Usually, I am not into superhero or fantasy type movies, so when a new Marvel movie comes out, I have to admit, I am not the first in line to buy tickets. However, I do have three sons, two of which are totally into all the Marvel Superheroes and the other who is now getting into movies like Star Wars. I took the later to the media screening of Marvel’s latest comic book heroes movie, Guardians of the Galaxy. My son was thrilled beyond belief to get a sneak peek of the action packed sci-fi film. I, on the other hand, just happy to spend the time with him. When all was said and done, I was pleasantly surprised at the overall outcome.

Overall story line:

From Marvel, the studio that brought you the global blockbuster franchises of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and The Avengers, comes a new team—the Guardians of the Galaxy. An action-packed, epic space adventure, Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits—Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand—with the galaxy’s fate in the balance.

My 10 year-old son’s comments on the film:

“Guardians of the Galaxy is an appropriate movie for kids ages 10 and up. The objective of the movie is a gang of aliens fighting Ronin to save the galaxy. There is humor and action that kept me very engaged and excited to see how it ended. My favorite character was Groot because even though he said very little words, his actions made me laugh. Overall, Guardians of the Galaxy is a movie I would see the sequel to, and was worth my while.”

My adult perspective on the film:

As I mentioned, I’m not big on sci-fi, fantasy type films, so it was a bit challenging for me to keep up on who was the good guy, the bad guy and why. But it didn’t take long, the story line falls into place pretty quickly. I adore Chris Pratt, and when I told my son he was the voice behind Emmet in The Lego Movie, well, that just made Guardians of the Galaxy even more awesome. Overall, I thought the story line was exciting, with some endearing moments, and comedic relief. The casting was great. Along with Chris Pratt, the movie also stars Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, John C. Riley, Glen Close and Benicio Del Toro to name a few.

The soundtrack? Even better. In fact, that will might be the part of the movie parents will enjoy most, the soundtrack and the 80’s references throughout connected with many adults in the audience. My son also loved how there will obviously be a Guardians of the Galaxy 2, and already started coming up with his own story lines and questions. The movie is rated PG-13, which I was bit surprised. I guess it takes a lot to get an R rating these days. Some language I was not thrilled to have my son hear, though he is technically 10, not 13, but a pretty mature 10. And, there were a few sexual references and innuendos, thus, why I was surprised it was given a PG-13 rating. Because of that, I wouldn’t recommend the movie to the under 13 set. I may also be a bit conservative in my views, but I was a concerned about how he would handle a few scenes. Nothing too scary, the action seemed right on par with a PG-13 rating. In the end, he really enjoyed the film, and is still laughing at some of the lines and scenes. And, yes, Groot, like Olaf in Frozen, stole the show for me. He brings about a tranquility and optimism for peace.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY opens in theaters everywhere on August 1st! See it in 3-D if you can. 

I was an invited guest of Walt Disney Pictures as a member of the media to preview the movie, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. All thoughts and opinions are my own. All images (besides my personal photo) are property of Walt Disney Pictures and Marvel.