Although few people thought it would turn out to be a summer blockbuster, I had the pleasure of watching Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, and while I know very little about the comic book characters themselves, I have to say that the film was the best Marvel comic book movies I’ve seen, even topping The Avengers and Captain America: The Winter Solider.

The film’s plot centered on a destructive orb, which we see when one of the protagonists, Peter Quill (who calls himself Starlord), try to steal from a genocidal maniac and the antagonist of the film, Ronan the Accuser, for a “get rich quick scheme” by selling the orb for units (currency throughout the galaxy). In the meantime, Gamora, the heroine of the film, tries to steal the orb from Quill to sell it to a third party for 4 billion units. Enter Rocket and Groot, two bounty hunters whose only interest is making a quick buck by turning in outlaws, which is how they meet Quill. Once they become familiar with each other, by getting thrown in jail together, they meet the last member of the team, Drax the Destroyer, who has a personal vendetta against Ronan.

All these characters form a team that become known as the Guardians of the Galaxy, who try to stop Ronan from using the orb to obliterate a place known as Xandar, a planet home to billions of extraterrestrial beings. Although the story of the film was great, I feel that without the right cast, the film would not have been as amazing as it was.

The cast was the life of the film. I knew the movie was going to have me laughing, with Chris Pratt in the lead role as Starlord because of his work as Andy Dwyer on Parks and Recreation and as the voice of Emmett in The Lego Movie. While he isn’t known as an action hero, he managed to pull it off very well. Zoe Saldana was fantastic as Gamora, her work in Avatar and The Losers shows that she is the perfect choice for a strong female supporting actress. While it was unexpected, Dave Bautista as Drax couldn’t have been a better choice. Although he’s better known for appearing on World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), he was a perfect combination of muscle and humor, which really made Drax seem likeable, instead of a huge and intimidating thug, and he proves to be a great asset to the team. Bradley Cooper voicing Rocket was also unexpected, nevertheless, it just felt natural hearing Rocket as a foul mouthed little vermin and Cooper did a magnificent job of doing just that. Finally, although he was restricted to “I am Groot” for a majority of the movie, Vin Diesel voicing Groot was heartwarming, especially as Rocket translates for Groot, which shows the relationship between the two. All these characters worked so well together and as a result the Guardians were more than a just a group of outlaws and misfits, they are a family of misfits and outlaws.

Director James Gunn did a spectacular and marvelous job with Guardians of the Galaxy. The film was the perfect blend of action, comedy, and thrilling intensity. I would highly recommend anybody to see this film, even if this particular genre doesn’t interest you; it’s definitely worth a watch. This film easily earns a 4.5 out of 5 stars.