GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (2014)

Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) was just a boy when he was taken from earth, but has now grown up to be a sort of space pirate, foraging the outer reaches of the galaxy in search of treasures to make a profit from.  When he obtains a mysterious orb from a far-distant planet, however, Quill suddenly finds himself on the run from others who would possess it, including Yondu, the fellow ravager who helped to raise him, and one of the biggest baddies in the system, Ronan the Accuser (an unrecognizable Lee Pace), who intends to use the orb to destroy an entire race of beings.  Forced to pull together with a motley crew of fellow bandits - including a talking raccoon, a lovable walking/talking tree named Groot, an oversized strongman, and a beautiful green warrior with her own agenda - to prevent disaster, Quill is like a combined Han Solo/Luke Skywalker in what feels very much like a modern-day Star Wars, in a perfectly-executed film full of action, humor and heart.  One of the year's best.  (rated PG-13) A

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY trailer