Very entertaining, due to an almost perfect mix of humor, action and emotional moments. The plot moves along briskly, introducing a lot of people and places. If fact, the previous Marvel Cinematic Universe films are barely referenced, so almost everything here seems fresh. Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord is extremely likable, and can easily alternate between comedic moments and heroic scenes. Bradley Cooper breathes plenty of life into the CGI Rocket, making the character feisty, hilarious and at time sympathetic. Without much dialog to work with, most of the credit for making Groot an entertaining character comes from the animators. He has a child-like innocence throughout, even when he’s beating up bad guys. Zoe Saldana and Dave Bautista flesh out their roles as Gamora and Drax quite well, but their characters can fall flat at times. The villains are a weak part of this film. They’re motivation is only brushed upon, and they don’t give the audience any reason to feel a connection to them. The finale features an action sequence worthy of the Star Wars films, with every character playing a role. All the action scenes are well done, but the movie’s strongest aspect is its humor. Just enough sentimental moments are interwoven into the story to maximize their impact. You can go from laughing to a tear in your eye pretty quickly. There is a post-credit scene, and it’s only worth sticking around for it if you want one more quick laugh. The 3D added nothing to the film.
**** out of *****