Critics Rating: 3.5 STARS*

Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, VIN Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista

Direction: James Gunn

Produced: Kevin Feige,

Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction

Duration: 122 minutes

Marvel Studios is on a winning spree this year. With superhero class-acts like Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, X-Men: Days of Future Past, the studio fires a fourth salvo which is Guardians of the Galaxy. This popcorn sci-fi, superhero film is like a contemporary, irreverent Star Wars for this generation, where Chris Pratt leads a rag-tag group of heroes with the exaggerated roguish charm of Hans Solo and the goofiness of Andy Dwyer.

Peter Quill aka Star-Lord (Pratt) is a former earthling (Terran, in this universe’s lingua franca), who gets abducted as a child by the Ravagers, a group of space pirates. Years later, after being recruited into their fold, Peter steals a mysterious Orb that wields great power. The evil Ronan (Lee Pace) of the Kree Empire has his sights set on the artifact himself, which has the dark forces pursuing our Star-Lord and effectively plunging him into greater troubles than he had bargained for.

But the lone smuggler is no longer alone in his travails when he is joined by Kree assassin Gamora (Zoe Saldana, blue in Avatar and green here), vengeful warrior Drax (Dave Bautista) and bounty hunters Groot (Vin Diesel) and Rocket (Bradley Cooper). Together, they must defend the planet Xandar and the galaxy as a whole, because that is what guardians do, never mind if they do not get along and are varying degrees of kooky.

Guardians of the Galaxy is based on a series of popular Marvel comic books. However, unfamiliarity with the source material will not impede your understanding of the film, even if seasoned fans will be able to spot intricacies and better emphasise the creative liberties taken here.

The voice acting and performances are unanimously wonderful, as is the soundtrack of golden oldies from the 60s to the 80s. There is an involving story even for those who are not aficionados of an outer space setting. The special effects are truly glorious as they recreate with fantastical majesty the dark Kree setting, the Kyln Prison, Xandar and the mining colony of Knowhere.

There is enough action surrounding the MacGuffin, which in this film is the Orb. For the uninitiated reader, the MacGuffin is an object upon which the entire plot is based. The baddies wish to acquire it and the good guys must race against time to keep it from falling in the wrong hands. In the words of Alfred Hitchcock: “In crook stories it is almost always the necklace, and in spy stories it is most always the papers.” An age-old formula, which is enjoyably reinvented in this film.

Guardians… is least subtle about indicating that there will be a sequel in the offing. Judging by certain CGI franchises that have become cash-grabbing gimmicks, having this series on board will not be a bad proposition.

Marvel in true spirit has kept two elements constant: Stan Lee’s guest appearance and a post-credit scene towards the end. It may not have the dramatic value that the previous releases did in their post-title sequences but it is definitely a brief, entertaining piece in itself.

A recommended, entertaining watch this weekend. Don’t miss out.