THINK of a Marvel Comics film and you might say Spider-Man, X-Men or the Avengers.

But what you probably would not picture is a wisecracking, gun-toting raccoon and a walking tree with a limited vocabulary.

Believe it or not, ‘Rocket’ and his leafy bodyguard ‘Groot’, voiced by Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel, are two of the main characters in the tongue-in-cheek sci-fi fantasy, Guardians of the Galaxy.

Even just 10 years ago the concept may have seemed too way out for a blockbuster but this is the result of Marvel creating their own movies in-house (under the Disney umbrella).

And audiences are reaping the benefits because Guardians is as funny and entertaining as it is visually stunning and ambitious.

You can also tell that every cent of the $170 million budget has gone into it as the film successfully beams you into this universe of vivid alien worlds.

It might even make you feel more optimistic about the upcoming Star Wars, which is being made under the Disney banner too.

Guardians’ plot sees Earthling-turned-space rogue Peter Quill (Parks and Recreations’ Chris Pratt) steal an orb which could be devastating in the wrong hands.

Quill, who amusingly insists on calling himself ‘Star-Lord’, finds himself the target of a manhunt by his former allies the Ravagers, led by a blue-skinned Michael Rooker, and the villainous Ronan (The Hobbit’s Lee Pace).

Along the way, Quill meets Rocket and Groot as well as Gamora (Zoe Saldana) who is sent to hunt for the orb but betrays Ronan and prisoner Drax (wrestler Dave Bautista) who wants revenge for what Ronan did to his family.

Filmmaker James Gunn (Super), a newcomer for films on this scale, proves himself adept in the director’s chair.

From the jet boots Quill uses to get himself out of scrapes to a massive jail break with a difference, Gunn’s work is well shot, well paced and inventive.

And it is all backed with a brilliant retro soundtrack as Quill is rarely without his Sony Walkman (a relic from the day he was abducted from Earth).

Naturally, a film like this sticks to formula and Ronan very much subscribes to the Sith Lord school of villains – hood up, scowling and always skulking around in darkness.

But this is one of Marvel’s finest films in years and undoubtedly the start of a new series.