It’s a mystery how Marvel came to the decision to make a film out of an almost unknown series and turned it into a $300 million franchise.

“Guardians of the Galaxy,” adapted from the comic series of the same name, stars Peter Quill as the main character. Chris Pratt, who plays Quill in the film, describes his character as a “mix of Han Solo and Marty McFly” for his charisma and sense of humor.

The film starts when Quill steals an orb coveted around the galaxy. As a fugitive, he encounters Gamora (Zoe Saldana), an assassin; Rocket (Bradley Cooper), a raccoon capable of logistics voiced by; Groot (Vin Diesel), a humanoid tree and Drax (Dave Bautista), an intimidating and powerful inmate. Together, they form the Guardians of the Galaxy and fight against numerous antagonists who also want the orb.

The film is extremely light-hearted and shows an unoriginal, yet enjoyable sense of humor that seems to be taken almost directly from the latter half of the Star Warsseries. It also takes inspiration from Ridley Scott’s cult classic “Blade Runner,” as shown from the designs of some of the characters and environments.

Unlike other Marvel protagonists, Quill seemingly has no superpower at all and possesses distinctly human qualities, such as being unable to take some situations seriously, which makes him relatable. However, the characters feel neither original nor believable, as they’re all based off of existing character tropes from other media and have overdone and exaggerated personalities. The story is horribly paced, which makes it difficult to follow. Aside from the final scene, the film’s action scenes are generic and uninteresting.

The special effects are amazingly detailed; however, they’re only somewhat believable due to the low frame rate at which they’re rendered, which makes it seem as if the actors are moving at a smoother rate than the special effects — however, this isn’t just a flaw in “Guardians of the Galaxy;” many other films suffer from this too.

Playing off of Quill’s love for music from the 1960s, 70s and 80s (a gift from his late mother, another subplot), the film smartly incorporates his taste into the soundtrack. It includes great songs such as the 1976 classic Cherry Bomb, and the legendary 1970 R&B hit, O-o-h Child. The dynamic score is unfortunately undermined by Quill’s songs, which are featured prominently.

“Guardians of The Galaxy” feels as though it is trying to distinguish itself from, or satirize other Marvel films. However, it fails to avoid the pitfalls of those films in its plot, as half the film builds up to a huge action scene. Overall, it’s an enjoyable, yet flawed film.