Hail To The Guardians

Opening night felt like a momentous event. Stoner nerds and Comic-Con leftovers lined up for the anticipated eccentric Marvel sci-fi experience that is Guardians of the Galaxy. Everyone is here to blast off for Marvel Studios' 10th addition to the Marvel Universe. Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation, Moneyball) in space with aliens is a geek magnet, myself included.

It often begins with someone beaming up. This time, it's Earth 1988. Lone star Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is but a wee lad, and suffers from a major loss in the family. 26 years later we are greeted with a grownup Peter, who is now the pilot of Milano (a spaceship named after Alyssa Milano, director/co-writer James Gunn's childhood crush). Quill is now known in the galaxy as Star-Lord. To give you a sense of the tone of Guardians - this Marvel superhero prances across the room with his "pelvic sorcery" to 70s love grooves, and never leaves without his "Awesome Mix Vol. 1" on tape. Quill ignites a manhunt after stealing the powerful orb, an artifact which is sought after by the villainous Ronan (Lee Pace). The villain-who-wouldn't-die sends superheroine assassin Gamora, the green goddess (played by Zoe Saldana) on his trail. There are tons of creature features in this B-movie galaxy, along with bad guys that seem like they're straight out of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. To escape imprisonment and save Xandar, Star-Lord forms a group of unlikely outsiders with a dark past. There's Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), an extraterrestrial tree-like softy with the verbal capacity of Hodor (GOT). Wrestler Dave Bautista plays Drax the Destroyer, a warrior out for vengeance after his family was attacked and killed. Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) is a killing machine; a genetically engineered wisecracking raccoon from... Jersey? United by loss, the Guardians of the Galaxy are formed.

It's quite easy to get lost in the vast, shared Marvel Universe of infinite comic book characters whose worlds intertwine (if you haven't read all of the comics). Nevertheless, the pure enjoyment of Guardians will teleport you back to a time when sci-fi was campy and humorous. It's delivery is very blunt, and comic timing on fire, yet it never takes itself too seriously. It came in with the confidence of a sequel, solidifying its place in science fiction history. Chris Pratt was born to play the role of Star-Lord. He is incomparable to his predecessors; Pratt is comic gold. Of course, I can't not mention Benicio del Toro's kooky turn as The Collector or Glenn Close's closest look to Cruella as Nova Prime Irani Rael, the keeper of peace in Xandar. As we are rooting for the extraterrestrial outsiders, we fully realize that Guardians will be a classic film, as it defies genre staples by making its own smorgasbord of them. Guardians of the Galaxy is a love letter to Mel Brooks. It's a B-movie with a Marvelous budget. You'll be stuck in the moonage daydream, oh yeah.

What would Tim Allen say to the Guardians?

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