The screen fades from black and we see a quiet, eerie corner of the galaxy. In the distance there's a double helix-shaped battleship made of some type of space stone. As the ship comes into view, the audience is made aware that this is the Dark Aster, home to Ronan (Lee Pace) and his minions.

In the latest installment of the Marvel/Disney film franchise “Guardians of the Galaxy,” directed by James Gunn (“Scooby-Doo”), five unlikely heroes traverse the known universe in hopes of preventing an orb from falling into the hands of the evil Kree people and their leader, Ronan. The orb, which has the power to erase planets and life forms from existence is a hot commodity on the intergalactic black market; it needs to be contained.

For this task, the universe needs heroes! Our heroes, or “guardians,” are Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), a Terran-born ravager; Gamora (Zoe Saldana), a green-skinned ex-minion of Ronan's; Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), a superhuman warrior who takes everything literally; Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), a genetic experiment who “never asked to be made”; and Groot (Vin Diesel), a gracious root.

The story line is, of course, supported by characters who have existed in the Marvel Universe since forever; this in itself validates the plot, which moves at a steady uphill pace. Intermittently, the dialogue strays for comic relief, which helps balance out the weight of doom that ominously hangs over the entire film. The soundtrack consists of rocking '80s tunes, which lends comfort and nostalgia.

I'm an avid Marvel moviegoer; I know that Marvel movies are good. But that's just it: good. So when I saw “Guardians of the Galaxy,” it would be an understatement to say that I was pleasantly surprised. It wasn't good, it was great! It was an unexpected spectacle – a tasteful blend of literary and cinematic expertise. The digital artistry was almost magically realistic, especially in 3D.

“Guardians of the Galaxy” was definitely not what I expected, but in a good way. Nor were the guardians what I expected. One might ask, what do a Terran thief, a talking tree, a genius raccoon, an assassin, and a superhuman have in common? They are the guardians of the galaxy. And, as Marvel has assured us, they will return.