'Guardians Of The Galaxy' Review Roundup: Latest Marvel Blockbuster A Hit With Critics

Guardians of the Galaxy, a space adventure pulled from the Marvel universe, follows cosmos adventurer Peter Quill aka Star Lord as he tries to keep a powerful orb out of the hands of villains with a band of unlikely allies.

Joining Chris Pratt’s affable Star Lord is the green-skinned assassin Gamora (Zoe Saldana), machine-gun wielding raccoon Rocket (Bradley Cooper), tree-like humanoid Groot (Vin Diesel) and Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista). Together, the interplanetary misfits endeavor to keep the orb from Ronan, who plans to destroy planets with the device.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Reviews

Critics across the board have praised Guardians of the Galaxy for its pure entertainment value. The film doesn’t try to be more or less than it is – a space comic in which in place of superheroes are a rodent and a tree that utters just one phrase: “I am Groot.” Special compliments are given to Pratt, who has very likely solidified his position as a movie star with his turn as Peter Quill.

“Guardians of the Galaxy is an open fire hydrant of a summer movie: more fun than should be allowed in such hot weather. It’s the first film based on a comic book to actually play like a comic book, a slick escapist treat.[…] This is entertainment straight out of the professional wrestling handbook: larger than life and emphatically artificial. Unless, of course, you believe the criminal class light years from our planet is exchanging banter cribbed from bad Bill Murray movies.” – David Hiltbrand, Philadelphia Inquirer

“A highly combustible mix of space opera and camp comedy, Guardians of the Galaxy explores a corner of the Marvel comics universe inhabited by rocket-riding reprobates rather than superheroes. It extends the brand into a realm of buffoonish antiheroes, frankly raunchy humor and unabashed absurdism. What sounds like a strained miscalculation turns out to be one of the most shamelessly enjoyable pranks ever pulled by a multibillion-dollar entertainment conglomerate. This is what happens when blockbuster filmmaking sits on a whoopee cushion.” – Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Guardians of the Galaxy does the impossible. Through dazzle and dumb luck, it turns the clichés of comic-book films on their idiot heads and hits you like an exhilarating blast of fun-fun-fun. It’s insanely, shamelessly silly – just one reason to love it. Another is the up-for-anything cast. Chris Pratt is blissfully right as Peter Quill, who calls himself the Star Lord, mostly because no one else will.” – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

“[Director James Gunn] pairs his oversized budget and wide-eyed ambitions like he’s the world’s most talented 10-year-old. This scrappy franchise isn’t burdened by the expectations of big-name projects like The Avengers. It’s clear within every amped-up action scene, unexpected effect and sweetly sentimental aside that the director embraced the chance to take some risks. To see an expensive, big-studio movie freed from creative constraints and directorial cynicism is always a rare and wondrous experience. In a season of bloated indulgence, it’s also fair to call it a marvel.” – Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News

Guardians of the Galaxy is currently in wide release.