Out July 31, I was one of the lucky people who got see the regional premiere at Cineworld Ipswich this week.

Angry Kree Ronan The Accuser needs a special orb to give to the equally mad Thanos who will blow up the planet Xandar in return. Space rogue Peter Quill finds it first, engineering a team-up with assassin Gamora, bounty hunters Rocket and Groot and convict Drax to save the day.

A child of the 1980s, I loved the kitsch feel – from Walkman mix tapes to nods to sci-fi films of the decade I grew up watching – with shades of Firefly and Farscape sprinkled over top.

I loved raccoon with attitude Rocket and walking tree Groot the best and the chemistry between the hero cast showed really promise. It was the villains who were a little bit of a let-down for me.

Ronan and sidekick Nebula, the latter played by Doctor Who’s Karen Gillan, were too comic-booky - all sinister glares and growls. Although, I deserve congratulating for not shouting out “whack her Pond” during Nebula and Gamora’s face-off.

Wryly written, it zips along and director and writer James Gunn - responsible for the excellent Slither - and co-writer Nicole Perlman were clearly channelling Joss Whedon, no bad thing.

The main problem is it didn’t feel part of the larger Marvel movie universe, at least yet. With big bad Thanos in the mix that’s bound to change. That said, overall it made me feel how the recent Star Wars prequels should’ve made me feel.

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