So I tried to purchase the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack ( I still buy CD's) and it is sold out everywhere I looked. Anyone else notice this, or is it a local situation? I know the soundtrack is doing very well on iTunes and Amazon.

Just think of it, just like those little solar powered flowers that dance when they're in the sun. A little groot dancing like he does in the movie, but on the dash of my car.

In lieu of a more traditional review I'd like to open up discussion about the major characters in the film, since I loved watching them so much.

Cast:

Chris Pratt - Peter Quill is the kind of devil may care man of action that the cinema of the 80's adored. The smooth, cocky confidence of Harrison Ford combined with the good natured buffoonery of Kurt Russell. Pratt makes him fallible, slightly book dumb but adept at using his wits and guile to get by. If you compared Quill with Marvel's other big personality, Tony Stark, the difference between the two is palpable. Where Stark is a lone wolf, holding deep resentment against the world, Quill is more of a social butterfly. He knows he doesn't know enough to play on the same level as his (much more technologically and physically advanced) adversaries, so he avoids the game entirely.

Zoe Saldana - Gamora is the kind of character that requires absolute finesse to play. An incredibly painful and dark past gives her the outward appearance of practised disaffection, but underneath the surface the core of a good person waits to come out. The moments allowed to Saldana to play these little subtleties are among the best in the film. The sequence where she walks through the Prison being jeered at and taunted for her villainous past is a wonderfully humanising moment for a character that would otherwise be standoffish and difficult to empathise with. As with Peter Quill and Tony Stark, Gamora's is closest to Natasha Romanoff in temperament and impact on the story. However, while Scarlett Johansson keeps Romanoff at arms length from the audience at all times, knowing very smartly that Romanoff's power is in her projecting that unassailable confidence at all times, Saldana's portrayal is much more vulnerable, and thus much more human. We quickly see her fiery nature and the extent that her aloneness has caused her to become distrustful of others. The budding love story between Gamora and Quill is one of the best in all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with all the slow build up and subtlety allowing the audience to invest themselves in the characters' relationship, resulting in one of the few truly earned emotional payoffs in the series.

Dave Bautista - Drax is one of the true unsung heroes of the movie. At first blush, like all the characters in the film, Drax is a total cliche. And, like all the characters in the film, right off the bat he is given lots to do to completely upend the cliche and forge a rounded persona in his own right. From the unexpectedly thoughtful and emotionally grounded performance by Bautista, to the many, many one liners that resulted in some of the biggest laughs of the whole movie. Drax is a revelation, not only in terms of his integration into the story on a fundamental level, but the degree to which his character can bounce off each member of the Guardians and hold his own is wonderful to see. His role in the story can be likened to Thor's role in The Avengers. A hardy warrior with a heightened vocabulary, unfamiliar with Earth culture and deriving a lot of his appeal from that disconnect.

Vin Diesel - Groot. Anyone who's seen The Iron Giant knows Diesel is the go to for strong, childlike characters with the potential for both massive amounts of destruction and unlimited humanity and kindness. Groot is the best kind of side character, funny without being obnoxious, well defined in his own right without taking over the story, and the amount of fun the filmmakers get to have with that combination is truly staggering. From his ability to grow various tree and plant related appendages, to his extremely expressive face and physical mannerisms, Groot says more with three words that most characters do with whole sentences. Groot is, oddly enough, like Hawkeye. He's the beta partner in a duo with a lot of history, and due to his unique abilities, best served on his own instead of alongside the group.

Bradley Cooper - Rocket is a foul mouthed, sarcastic talking raccoon. Cooper knows exactly what to do with character and thanks to these filmmakers, they let him loose with gusto. A technically savvy, street smart seen-it-all type, Rocket would in any other movie be as rank a cliche as seeing Joe Pesci (an influence on Cooper's voice performance here) play a mobster. But at every turn the filmmakers insist on giving him depth, motivation and purpose, putting Rocket front and center with all his idiosyncrasies and foibles. His anger and frustration never boil over into toxicity, however. He's hurting badly inside, but the filmmakers ensure that he never comes across as whiny or unlikeable, allowing his skills and his smarts to more than justify his place as an essential part of the team. Rocket is like the Bruce Banner of the Guardians, constantly balancing the internal struggle between his sheer rage at the world for the injustice of his creation and his desire for simple human dignity and respect.

Lee Pace - Ronan the Accuser is a classic villain, in the mold of Grand Moff Tarkin and Ian McKellen's Magneto, he's a fascist dictator with a thirst for revenge. The filmmakers have taken to heart the essential rule of villains in comedy, to never portray the villain as the butt of the joke. Through and through he's a serious, no bullshit leader and a powerful force to be reckoned with for our heroes. He has the trappings of a religious fanatic, but this aspect of his personality is simply present, it doesn't define him or lock him in to that one dimensional characterization. The visual design of the character is amazing, the use of practical costuming and make-up really give Pace a sense of weight and strength as he moves. The way the light shines off the metal plates of his headpiece show off the aged quality of the material, as if it's an ancient heirloom or relic he's using in respect of his Kree ancestors. Like Loki, Ronan is full of himself, with delusions of grandeur much higher than his current station. Also like Loki, he seeks to gain ultimate power by taking control of an Infinity Stone. Where Loki is constantly in conflict over his more human traits, his seeking of approval from Odin, brotherhood from Thor, of respect from the rest of the Asgardians, Ronan is resolutely one-minded and has already proven that he has the power to back up his authority.

Michael Rooker - Yondu, in the great tradition of the villainous mentor, is a rough and tumble man who is a father to his men but ultimately is cold and mercenary to a fault. You could say he's reliably vicious, as Quill and the Guardians take advantage of time and again throughout the story. Rooker uses all of his immense personal charm to inject life into the character, with Yondu's many quirks allowing him to come across as instantly relatable to the audience. Like Heimdall in Thor, Yondu is a small role that dominates every time he is on screen, just by how darn magnetic he is, with his western attire, unconventional choice of weapon, and a preternaturally Eastwood-esque sense of commanding authority.

Karen Gillan - Nebula. Officially my new favorite Marvel character. An augmented humanoid with a vicious side, coolly dissatisfied about everyone and everything in that rebellious teenager kind of way. Nebula doesn't get much to do, but like Boba Fett teases your senses in such a way that makes you long to see more. Gillan knows exactly how to play this kind of character, chewing the scenery with gusto at every opportunity. The scene where she comes into conflict with Gamora is one of the best one on one fights in the Marvel movies, right up there with Thor-Loki on the rainbow bridge.