Director James Gunn worked his way up through Troma and a few memorably off-the-wall indie flicks to make the great Star Wars rip-off movie that a jillion other filmmakers tried to make back in the 70s and 80s. It’s got the pulpy outer space intrigue. It’s got the noisy spaceship fights. It’s got your ragtag collection of heroes who don’t like each other at first. Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is a kind of Luke Skywalker/Han Solo hybrid, a seasoned cosmic pirate who’s still hurting over a parent’s death and looking for a family. There’s also an inarticulate-but-smarter-then-he-seems Chewbacca figure (a walking, talking tree voiced by Vin Diesel). The big difference between this and George Lucas circa ’77 is that this is a whole lot funnier. It’s the most smartassed of the Marvel movies. Every time it hits you with a cliche, a devilish joke softens the blow. It’s as much a comedy as it is an action spectacular with scarcely a moment that takes itself seriously, right up to the expected post-closing credits scene. Comic book movies have been sucking out loud for a year or two now. This one brings back the fun.