When the Cheshire emerges...

A change to when I see films means I'm moving Review of the Week to Monday nights. Reviews will be published on here before what I'm actually writing them for, but I'm not going to make you hold out until nearly a week after their release if it's not an advance screening.

This week, I would really like to know what people think of the film. I'm torn as to whether Guardians of the Galaxy was worth including in the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise...

Guardians of the Galaxy (M)

MISFITS in this world get along by mixing with others of the same sentiment, those who for one reason or another fail to fit into the general norms of society. It's a foundation of the superhero genre, and a fact that Marvel Comics has jumped on to make its billions.

It's no surprise then that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been expanded past the Avengers' group and individual tales. For some the inclusion of the Guardians of the Galaxy comes as a surprise, but others will know the odd group fits well within the Marvel sphere of weird.

And weird this group is. Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), taken from Earth as a kid in 1988, is an outlaw raised by crooks. Gamora (Zoe Saldana) is turning her back on family for the greater good of the universe because they are an evil bunch, while Drax (Dave Bautista) is a surprisingly intelligent brute wanting revenge for his family's death.

Then there's comical duo Groot (Vin Diesel) and Rocket (Bradley Cooper). A tree with limited speech and a mutant racoon make for an unlikely pair but one that brings the laughs in this story of acceptance and friendship.

The Avengers these guys ain't. While they too are a bunch of misfits brought together under circumstance, the Guardians of the Galaxy are a more friendly bunch towards each other. Their camaraderie is more genuine by the story's end, where one's ego doesn't overtake the others and individual interests aren't the most important.

Director James Gunn wants to make us believe that idea of genuine friendship is something found in the good old days, throwing the audience back into a not-so-forgotten era with a peppy 70s soundtrack. Marvel gets retro with this lot, but it overcompensates in the family friendly stakes when paired with the usual wisecracks this franchise has come to be known for.

The story itself is a simple one to aid the introduction of the new group. After Quill gains possession of a valuable artifact he becomes a target, and the group are thrown together out of circumstance to try and keep it out of villainous hands.

There's a little bit of a Thor complex in there as Gamora becomes central to the plan - her family, including Ronan (Lee Pace) and sister Nebula (Karen Gillan) are the story's bad guys as they plot to destroy the people of planet Xandar. There's a touch of Iron Man too, with Quill's desire to be known as the edgy hero Starlord.

It's a hard ask for audiences to be accepting of this group as part of the Marvel universe, with next to no tie-ins with any of the characters previously focused on. To Gunn and Nicole Perman's credit, the script contains some of the laughs we should expect. But while Pratt and Saldana are great leads (Pratt particularly comfortable with comedy), John C Reilly as Xandarian officer Corpsman Dey and Benicio del Toro as The Collector don't get enough screen time.

While not meant to be viewed as a standalone film it easily comes across that way. It's because of that the standard drops just a little bit within the Marvel story. These guardians provide plenty of action to keep you entertained, and bring something different to the Marvel spectrum - but ultimately serve as what seems to be an unnecessary distraction for what lies ahead.

Rating: 3.5/5

To be published in the Darwin Sun on Wednesday 6/8/2014 and NT News on Thursday 7/8/2014.

MISSED LAST WEEK'S REVIEW? See what I thought of Charlie's Country.