Yeah, there are a lot of cool movies out this summer, but I’m not backing down off that title. Why? I’ll attempt to explain without spoilers. (Sorry, I don’t do them; go somewhere else if you want to ruin the movie for yourself. I mean, c’mon! Who reads the cliff notes to see if they should read the book?)

So why is Guardians of the Galaxy THE Movie of the Summer? Well, for starters, it is compete. Admittedly, I’m fresh off the “I just saw the movie” glow, but I’m struggling to find any real holes in it. Right now I’m racking my brain, but there really isn’t anything that nags at me or bugs me because it didn’t fit. Often during a movie I find myself getting pulled out and engaging my surroundings because something just didn’t ring true. And yes, I’m well aware that Guardians has a psychotic anthropomorphized raccoon and monosyllabic tree in it. It didn’t matter, totally fit. I was focused on the screen for the whole show.

Beyond that, Guardians of the Galaxy had a nice mix of everything you want in a blockbuster. Plenty of action, great fight scenes, lots of laughs (more than most of the “comedies” Hollywood pumps out) and finally a couple emotional moments that are nicely inserted at some key moments. The beginning ties in perfectly with the end and we even get some hints of what might be to come (especially if you’ve read the comics).

So how abut the acting? What about the actors? Spot on. I went in expecting Bradley Cooper to be a great Rocket Raccoon, surmised that Zoe Saldana would make a solid Gamora in light of her past work with Pirates and Avatar, figured Vin Diesel could pull off a deep “I am Groot!” and had no idea what to expect from Batista. Frankly, the WWE Superstar surprised me, in some part because I’ve watched him in the ring and was uncertain how far his range would stretch. He far exceeded my expectations and did a fantastic job delivering a very believable and unique Drax. Last, but not least, Chris Pratt pulled off a great Peter Quill. His opening scene truly sets the tone for the movie.

And Thanos? After all, we’ve only been waiting for him since The Avengers set the silver screen on fire in 2012. Frankly the anticipation seems like it has been building far longer than two years.  Josh Brolin gave us a tantalizing glimpse of the Mad Titan. I can’t wait to see him take the role into the Age of Ultron (why, oh why isn’t it 2015 already? Seriously.). In the interim, Lee Pace made a pretty badass Ronin the Accuser and Karen Gillan pares well with him as Nebula. Keep your eye on Michael Rooker as Yondu too.

I should also add that if you have the choice of seeing Guardians of the Galaxy in 3D or not, choose 3D. Especially if it is IMAX. I very willingly punched and kicked my way through hoards of tourists and fuzzy characters in Time Square to ensure I had the best picture and sound quality I could find. I was not disappointed. The 3D fits seamlessly with a fantastic array of CGI. I literally felt myself get dizzy at least once or twice. You really can't beat that for realism.

Bottom line, I walked away from the Guardians with a desire to go back and see it again. And I will. I know I missed a few lines over the laughter and clapping of the crowds, so I might just wait a week or two until they clear out. I don’t advise that you wait though, go see it now! You don’t want to be the last person to see this flick.

Um, really, why are you still reading this? Go on, get out of here and tell them that Mark and the Wayward Raven Crew sent you. You can thank us later.

- Mark The Destroyer

And then there's this

One of our dear friends, Marlene (@iLikeComicsToo) has done a spoiler free Video Blog.  It's full of win.

- Alex The Mad Olympian

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omKg-XoO-DQ