The Case for New Guardians

Okay, so Guardians of the Galaxy.

It's awesome.  

From the incredible 80s soundtrack (oh yes, more please) to the lighthearted nature and occasionally surprisingly disgusting jokes (did I understand the "blacklight in the space ship" one correctly?), from the impressive visual effects to the highly engaging cast (is Chris Pratt the perfect imperfect hero?  Is Zoe Saldana the ultimate bad ass?), it all works to deliver the ultimate in popcorn thrills.

And, like most popcorn movies, I have no idea what is going on.  There is some kind of story involving Kree who are fighting the Nova who have no real space military to speak of but have somehow managed to defeat or at least contain the Kree forces and are seen as a balancing force in the galaxy. 

Into this comes a rag tag band of misfits: Star Lord, Warrior Princess, Tree with limited vocabulary (and hilarious to boot), literal strong guy, and irritating raccoon (not my favourite, I have to admit).  They are fighting for truth, justice, and the Nova way.  And money.

I was also aware that Karen Gillan, the wonderful Amy Pond from Dr Who, was involved in the cast too, and, shorn of her beautiful fiery tresses and covered in make up and prosthetics, it took me a while to figure out which one she was - an indictment on my powers of observation, I have to say.

At any rate, even if the story is insanely silly, the movie itself is brilliant.  There are the odd Marvel tie ins, but, without the need to ground it in Earthly reality, the film is able to go completely crazy and not worry about bigger pictures or continuity or anything like that.  All it needs to do is be fun and entertain, and it succeeds wonderfully.

Verdict: Guardians of the Galaxy is a marvel of visual entertainment.  Light, fun, and even with a two hour running time, it doesn't outstay its welcome.  More please - and there will be in 2017.  10 Infinity Stones out of 10.