Whoa, for the first half hour I thought for sure I was watching a spin on Firefly Meets the Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Captain Mal, nostalgia for his home planet always at the forefront, is a scoundrel of sorts, wandering the Galaxy trying to make a buck. He salvages and trades where he can on different planets. He gathers a motley crew together, including a big bulky fighter who isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, a female weapon who can kick ass like nobody's business, and a smart-alec pilot (who is not a raccoon but has a fascination with dinosaurs). They all decide to sacrifice themselves for one last mission to save the galaxy against the Reavers. And he has a bounty on his head. When it is all done, they fly around looking for more adventure and mischief. "Wind blows Northerly, I go North".

Needless to say, I was not all that impressed with Guardians of the Galaxy. If I wanted to watch Serenity, I would have watched Serenity. But then something happened. I think it was the way Fantastic Mr. Raccoon took control in the jail, with his partner Groot. The raccoon turns out to be more than a mere bounty-hunter: he's the Fantastic McGyvering Raccoon and he won me over.

I am not and never will be a fan of the kinds of space-chases that are too complicated to understand, and there were a few of those. I never understood this obsession with throwing a gazillion things on the screen for 10 minutes creating complete confusion and chaos. I tune right out and wait until we get back to something tangible. If I weren't so trained in the etiquette of theatre-going, even in my own home theatre, I would pull out the phone and play Sudoku until the scene is over.

The basic story of the film isn't the most original, but the mix-tape, the humour and the Fantastic McGyvering Raccoon made it worthwhile.