-Lord, he is funny but he also has some heart to him. Zoe Saldana as Gamora is badass and pretty sexy too. Dave Bautista as Drax surprised me, he was really cool and you honestly feel for him and understand where he's coming from. Groot is like the Chewbacca of the group and he is awesome. Rocket Raccoon is my favourite character in this movie, this little critter stole every scene he was in and he was by far the most funniest character out of all of them! 2. The tone and writing; this is by far the funniest MCU film I've seen so far. This film avoids cliches and is very self aware and picks perfect moments for humor! This film does also have some emotional moments such as the whole thing with Peter Quill's mom, Groot dying, as well as some other moments. This film does remind me of Star Wars, infact I think this film is like Star Wars mixed with The Avengers with more humor. 3. The visuals; this film is shot mainly at a studio with green screen but honestly the CGI and green screen looks fine, because this film is written so well that the CGI doesn't take me out of the film. Some of the locations look breathtaking too. Negatives: 1. The villain; my only complaint with this film is Ronan the Accuser. He's very flat and bland in my opinion. He could've been more compelling or maybe just as silly or absurd like the main heroes, then he would've been a great villain. Sadly he sticks out like a sore thumb in my opinion. It doesn't offend me or piss me off when he's on screen its just I felt like he could've been better. Just a minor nuisance. Overall: Guardians of the Galaxy is one of my favourite comic book films! It is by far the funniest MCU film I've seen and it is one of the funniest comic book films I've seen! This film could've easily not worked, but they nailed it and I can't wait for Vol. 2!

One of if not my favorite film in the marvel cinematic universe. It has a lot of funny, action packed, dramatic and definitely memorable moments. The characters where funny and likable, every single one of them. There was also good chemistry between each character. At the start of the film the 5 characters seem so evil constantly trying to kill one another. But at the end of the film all of the characters are heroes. It's just seems strange that 5 criminals turn into 5 heroes in the short amount of time that film lasted. However it is still one of my favorite superhero movie.

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‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Review: Raccoon Tears and a Final Mixtape

This dour, visually off-putting two-and-a-half-hour A.S.P.C.A. nightmare of a film may only be for completionist fans.

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By Maya Phillips

Animal lovers, comic book fans and unofficial adjudicators of narrative continuity, action and style in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Lend me your ears. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” is not the movie for you.

Perhaps this dour, visually off-putting two-and-a-half-hour A.S.P.C.A. nightmare of a film is only for completionist fans like myself, arriving at the theater armed with overpriced popcorn and the hope that the director James Gunn’s latest could replicate the romp and anti-gravity gambol of the first .

For those who need help getting their multiversal timeline untangled, “Guardians” is the second film of the so far ecstatically bad Phase Five of the M.C.U., after the, to quote my colleague, “thoroughly uninspired” “ Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. ” We last caught our whole team of lovable riffraff together in “ Avengers: Infinity War ,” when Thanos (Josh Brolin) threw his adopted daughter and galaxy guardian, Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), into an abyss to get one of the Infinity Stones, which he used to snap away half of the universe. (There were some dancing Groots and a cute holiday special about abducting Kevin Bacon, but — sorry, Kev — they were irrelevant.)

Now the Guardians are settling in at Knowhere, a community in the severed head of a celestial that serves as their home base. With Gamora gone, Peter (Chris Pratt), a.k.a. Star-Lord, is still grieving, unaware of the fact that somehow Gamora — or, rather, a variant — is alive, sans her memories of him and the Guardians. When, a few minutes into the film, Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) becomes victim to a deadly attack, the team is reunited with a hostile, partially amnesiac Gamora, who is reluctantly dragged into their plot to save him.

While Rocket is in critical condition, Peter and company do some risky snooping through Rocket’s traumatic back story to figure out how to save his life and stop the man pursuing him, the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji). A powerful god-figure, the High Evolutionary has genetically altered Rocket, other animals and even children to create a perfect race to inhabit his imagined utopia. (Yes, that’s another Nazi-coded villain for your Bingo card.)

So much of “Guardians 3” seems to erupt from left field, most prominently the main story, which is driven by Rocket, even though the Guardians have mostly played second-string to Star-Lord, the plot-driving hero. The shift makes sense given the role this film plays as the end of the trilogy, resulting in a Guardians team with a different starting lineup and an unclear position in the context of the rest of the M.C.U. But the shift also feels belabored and emotionally manipulative; scenes upon scenes of shot, blown up, tortured and incinerated C.G.I. animals with big, emotive eyes are as merciless as clips of injured animals set to a Sarah McLachlan song .

It seems “Guardians” needs this much gratuitous trauma bait to establish its stakes and prove that the bad guy is, in fact, bad. Which is unfortunate because Iwuji, who offered a much more nuanced performance in Gunn’s edgy-fun DC Extended Universe series, “Peacemaker,” is left with just a thin silhouette of an antagonist to work with here. (Will Poulter and Elizabeth Debicki also appear as idiotic secondary antagonists, for no real reason.)

Something like Thanos Lite or a knockoff Dr. Frankenstein, the High Evolutionary represents one of the central problems the franchise is facing in a post-“ Endgame ” M.C.U.: characters and circumstances that pale in comparison to Thanos and his cataclysmic, conclusive multi-arc-spanning plotline. Because at least the extent of Thanos’s power and the roots of his villain philosophy were clear. “There is no god — that’s why I stepped in,” the High Evolutionary says at one point. This tiny germ of a motivation does nothing but indicate all the questions that the film could have answered about this character to make him more interesting. Surely an atheist with a narcissistic personality and obsessive-compulsive disorder has some deeper psychology to unpack. Ah well.

Though this “Guardians” is certainly less fun than the others, there are still glints of joy in the more mundane and ancillary quibbles among the found family of misfits. Dave Bautista gives another priceless performance as Drax, and Bautista’s signature chemistry works with Pom Klementieff as Mantis. Groot (Vin Diesel) has leveled up in the bang-bang-shoot-em-up category, as has Nebula (Karen Gillan). Though the film makes no attempt to explain the logic behind Gamora’s magical reappearance (“I’m not some infinity stone scientist!” Peter exclaims after trying to puzzle things out), it does at least give Saldaña the opportunity to reinvent her character, which she manages beautifully. The same for Rocket, who gives an Oscar-worthy performance — via Cooper’s great voice acting, of course, but also via the animation, which makes his faces, postures and movements look so unbelievably believable.

Gunn makes the curious, bold choice to chase an unpleasant aesthetic that’s part Cronenberg, part “ Osmosis Jones. ” A series of scenes take place in a ship fashioned like viscera and innards, with fleshy globules and architectural dendrites, often in nude tones. Squishy sound effects add an unwelcome layer of grossness.

Even when the movie switches back to the more lambent palette of nebulae and the luminous shine of the stars, Gunn’s direction doesn’t serve the full tableau. His camera is too voyeuristic, spinning enthusiastically on every axis during group fight scenes rather than giving us a steady look at the choreography.

At least this “Guardians,” like the previous ones, stays on beat with a fantastic soundtrack of Spacehog, Beastie Boys and Earth Wind & Fire. But pumping soundtrack aside, after a breakout hit and the sequel, “ Everything Would Have Been Fine if Your Dad the Space God Played Catch With You: The Movie, ” this final piece of the trilogy makes one thing apparent: “Guardians” was just a one-hit wonder.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Rated PG-13 for some swearing and a zoo of horrors. Running time: 2 hour 30 minutes. In theaters.

An earlier version of this article misidentified the actress who plays a secondary antagonist along with Will Poulter. It is Elizabeth Debicki, not Maria Bakalova.

How we handle corrections

Maya Phillips is a critic at large. She is the author of “NERD: Adventures in Fandom From This Universe to the Multiverse” and the poetry collection “Erou.” More about Maya Phillips

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James Gunn loves his outcasts. One of the most interesting things about his “ Guardians of the Galaxy ” movies has been watching the tug-of-war between Gunn’s outsider instincts and a franchise-generating machine that’s as insider as it gets. He's one of the few filmmakers who has operated in the massive system of the biggest movie money-making factory in the world without sacrificing his voice. Watching his “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” is to see a director who knows how to balance corporate needs with personal blockbuster filmmaking. Mostly. This sci-fi/action/comedy still succumbs to a few of the MCU issues of late—bloated runtime, things-go-boom finale, too many characters—but there’s a creativity to the filmmaking, dialogue, and performances that modern superhero movies often lack. Much of the recent talk has been about the potential for AI-generated blockbusters , and I like when “GoTG 3” is at its messiest. Gunn is like that kid who is not only playing with his action figures; he’s pulling them apart and smashing them back together to make them into new creations. He doesn’t just love these losers, he wants to see them save the universe again. You will too.

“Vol. 3” opens with Rocket Racoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper ) listening to “Creep” by Radiohead. In another film filled with clever needle drops, it’s a tone-setter. Rocket sees himself as the weirdo, the creep, but the movie will teach him that he’s so f-ing special, of course. 

It all starts with an attack. The golden-hued Adam Warlock ( Will Poulter ) comes speeding into Knowhere, pummeling everything in sight with strength that would impress Superman. Rocket takes the worst beating and hovers near death for most of the movie, putting the film on two tracks—a flashback to Rocket’s origin story and the present-day tale of the Guardians trying to save him. The mission leads them to the High Evolutionary ( Chukwudi Iwuji ), a mad scientist who tried to speed up the evolutionary process for a utopia called Counter-Earth and created Rocket all those years ago.

Of course, the Guardians bring baggage on their quest. Peter ( Chris Pratt ) is emotionally unstable over what happened with Gamora ( Zoe Saldaña ), who was killed by Thanos but has returned as an alternate timeline version of the character who doesn’t remember her time with the GotG. Gamora gets involved with the Rocket mission, but the love story between her and Star-Lord doesn’t drive the narrative like the first two. Many filmmakers would have made “Vol. 3” about reuniting Peter and Gamora, but it’s more about a background to Rocket’s story, which allows for different chemistry between Pratt and Saldaña. She’s particularly good here, looking at the rest of the Guardians skeptically, especially the one who claims to love a different version of her.

As for the rest of the gang, it’s gotten a little too big for one movie to hold. Dave Bautista is fun again, but Drax has little to do. Same with Karen Gillan as Nebula, who has become a functional part of the team but lacks actual development. Mantis ( Pom Klementieff ) is back for comic relief, and Groot ( Vin Diesel ) does his thing, but it’s hard to shake how this “Guardians” is overcrowded. I didn’t even mention the talking dog (voiced by Maria Bakalova ), Elizabeth Debicki as Adam’s creator Ayesha, or Sylvester Stallone ’s return.

"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” is most appealing when it defies a “product over art” aesthetic by being clunky and weird. It might sound silly to say a film is at its best when it’s less refined, but many recent blockbusters lack the human touch. It's thrilling to see Gunn push through some of his genuinely unsettling creature designs, or settings that feel like they’re taking place in actual physical spaces instead of the bland CGI that makes superhero movies look like watching someone else playing a video game. There’s a version of “Vol. 3” that’s even more chaotic and personal—the final act especially feels like it’s knocking off prerequisites on an MCU checklist—but every time this blockbuster felt like it was edging more to content than art, it won me back.

It's in the small choices made by Gunn and an ensemble that would clearly follow him into battle at this point. Pratt has been phoning in some of his lead film roles lately, but he’s always clicked best on-screen as Peter Quill, equal parts hero and chump. Giving him a broken heart allows Pratt to push away some of the cocky smarm that has derailed him in other projects and allows us to like Quill again. Saldaña is having fun returning to the basics of a warrior like Gamora, convincing us she could carry a movie like this alone. But, most of all, this is Rocket’s film, a story of how he overcomes trauma to be the hero he was always meant to be.

While the villain is a bit underwritten—most characters are simply due to the cast's sheer size—something interesting here unfolds on a thematic level beyond the basic hero/villain narrative. Without spoiling all the details of Rocket’s origin, his arc shifted when he solved a problem in the High Evolutionary’s experiments on his own, sending the villain off into a spiral of insecurity and sociopathology. In a sense, this is a story of a vengeful God, someone who lashes out when his creation not only proves himself independent but arguably more intelligent than its creator. Tales of creations who turn on their wicked creators are as old as myth, but Gunn weaves that idea through a Marvel vision with just enough clever subtlety to give his film more depth than a lot of its peers. Gunn reckons with the idea of a wicked God, one who sees his creations as experiments more than actual beings. It’s a story that fits Gunn perfectly as he tries to defy the Hollywood machine by bringing his imagination to life. He's the creator who wants his creations to outshine him. 

The flashback/mission structure of “Vol. 3” sometimes drains the film of momentum, and everyone who has seen a Marvel movie knows that this will end with many team-ups and explosions. And yet even when the film is checking those items off the list, it does so with Gunn’s personality intact, whether it’s in his music choices or intense imagery that could startle younger viewers. So much of the recent MCU has felt cravenly desperate to do just enough to turn a profit. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” is a reminder that the best blockbusters don’t just sing along to a well-known tune like “Creep”; they make the song their own. After all, we’re all the weirdos. And Gunn would say that makes us all pretty f-ing special too.

In theaters on May 5 th .

Brian Tallerico

Brian Tallerico is the Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and GQ, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

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Film credits.

Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 (2023)

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, strong language, suggestive/drug references and thematic elements.

150 minutes

Chris Pratt as Peter Quill / Star-Lord

Zoe Saldaña as Gamora

Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer

Karen Gillan as Nebula

Pom Klementieff as Mantis

Vin Diesel as Groot (voice)

Bradley Cooper as Rocket (voice)

Sean Gunn as Kraglin / On-Set Rocket

Chukwudi Iwuji as The High Evolutionary

Will Poulter as Adam Warlock

Elizabeth Debicki as Ayesha

Maria Bakalova as Cosmo the Dog (voice)

Sylvester Stallone as Stakar Ogord

Daniela Melchior as Ura

Writer (comic book)

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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 review – a big-hearted emotional rollercoaster

Putting a cute raccoon centre stage, James Gunn is taking no chances with this slick, mischievous, supposedly final third instalment of the Marvel series

W hile much of Marvel’s output has rather blurred together of late into a gaudy onslaught of overplotted multiverse-hopping, the Guardians of the Galaxy movies have, for better or worse, always had a distinctive personality. What elevates Vol 3 (supposedly the final film in the GOTG series) is the way it keeps that personality, nodding to the irreverent swagger that is a crucial component of the Guardians USP while delivering a series of devastating emotional sucker punches along the way.

To achieve this, director and co-writer James Gunn takes the fail-safe, heartstring-twanging route of placing adorable animals in peril, exploring Rocket the raccoon’s traumatic backstory, and touching on some unexpectedly dark themes – eugenics and vivisection – in the process. There’s a kinship with Bong Joon-ho’s Okja : both pictures celebrate loyalty and friendship while also acknowledging humanity’s capacity for unimaginable cruelty to other species.

As a young, impossibly cute kit, Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) fell into the hands of the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji), a mad scientist with a God complex who believes that a perfect society starts in a macabre animal-testing laboratory. Rocket escaped, but in doing so he was separated from his soulmate, Lylla (Linda Cardellini), a pure-hearted otter with prosthetic metal arms. Now the High Evolutionary wants to recapture his most successful experimental subject, and he sends beautiful, gilt-edged dullard Adam Warlock (Will Poulter, great fun) to reclaim the raccoon.

Classic rock needle drops and showy, snaking, single-shot action sequences – both GOTG trademarks – abound in a picture that balances a slightly overstuffed storyline with mischief, humour and the biggest of hearts.

• Guardians of the Galaxy
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‘guardians of the galaxy’: film review.

James Gunn's assured foray into the Marvel universe stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana and Dave Bautista as a ragtag team of would-be galactic protectors.

By Justin Lowe

Justin Lowe

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From the golden-typefaced title to the wisecracking dialogue and save-the-universe plotline, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy has been begging comparison to Star Wars from its initial marketing push (particularly the venerable Episode IV — A New Hope) . Unsurprisingly, Guardians is no Star Wars , but it turns out that’s actually good news.

Since Disney will be rebooting the classic franchise with Episode VII next year anyway, James Gunn ’s inventive space opera, sourcing somewhat minor characters from the Marvel universe, could serve as an appropriate warm-up — or even launch a franchise of its own eventually . Guardians should see robust response in its opening days and stands to capitalize significantly overseas.

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After an efficient setup showing Peter Quill’s 1988 abduction from Earth by humanoid alien Yondu ( Michael Rooker ), leader of the space bandits known as Ravagers, the plot skips forward 26 years to catch up with the adult Quill aka “Star-Lord” ( Chris Pratt ), now in service to his captors. Yondu has tasked Quill with stealing a mysterious silver orb, hidden on an abandoned, lifeless planet, where he’s forced to evade soldiers sent to retrieve the same sphere by Ronan ( Lee Pace ).

A ruthless renegade from the Kree race, Ronan is pursuing the artifact to transfer to his patron Thanos, who in return has vowed to help him press an old vendetta against the planet Xandar. Ronan sends Thanos’ adopted daughter, a highly accomplished, green-skinned assassin named Gamora ( Zoe Saldana ), in pursuit of Quill, who plans to sell the sphere for a profit. Once she catches up with him on Xandar, she’s brought up short by bounty hunter Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper ) and his arboreal sidekick Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel ), who are seeking the reward Yondu has offered for Quill’s capture. Their tussle over the orb lands them all in prison, which they only manage to escape thanks to fellow convict Drax ( Dave Bautista ), who joins their crew making a getaway aboard Quill’s spacecraft.

The five reluctantly make a deal to split the sizeable fee from fencing the orb to a contact of Gamora’s, despite the risk of cutting out both Yondu and Ronan. Only after Gamora leads them to The Collector ( Benicio Del Toro ) do they discover the true purpose of the sphere and the threat it poses to the entire galaxy. The group will have to set aside their differences and unite behind Quill if they expect to save Xandar, and themselves.

Originally introduced into the Marvel universe in a 1969 comic book series as a 31st century team of misfit heroes, Guardians of the Galaxy marks Marvel characters’ first foray into outer-space adventure. It’s fair to note, however, that Guardians bears more than a passing resemblance to Star Wars , not to mention Raiders of the Lost Ark and Joss Whedon ’s outlaw sci-fier Serenity.

In actuality, Gunn and co-writer Nicole Perlman ’s screenplay borrows so liberally and lightheartedly from the action-adventure and sci-fi canons that tracking these references becomes one of the film’s minor amusements. Overall, the writers have crafted a well-articulated universe with distinct settings and relatable, compelling characters devoted to a thrilling quest for redemption. Perhaps more significantly, the generous use of situational and physical humor defuses any highbrow sci-fi pretensions that might discourage the genre-averse, although excessive exposition occasionally hinders the action.

Casting is key to the movie’s effectiveness, and while Pratt’s résumé may not immediately scream “action hero,” he dons the mantle with obvious enthusiasm, rounding off Quill’s rough edges with an endearing comedic sensibility. Meanwhile, though Saldana doesn’t clue us in on Gamora’s inner motivations, the actress — who is no stranger to sci-fi after Avatar and Star Trek — possesses all the action chops required to persuasively portray a deadly assassin, and she makes for a resourceful heroine.

Much of the movie’s scene-stealing is left to Rocket, a CGI character impressively crafted by the Guardians’ crack VFX team and voiced with panache by Cooper. By contrast, Vin Diesel’s Groot repeats only three words of dialogue, relying on intonation for effect. In supporting roles, Del Toro, Djimon Hounsou as Ronan’s lieutenant and John C. Reilly and Glenn Close as Xandar’s homeland defense representatives all contribute admirably.

Ultimately, Gunn’s immersive interpretation of the Guardians’ universe succeeds in large part because of his integration of top-shelf visual effects. Superior execution by cinematographer Ben Davis , production designer Charles Wood and the editorial team of Fred Raskin , Craig Wood and Hughes Winborne dynamically underlines Gunn’s vision. Despite occasional disregard for the laws of physics, much of the imagery displayed onscreen is so realistic and thrill-inducing that sometimes even the plot becomes almost secondary during the more intensely visual sequences.

Music also plays a key role throughout the film, with the likes of 10cc’s “I’m Not in Love,” The Runaways’ “Cherry Bomb” and David Bowie ‘s “Moonage Daydream” deployed as frequently humorous counterpoints within tense action scenes.

Examples of excess do surface intermittently, with the overlong prison episode and the final battle sequence taking up disproportionate screen time. And credibility may waver a bit when this group of criminals and con artists commits rather too altruistically to saving the galaxy, but semi-serious drama isn’t Guardians’ strong suit anyway.

Production company: Marvel Studios Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, Benicio Del Toro Director: James Gunn Screenwriters: James Gunn, Nicole Perlman Producer: Kevin Feige Executive producers: Louis D’Esposito, Alan Fine, Victoria Alonso, Jeremy Latcham, Nik Korda, Stan Lee Director of photography: Ben Davis Production designer: Charles Wood Costume designer: Alexandra Byrne Editors: Fred Raskin, Craig Wood, Hughes Winborne Music: Tyler Bates

Rated PG-13, 121 minutes

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