Two weeks ago I sat in a theater at the Walt Disney Studios and was barely keeping my excitement contained. I was about to see the new Marvel Movie, Guardians of the Galaxy (Being officially released today August 1, 2014) at the very first screening for the Press. I felt like I did as a kid when I was about to see Back to the Future in the theater for the very first time. I knew that adventure, excitement and laughter was ahead. I was eleven years old again in what has always been, in my mind the best year ever, 1985. I still cling to the things I loved from my childhood in the 80s, the toys, the movies (and movie references) and the music.

When I had first heard that a Guardians of the Galaxy movie was being made I looked into just who these Guardians were. Then on an episode of Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man the Guardians showed up to work with Spider-Man and it completely clicked for me. I got it, I got who these characters were and I wanted to know more. I read a ton of comic books about the characters. I also read wikis and scoured the internet for the latest news on the movie. I also posted a ton of news and videos and more about the movie. My excitement level for this movie has been very high for a very long time. I was not disappointed.

The Review is after the jump and I tried very hard to keep it Spoiler Free.

Two Weeks Ago I was on an all expense paid blogger trip sponsored by ABC Family (#ABCFamilyEvent, #MysteryGirls, #YoungandHungry, #ChasingLife), Disney (#GuardiansOfTheGalaxyEvent, #BigHero6) and DreamWorks (#100FootJourneyEvent). The opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine unless of course they are credited as a direct quote of someone else.

For those who are on the fence about seeing this movie I’ll give you a little rundown on who each of the main characters are and how they fit into this team. The Guardians of the Galaxy aren’t as well known as say, Iron Man, Captain America or Thor but then again to many outside of a comic book store those characters weren’t exactly household names and now every kid knows who they are and that they are part of The Avengers. By Monday I’d say that many kids are going to be very familiar with names like Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket and Groot.

In the promos Drax is described as, “a maniac”. I didn’t quite find this to be the case. Drax is one deadly character who can certainly destroy his enemies. He’s called Drax the Destroyer in the comics. He’s a man who has lost everything that mattered to him in life. His family. He is driven by revenge on the person who killed his family and will stop at nothing to have that revenge satisfied. Drax is also from a race of aliens who are literal. Everything that they interpret in the world is at a literal face value. Hyperbole and exaggeration, similes and metaphors just cause confusion. Drax is the ultimate straight man in a comedy especially surrounded by a characters like Rocket and Star-Lord. Drax is a very passionate and emotional character who pretty much makes the worst possible drunk dial in the history of the galaxy.

Gamora is an assassin who is the adopted daughter of Thanos. She there is something that every member of the team wants from Gamora whether it be information, a means to wealth, or a means for revenge and justice. Everyone wants a piece of Gamora and yet she is still very highly respected by her friends and foes alike. As Actress Zoe Saldana, who portrays Gamora, stated; “she has a deep sense of justice” and “she’s just trying to give herself a last chance at life, to get out.” To get out of being this killer and assassin who has been forced to work for the wrong people her whole entire life. She is a good person under all of the evil that she has been forced to do. Her motivation in helping the Guardians is to redeem herself from her past sins if that is at all possible.

Rocket and Groot are best friends. Rocket is the only one who can interpret what Groot means when he says his only phrase of “I Am Groot”. It was funny watching the two of them have conversations where Rocket is never at a loss for words and Groot only has three. The two characters are bounty hunters who operate slightly outside of the law. They see that there is a bounty on Star-Lord and try to capture him and collect. Eventually though a series of events the three characters end up on the same side or at least working towards a similar set of goals.

Rocket is a genetically modified creature. Don’t call him a raccoon though, he’s a bit touchy. He’s also a speak loudly and carry a big stick kind of character. That stick being both Groot and/or the honkin’ huge gun he uses. Rocket can also fly anything or fix anything. He’s a master at technology and has escaped from more prisons than most people have ever even heard of. He’s your go to guy in a jailbreak or a bar fight. Probably because he’s causing them.

Groot is the muscle. He’s stronger than all the other Guardians. He’s a giant seven and a half foot tree-like creature. He is both terrifyingly lethal and a gentle as a lamb. Groot only says three words, “I Am Groot”, but despite that he says so much with his actions and expressions. Groot wants to help, he may be seen as simple but he is complex and selfless and a true hero. I think that people are going to come out of the movie cheering for Groot.

Star-Lord is also or rather better known as Peter Quill. He’s a guy who was abducted from Earth when he was a kid. I think the movie puts him at 10 years old and he was abducted in 1988. Peter has given himself the name of Star-Lord and fancies himself a bit of Han solo and Indiana Jones wrapped up into one package. He’s got the wit and banter of Han Solo but he’s also smart and cunning like Indy. Star-Lord also has a bit of reck star in him as well. One of the treasured things that he had with him when he was abducted was his cassette player and a single cassette called Awesome Mix Vol. 1. On it is the soundtrack to his life.

I want to say a quick word about the soundtrack. It is incredible. Every song on it works in the movie so well. I just wish that “Spirit in the Sky” was actually in the movie and not just in one of the trailers. That is my favorite song on the whole CD (I also got a copy of the soundtrack while at the event). We’ve been playing the soundtrack over and over for the kids and they are both hooked on “Hooked on a Feeling”.

There are many other characters in the movie but one particular group of them are the Ravagers and Yondu (played by Michael Rooker). The Ravagers are sort of a band of space pirates who abducted Peter Quill from Earth. Peter learned from the Ravagers and especially Yondu how to be a rogue. These guys are a dangerous and motley bunch. Peter tries to double cross them and that sets off a series of events that leads to the Guardians of the Galaxy team to meet each other.

So the team meets, fights each other a bit as all super heroes do at first, whether because of misunderstandings or assumptions, and then team up. While they team looks like they couldn’t be more different on the outside inside each one of them is searching for something. They are searching for something to believe in, to belong to and to be a part of. They are all outsiders just looking to belong. It is in that sameness of spirit that the team works together better than any other team in the Marvel cinematic universe. Yeah, I’m saying that the team works better and make more sense than even The Avengers. Because, where the Avengers were emotionally manipulated to come together and rally around something in common the Guardians each innately had something in common that they shared. And to me that makes for a stronger more unified team.

Many people have asked me if the movie would be okay for their 7-10 year olds to see. They tell me that the kids have seen every other Marvel movie so far. If that is the case then I see no reason not to let the kids see this movie as well. This is a great action movie that has elements of comedy as well, not slapstick stupid humor either, solid humor that is very, very smart. Director James Gunn and the whole team did an amazing job on this movie and I cannot wait to see it again this coming Wednesday in IMAX. I caught only a small portion of the movie in IMAX and it was visually incredible. Pair that incredible visual with incredible storytelling and acting and it will be the best IMAX movie you have seen in a very long time.

Learn more about the Guardians of the Galaxy Movie

Here is the Story Synopsis.

From Marvel, the studio that brought you the global blockbuster franchises of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and The Avengers, comes a new team—the Guardians of the Galaxy. An action-packed, epic space adventure, Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits—Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand—with the galaxy’s fate in the balance.

Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy,” which first appeared in comic books in Marvel Super-Heroes, Issue #18 (Jan. 1969), stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, featuring Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot, Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, with John C. Reilly, Glenn Close as Nova Prime Rael and Benicio del Toro as The Collector.

James Gunn is the director of the film with Kevin Feige producing, and Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Jeremy Latcham, Alan Fine and Stan Lee serve as executive producers. The story is by Nicole Perlman and James Gunn, with screenplay by James Gunn. Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” releases in U.S. theaters on August 1, 2014.

Like GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY on Facebook: www.facebook.com/guardiansofthegalaxy

Follow GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Guardians