Guardians of the Galaxy

"Marvel’s latest gamble shows the studio is riding a wave of self-confidence across mountains of cash in the wake of successfully defying Hollywood common sense by hiring directors like cult favourite Shane Black (Iron Man 3) and a couple of guys best known for TV's Arrested Development and Community (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) to look after some of their most lucrative properties. They’ve upped the stakes here by pairing James Gunn, director of Slither and Super – neither of which troubled box office bean counters – with some of Marvel’s craziest characters in the form of Guardians of the Galaxy, and the result is an exciting thrill-ride that strikes a brilliant balance between jaw-dropping space scenes, anarchic wit and bountiful belly laughs."

"The cheeky comic tone keeps things buoyant - as does Chris Pratt's winning performance as the most blissfully spaced-out space crusader this side of Buckaroo Banzai."

"Mad, marvellous and all kinds of sci-fi magical... Marvel’s riskiest but most surprising success yet."

"Like a vast, family-sized festive crate of chocolates, all wrapped in the shiniest packaging, all exploding with sweetness and surprises."

"Whip-smart, pop-literate, self-aware humour saves the day (and the universe, come to think of it)."

"It’s set far, far away, but Gunn keeps finding ways to keep it grounded in the known universe."

"Despite occasional disregard for the laws of physics, much of the imagery displayed onscreen is so realistic and thrill-inducing that sometimes even the plot becomes almost secondary."

"Colourful, tongue-in-cheek fun, purpose-built for grown-up lovers of kitsch ’80s science-fiction. But the Marvel formula is starting to feel, well, a little too formulaic."