By Matthew Chan | Opinions Editor

Since its release on August 1, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy has rocketed to number 1 in its first weekend and has stayed on top for two months and counting.  In six weeks, Guardians of the Galaxy has grossed more than many other movies, including the wildly popular Captain America: The Winter Soldier, now in its twentieth week.

The Guardians are not driven by unshakeable conviction, self-righteousness, or the need to impress the public, as the heroes in other superhero movies are.  They start out as shady characters trying to sort out their lives and avoid public attention on the fringes of the galaxy.  Gamora, an assassin of Ronan, loses interest in her when she finds out that Ronan intends to destroy the galaxy.  Thus, she betrays Ronan and flees for her life.  Rocket and Groot try to conceal their sadness by fighting and thieving.  Peter Quill is a lost Earthling who was abducted as a boy, and Drax is a confused muscleman who wants to kill Ronan to avenge his wife and daughter’s deaths.

Despite the well developed characters, the action in the movie is underwhelming.  With the usual explosions, screaming, and slow-mo movements, most of the fight scenes can only be classified as generic and unsatisfying.  The main characters never get hit and the bad guys fall like flies.  After so many action movies, the same kind of action gets old and tiresome.

However, the movie was well complemented by a unique soundtrack.  Many of the fight scenes are characterized by upbeat, catchy music which provides contrast to the guns and killing and creates a sort of ironic humor.  As opposed to the fast, tense music generally used for action movies, this slower-paced, happy music is new and fresh, often complementing redundant slow-mo scenes and absurdly one-sided fight scenes.

The movie in general is a unique kind of sci-fi action movie.  Many movies within the same genre emphasize the struggle of a superhuman being as he or she combats an insurmountable force whereas this movie is about having fun and understanding the power of friendship, hence the cheerful music.  This movie is for those who don’t mind the action and want to get a kick out of oral humor.

Music: 5/5     Plot: 4/5     Characters: 4/5     Total: 13/15