Guardians of the Galaxy is the newest superhero movie that everyone with a spirit of adventure and a love of comedy should see! It features an unlikely group of heroes, misfits from around the galaxy, who work together to defeat evil. These characters include Rocket (Bradley Cooper), a genetically modified talking raccoon with a zest for firepower; Groot (Vin Diesel), a tree-like man who is Rocket’s “muscle”; Gamora (Zoe Saldana), the adopted daughter of the villain Ronan (Lee Pace); Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), a strong man longing to get revenge on Ronan, and most importantly Peter Quill or Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), a human who was taken into space after the death of his mother. Quill takes a powerful orb off the planet Morag and this group of heroes works together and travels throughout the galaxy in attempt to keep its awesome power out of the despicable hands of Ronan.

The characters originally meet one another in unfriendly ways. Gamora is trying to steal from Star-Lord, Rocket and Groot want to kidnap Star-Lord for money, and Drax wants to kill Gamora because her adopted father, Ronan, had previously killed his wife and daughter. They all spend time together in jail, and have minor disputes but are later able to overcome their differences and work together as friends.

Guardians of the Galaxy, like all Marvel Studios productions, is based on comic books. The movie was directed by James Gunn and written by Nicole Pearlman. It has been very popular since its release on August 1, 2014, and grossed over $419 million worldwide in about two weeks. The soundtrack (Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1) contains popular songs from the late 1960s through the 1970s and is currently ranked the number 1 album in the United States

Many Berkeley students and faculty have already experienced this great film and raved about it. Seniors Elisabeth Beam and Lauren Tyler both thought the overall movie was “awesome” and a great summer adventure. Beam loved the soundtrack has already bought some songs from it on her phone. She said that Groot was her favorite character in the film and was really cute.

Christina Arcuri, the Middle Division/ Upper Division Librarian, agreed that the film was terrific. She said the movie “was super fun and had music that I absolutely loved!” She likes to play the track when she is cleaning at home and her favorite song is Come and Get Your Love by Redbone. She also agreed that Groot was her favorite character and said she is “naturally a tree-hugger but this is a tree I can actually hug and will hug me too!” Arcuri said that Guardians of the Galaxy has an excellent “balance of humor and heart. You really felt for characters but [the movie] didn’t take [it]self too seriously.”

Guardians of the Galaxy is an enthralling movie and a tremendous success. It has something for all prospective audiences:  action, comedy, romance, and many other enjoyable elements. It is a terrific film with great music and is fun for the whole family. Remember, all Marvel movies have an ending scene after the credits that foreshadow events in upcoming movies—everyone should stay for those!

A SEQUEL TO GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY WILL BE RELEASED ON JULY 28, 2017.

If you like this movie you may also like:

In theaters now:

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
• Let’s Be Cops
• The Expendables 3
• The Giver
• Into the Storm
• The Hundred-Foot Journey

Coming soon:

• The Box Trolls (September 25, 2014)
• The Maze Runner (September 19, 2014)
• 20,000 Days on Earth (September 19, 2014)
• Night at the Museum 3 (December 19, 2014)
• Ant Man (July 17, 2015)
• The Avengers: Age of Ultron (May 1, 2015)
• Captain America 3 (May 6, 2016)
• Avengers 3 (May 2018)