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GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY [2014] [3D Blu-ray + 2D Blu-ray] [UK Release] From the Studio That Brought You the MARVEL Avengers Assemble!
From the MARVEL Studios that launched the epic franchise of ‘Iron Man,’ ‘Thor,’ ‘Captain America’ and ‘The Avengers,’ comes a new team – the Guardians of the Galaxy.
The MARVEL Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill steals a mysterious orb and becomes the object of a relentless bounty hunt. To evade his enemies, the ever-persistent Ronan, Peter Quill forges uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits with Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Peter Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals misfits for a last desperate stand — with the galaxy's fate in the balance. Featuring amazing new characters and exclusive bonus features, this must-own blockbuster will have you hooked on a feeling . . . of pure adrenaline!
MUSIC TRACK LISTING: “I’m Not in Love” [Performed by 10cc]; “Go All the Way” [Performed by Raspberries]; “Hooked on a Feeling” [Performed by Blue Swede]; “Moonage Daydream” [Performed by David Bowie]; “Cherry Bomb” [Performed by The Runaways]; “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” [Performed by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell]; Come and Get Your Love” [Performed by Redbone]; Mad Scene from “Lucia Di Lammermoor" [Performed by Bergamo Musica Festival Orchestra and Chorus]; “Escape” (The Piña Colada Song)” [Performed by Rupert Holmes]; “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” [Performed by Elvin Bishop]; “O-O-H Child” [Performed by The Five Stairsteps] and “I Want You Back” [Performed by Jackson 5].
Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, Benicio Del Toro, Laura Haddock, Sean Gunn, Peter Serafinowicz, Christopher Fairbank, Krystian Godlewski, Wyatt Oleff, Gregg Henry, Janis Ahern, Solomon Mousley, Lindsay Morton, Robert Firth, Melia Kreiling, Tom Proctor, Nick Holmes, Max Wrottesley, Stan Lee, Nicole Alexandra Shipley, Sharif Atkins, Brendan Fehr, Tomas Arana, Mikaela Hoover, Emmett J Scanlan, Dominic Grant, Spencer Wilding, Alison Lintott, Alexis Rodney, Nathan Fillion (voice), Keeley Forsyth, Frank Gilhooley, Alexis Denisof, Enzo Cilenti, Richard Katz, Enoch Frost, Ronan Summers, Ophelia Lovibond, Laura Ortiz, Marama Corlett, Rosie Jones, Abidemi Sobande, Alex Rose, Ekaterina Zalitko, Emily Redding, Fred (Cosmo the Space Dog), Stephen Blackehart, Jennifer Moylan-Taylor, Bruce Mackinnon, Ralph Ineson, Rob Zombie, Naomi Ryan, John Brotherton, Graham Shiels, James Gunn, Douglas Robson, Rachel Cullen, Isabella Poynton, Imogen Poynton, David Yarovesky, Miriam Lucia, Adrian Allan (uncredited), Freddie Andrews (uncredited), Habib Anibaba (uncredited), Jozef Aoki (uncredited), Helen Banks (uncredited), Tyler Bates (uncredited), Richard Blenkiron Alysson Da Silva (uncredited), Wayne Devlin (uncredited), Simara Dixon (uncredited), Barny DuPlessis (uncredited), Seth Green (Howard the Duck voice) (uncredited), Victoria Gugenheim (uncredited), Lee Edward Jones (uncredited), Jonathan Lipow (Sakaarans voice) (uncredited), Erica Melargo (uncredited), Serhat Metin (uncredited), Nigel Murfitt (uncredited), Louise Port (uncredited), Deborah Rosan (uncredited), Wesley Von Spears (Holographic Dog) (uncredited), Paul Warren (uncredited) and Tatiana Zarubova (uncredited)
Director: James Gunn
Producers: Alan Fine, David J. Grant, Jamie Christopher, Jeremy Latcham, Jonathan Schwartz, Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Nikolas Korda, Stan Lee and Victoria Alonso
Screenplay: James Gunn (screenplay), Nicole Perlman (screenplay), Andy Lanning (based on the Marvel comic book and Dan Abnett (based on the Marvel comic book)
Composer: Tyler Bates
Cinematography: Ben Davis
Video Resolution: 1080p [Technicolor]
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 [Anamorphic]
Audio: English: 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English: 2.0 Descriptive Audio, Spanish: 5.1 DTS Digital Surround and Hindi: 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, Portuguêse, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish
Running Time: 120 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 2
Studio: MARVEL Studios / Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ [2014] is a stunning awesome action packed film, that is filled with natural and artificial beauty that is a testament to modern filmmaking with seamless practical and equally stunning computer CGI visual effects that blend together to create a dazzling space adventure world. It’s the best MARVEL Studios Blu-ray, it is visually flawless. Every crack in Groot’s bark, each line in Drax’s tattooed body, and every hair on Rocket’s head stand out with perfection, totally blowing away any imitators, because ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ pristine transfer will blow it away. MARVEL Studios swaps gloomy superheroes for snappy, Saturday-cartoon fun. And it is a total gem.
‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ is based on one of Marvel Comics’ lesser known franchises, this is the tale of Peter Quill [Chris Pratt], an earthling abducted as a boy who, a quarter of a century later, is working as a Han Solo-style outlaw-for-hire under the self-ordained nickname “Star-Lord.” When his quest for a mysterious orb attracts the attention of some blue-skinned intergalactic troublemakers, Quill throws in with a team of fellow outsiders including green-skinned warrior princess Gamora [Zoe Saldana], genetically enhanced raccoon Rocket [voiced by Bradley Cooper], comically literal man-mountain Drax [Dave Bautista] and a self-regenerating, semi-sentient walking tree named Groot [Vin Diesel] being his usual muscle man agenda.
Basic scenario is that you have a good vs. evil plot in here somewhere, but it’s rendered largely impenetrable by a profusion of MARVEL-verse asides which will only make sense to those who have followed the mythology across the entire comic and film franchise. No matter of this space opera, the rest of us can just sit back and enjoy the ride, as the film ricochets from one dazzling, frazzling action set-piece to the next, pausing only to charm our socks off with another pithy retort, classic bubble-gum-pop hit or cutely random alien character.
‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ specialises in total adventure fun, served by the sugar-sprinkled ice-cream-scoop loaded in seeing this odd quintet bluster through space battles and alien brawls that would have defeated anyone smarter and better-equipped. Chris Pratt is a swaggering space adventurer, Peter Quill, and with the group’s self-appointed leader, sets Guardians of the Galaxy’s tone from the start. Abducted from Earth as a boy in 1988 and raised by intergalactic mercenaries, he is a cocky, charismatic outlaw in the Han Solo mould and gets in and out of scrapes by means of bluster and bravado rather than especially quick wits. Peter Quill’s most treasured possessions is a battered, outlandishly out-of-place Walkman and a mixtape that preserves the pop songs of his beloved mother’s youth, hence the presence of such cheesy, engagingly memorable numbers as ‘Hooked on a Feeling’ and ‘The Pina Colada Song’ on the soundtrack.
For reasons that is too complicated and confusing to go into here and believe me it doesn’t really matter, but Peter Quill winds up in a very run down space prison in the company of a bunch of bad-ass and wise-ass: green-skinned alien Gamora [Zoë Saldana] who is no stranger to playing weirdly pigmented extra-terrestrials, and there is tattooed, slow-on-the-uptake hulk Drax the Destroyer [Dave Bautista], and a sarcastic talking raccoon named Rocket [Bradley Cooper] and his sidekick Groot [Vin Diesel], a walking tree whose vocabulary is limited to the three words “I am Groot.”
But with this ragtag bunch of misfit’s oddball crew bands together to retrieve an all-powerful orb and stop it falling into the hands of genocidal bad guy Ronan the Accuser [Lee Pace]. But in the meantime Peter Quill says, “This orb has a real shiny blue suitcase, Ark of the Covenant, Maltese Falcon sort of vibe… what is it?” and where upon Peter Quill gives us the wink that the plot is just a marvellous excuse for fizzing CGI-boosted action and larky, tongue-in-cheek bantering.
Some may find the film’s self-satisfaction attitude a mite grating, but I loved the whole film, as it is one great rollercoaster action packed film from start to finish. Chris Pratt is a very likeable character, but to some people he will be compared his character to Harrison Ford, which of course he is not, however hard he tries and there are some real moments where the sheer brain-melting relentlessness becomes slightly over powering, but again I loved it for its sheer adrenaline action pack adventure film, especially viewing it in the awesome 3D. But overall this is giddy, ridiculous fun filled, witty, wacky and wonderfully generous sugary gift of a space adventure film that was a total blast, but also with the added bonus of a brilliant music soundtrack. MARVEL fans like me, will love it! Finally, I loved at the very end of the credits where it states, “No raccoons or tree creatures were harmed during the making of the film.” Also watch right to the end of the film for a very nice surprise. One thing that slightly confused me is in wanting to know where Peter Quill was able to get extra batteries to keep his Walkman tape machine to be played. Of course when the film comes to an end, I started to feel very sad, as it was such an exciting rollercoaster action packed Sci-Fi film, but of course there was no need to feel sad, as at the end of the film we get informed that a new ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2’ film is coming out in the very near future and so my fears have now subsided and I will be there ready when I can purchase the 3D Blu-ray disc when it is finally released.
3D Blu-ray Video Quality – With the combination of MARVEL Studios and Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment brings you ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ from a far off distant galaxy in a highly detailed and gorgeous 1080p ultimate encoded image and also with an equally impressive original theatrical 2.40:1 aspect ratio. This 3D Blu-ray presentation is Blu-ray high definition at its best. This Blu-ray also brings you a wide pallet of stunning colours and with lots of fantastic bright neon colours on everything from environments to starscapes to crazy alien skin tones and all of these are reproduced really wonderfully. The 3D film mixes a number of brightly lit exterior sequences with tons of shadowy space and interior worlds, rendering a visually engaging world in outer space that is never monotonous. Black levels are spot on too. Special Effects too are very highly detailed, with fully CGI characters that come to life in an almost photographic realistic way. ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ is one long ultimate show-stopper on this 3D Blu-ray disc that is totally perfect for the ultimate demonstrating to people who say they hate 3D Blu-ray discs.
3D Blu-ray Audio Quality – Again with this MARVEL Studios and Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment brings you ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ in stunning 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. It also I can assure you that it definitely boasts very engaging ultimate reference quality audio surround experience. Dialogue is wonderfully clear, even in the kore chaotic action sequences in the film. Sound effects are aggressive in a brilliant way, especially with the laser blasts and space ships enveloping your home cinema surround sound environment that is deep and punching, accentuating thrusters and thudding explosions. Finally, for classic rock music fans are going to rejoice at how great and expansive all the music sounds that wrap around the listeners. If like me, you are also an audiophile with a high resolution audio system, you probably haven't heard this classic rock music songs sound this well before. Overall ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ is a fantastic 3D Blu-ray audio experience.
Blu-ray Special Features and Extras: As an added bonus, these special features can be viewed in 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio.
Special Features: Featurettes: Here you get to view two separate features that are as follows:
01. Guide to the Galaxy with James Gunn [2014] [1080p] [1.78:1] [20:56] This particular feature starts off in a very confusing way, in making think you are about to start a video game, especially as it is titled “GALACTIC ADVENTURER” Featuring James Gunn. But despite this, here you get to view a decent string of behind-the-scenes vignettes that cover world building, makeup, and the Kiln prison sequence, including the sheer size of the set. They are strung together with a series of side-scrolling 8-bit video game segments, during which time Star-Lord [James Gunn] encounters animated avatars into several scenes from the film as he introduces himself to the characters. Contributors include James Gunn [Co-Writer/Director], Richard Roberts [Set Decorator], Chris Pratt [Peter Quill/Star-Lord], David White [Special Make-Up Effects Designer], Zoe Saldana [Gamora], Dave Bautista [Drax], Michael Rooker [Yondu], Charles Wood B.S.C. [Production Designer], Benicio Del Toro [The Collector], Victoria Alonso [Executive Producer], Lee Pace [Ronan] and Vin Diesel [Groot].
02. The Intergalactic Visual Effects for ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ [2014] [1080p] [1.78:1] [7:11] Here with this feature we get an extra look behind-the-scenes of actors doing their voices for the characters in the film, plus the other actors talking about their part in the fil, as well as seeing how the CGI effects were done, especially focusing on bringing the digital characters to life, one gets a sense of how much work went on behind-the-scenes. Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel shared their thoughts about their respective characters and the massive amount of work it took to bring those characters alive onscreen, courtesy of the visual effects team. The spot even mentions Oreo, the real raccoon that was used to help the team create Rocket’s movements and behaviour. Contributors included Vin Diesel [Groot], Chris Pratt [Peter Quill/Star-Lord], Victoria Alonso [Executive Producer] and James Gunn [Co-Writer/Director].
Special Feature: Exclusive Look at MARVEL's ‘AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON’ [2014] [1080p] [1.78:1] [2:16] This is a short promotional film looking at behind-the-scenes at the making of the next Avengers adventure film. The film was shot in New York, Italy, South Africa, and South Korea to give the story a much more global epic feel. Screenwriter and director Joss Whedon talks about the new characters coming to the MARVEL cinema universe near you. Not much more here than what we already know, but it is okay and definitely aimed at the MARVEL nerdy fans who will drool over it. Contributors include Kevin Feige p.g.a. [Producer], Joss Whedon [Screenwriter/Director], Jeremy Latcham [Executive Producer] and Elizabeth Olsen [Scarlet Witch].
Special Feature: Deleted and Extended Scenes [2014] [1080p] [1.78:1] [4:22] Here you have a selection of six different scenes, which are as follows: The Kyln will have to Do; Sisterly Love; No, I'm the Stupid One; Fake Laugh and Dancing Guard. These include a wonderful scene between Gamora and Nebula, and a prison guard dancing to Pilot’s 1974 song “Magic.” You have the option of playing all what you view with an audio commentary by James Gunn or without. Scenes work best when you have the audio commentary turned on.
Special Feature: Gag Reel [2014] [1080p] [1.78:1] [3:54] They say you will Experience Cosmic Shenanigans and Celestial Goofs with this so called hilarious Gag Reel, but overall it is just the usual in-joke bloopers they like to think MARVEL fans will be eager to watch. But I have to admit the last but one where the cast do this “Dance Off,” which to me is the funniest blooper scene of the lot I have seen in a very long time.
Audio Commentary with Director James Gunn: Here James Gunn introduces himself while watching ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY.’ James Gunn gets really enthusiastic and engaging at times, and also delivers a very candid, and extensive scene-by-scene rundown of the entire film, delving into the script, style and tone, the process of casting the characters and the subsequent actors' performances, designing and realizing the worlds, technology and aliens on display, striking a balance between action, drama and comedy, integrating practical and computer-generated effects, and more. At the start of the film James talks about when we first introduced to the young Peter Quill and when doing the screenplay he wanted to focus on the SONY Walkman, as he felt it was a pivotal part of the plot of the film, and especially Peter Quill’s great attachment to his Mother, whose character reflects to the music on the mixed tape. When you see Peter Quill 26 year later, landing on the MORAG planet searching for the Orb with using the special hand unit we get a holographic image, and the dog we see is James’s pet dog, which he named it “Doctor Wesley Von Spears” and why this name we never find out. But originally the dog was found roaming the streets of Carson City, California, and was taken in by the local dog shelter there when he was just a few months old. He was later on adopted by James Gunn. “Doctor Wesley Von Spears” is a mixed breed with large parts of Cocker Spaniel and Siberian Husky with a little bit of Greyhound thrown in. James Gunn talks very glowing about the British actor Christopher Fairbank who plays “The Broker” and really praises this actor and says that Christopher was very easy to work with, and felt he put in an amazing performance and wants to use Christopher in future Guardian films. When we see the Guardian group in the tower in the prison trying to escape, well James informs us that this huge set was built in the Pinewood Studio and consisted of 150,000 lbs of steel and after they finished shooting, they melted all the steel down and sold it off to get their money back and praises Charles Wood [Production Designer] who built the set with help from the Production Design Team. One thing I noticed throughout the audio commentary, that James Gunn keeps saying, “this is my favourite moment in the film,” which I do not really think he realises he says it and I surprised the people with his in the viewing room did not point this out. When you get near to the end of the film you see Drax and the Baby Groot, when you see it dancing, that is in fact James Gunn dancing and was captured via computer motion reference CGI and comments that is how he does his sweet dance floor moves and also his unique dance style, so watch out John Travolta, James has got you covered. Anyway, more importantly, James Gunn addresses the more curious choices he made in the making of the film, and fills in a few blanks, and answers questions posed by the fan community, and generally enriches the experience with extra layers of detail and backstory. All in all it is a totally enjoyable, engaging brilliant director’s audio commentary that never ever gets boring. Definitely gets a 5 star rating from me.
Blu-ray and Digital HD Trailer [2014] [1080p] [2.40:1] [1:30] Here you get to view the Original Trailer for ‘CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER.’ This is slightly different from the Original Theatrical Trailer.
Finally, ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ in 3D is an absolute blast and comes as a breath of fresh air for this type of Sci-Fi film that blends space opera action with the 1970s and 1980s Americana pop culture, making the whole thing feel fresh and proving once again, MARVEL is not yet done defining the Super Hero Genre. As for this Blu-ray, ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ boasts a reference quality 3D presentation that is definitely on the short list as one of the best 3D visual experience ever, as well as the equally high quality 2D Blu-ray disc presentation, plus of course it has the fantastic 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio surround audio experience, and a nice collection of bonus materials, which rounds off this nice little Blu-ray package. But of course if you love 3D then this edition represents the best value in your 3D visual experience ever, which is totally enhanced with an amazing visual experience that is really exciting. But of course if you are not a great fan of 3D, then of course you have the choice of viewing the 2D Blu-ray disc for your visual enjoyment. Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
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Guardians Of The Galaxy
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| Genre | Action/Adventure |
| Format | Digital_copy, Blu-ray, 3D |
| Contributor | Vin Diesel, James Gunn, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper |
| Language | English |
| Runtime | 2 hours and 1 minute |
Digital Copy Notice: The purchase of this DVD or Blu-ray disc comes with rights to access a complimentary digital version from the production company. To access the digital copy, redeem the code included in your product packaging before the expiration date. Learn more
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Product Description
From Marvel, the studio that brought you the global blockbuster franchises of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and The Avengers, comes a new team—the Guardians of the Galaxy. An action-packed, epic space adventure, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits—Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last desperate stand—with the galaxy's fate in the balance.
Product details
- Aspect Ratio : 2.40:1
- Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
- MPAA rating : PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)
- Product Dimensions : 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 2.88 Ounces
- Item model number : 21640
- Director : James Gunn
- Media Format : Digital_copy, Blu-ray, 3D
- Run time : 2 hours and 1 minute
- Release date : December 9, 2014
- Actors : Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper
- Dubbed: : Spanish, French
- Subtitles: : English, French, Spanish
- Language : English (DTS-HD High Res Audio), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
- Studio : Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
- ASIN : B00N1JQ2UO
- Country of Origin : USA
- Number of discs : 2
- Best Sellers Rank: #22,647 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #8,277 in Blu-ray
- Customer Reviews:
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Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2016
Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2014
The past few years have been very good to movies based on comic books. While those based on DC comics have been slow out of the gate movies based on Marvel comics licenses have skyrocketed. Perhaps the most surprising of these was a movie based on a lesser known and not hugely popular comic that took the box office by storm. Not only was it a surprise hit it just might be the best of the Marvel movies released to date. That movie arrives on DVD this week and is called GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY.
The movie opens with a young boy confronted with the death of his mother to cancer. Running from the hospital he finds himself beamed aboard a UFO. Fast forward some years later and we see that boy now grown landing on a desolate planet devoid of human life forms. He steals an orb from a futuristic safe and is then set upon by minions of Ronan the Accuser out to take the orb for their leader. When he tells them his name is Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) otherwise known as Star Lord they are less than impressed, not even recognizing it. That adds to their surprise when he takes back the orb and flees with them hot on his trail.
Quill is out to make some money by taking the orb he was sent to steal to a dealer and bypassing his leader, the head of the Ravagers known as Yondu (Michael Rooker). At the same time Ronan (Lee Pace) has set his own special warrior to retrieve the orb, Gamora (Zoe Saldana). The dealer cancels the deal when he learns of Ronan’s involvement and Gamora tries to take the orb. At that same moment an unlikely pair of fortune seekers reads that Yondu has put a price on Quills head. The pair is Rocket Racoon (Bradley Cooper) who actually is a raccoon, and his partner Groot (Vin Diesel), a walking talking plant. As the four struggle for control of one another they are eventually captured by the space police known as the Nova Corp.
Sent to the worst prison in the universe the four make a deal to get the orb and take it to a buyer Gamora is aware of. It turns out she hates Ronan and is double crossing him. When they arrive at the prison she is set upon by a few inmates, specifically Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista). When Drax learns that Gamora was not responsible for the murder of his family, he joins with the foursome to plan their escape so he can seek revenge.
Escape they do and from there the adventure moves forward with alarming speed. Moving from one part of the universe to another, pursued by Ronan who is working for a cosmic bad guy named Thanos (Josh Brolin) and wanted by the Nova Corp, the five misfits join forces to do what it right. Eventually that comes down to facing off against Ronan after he has taken the orb and utilized it to his advantage. By the third act the now called Guardians of the Galaxy have united with the Nova Corp and try to save a world from being obliterated.
I have to say that words cannot begin to describe how much I enjoyed this movie, so much so that watching it on DVD was my third viewing. I can tell you that it holds up to multiple viewings and is one that I’ll probably watch every few months, enjoying it each and every time. This movie offers the near perfect combination of action, humor, worlds of wonder and space opera unlike any seen before. Watching this movie brought back memories of the first time I saw STAR WARS. It is that good.
The driving force that brought this about was director James Gunn, a man who labored under some truly bad movies for Troma but who has grown into an accomplished director who knows how to do it right. Once you include some amazing performances by all around and in particular Pratt who brings Quill to life, you have a great flick. That is just added to by the eye popping special effects on scene here from the basic aliens done with make up to the state of the art CGI effects that bring Rocket and Groot to life.
While these things combine to make it look great, the story itself takes it over the top. This is a tale of misfits, a group of people who don’t quite fit in anywhere, who band together to form something good. In the process they begin to become friends and to care for one another. At times they frustrate one another and at others they’re willing to sacrifice themselves to save their group as well as the Universe. In so doing these criminals become the greatest of heroes.
This year I’ve seen more movies than usual not just on DVD but in theaters. I can say now without a doubt that this was by far my favorite film of the year. My guess is that due to its popularity and the fact it is comic book based it won’t be nominated for any major awards with the exception of effects. That’s too bad because for me this was the best movie of the year. Add it to your collection today.
The movie opens with a young boy confronted with the death of his mother to cancer. Running from the hospital he finds himself beamed aboard a UFO. Fast forward some years later and we see that boy now grown landing on a desolate planet devoid of human life forms. He steals an orb from a futuristic safe and is then set upon by minions of Ronan the Accuser out to take the orb for their leader. When he tells them his name is Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) otherwise known as Star Lord they are less than impressed, not even recognizing it. That adds to their surprise when he takes back the orb and flees with them hot on his trail.
Quill is out to make some money by taking the orb he was sent to steal to a dealer and bypassing his leader, the head of the Ravagers known as Yondu (Michael Rooker). At the same time Ronan (Lee Pace) has set his own special warrior to retrieve the orb, Gamora (Zoe Saldana). The dealer cancels the deal when he learns of Ronan’s involvement and Gamora tries to take the orb. At that same moment an unlikely pair of fortune seekers reads that Yondu has put a price on Quills head. The pair is Rocket Racoon (Bradley Cooper) who actually is a raccoon, and his partner Groot (Vin Diesel), a walking talking plant. As the four struggle for control of one another they are eventually captured by the space police known as the Nova Corp.
Sent to the worst prison in the universe the four make a deal to get the orb and take it to a buyer Gamora is aware of. It turns out she hates Ronan and is double crossing him. When they arrive at the prison she is set upon by a few inmates, specifically Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista). When Drax learns that Gamora was not responsible for the murder of his family, he joins with the foursome to plan their escape so he can seek revenge.
Escape they do and from there the adventure moves forward with alarming speed. Moving from one part of the universe to another, pursued by Ronan who is working for a cosmic bad guy named Thanos (Josh Brolin) and wanted by the Nova Corp, the five misfits join forces to do what it right. Eventually that comes down to facing off against Ronan after he has taken the orb and utilized it to his advantage. By the third act the now called Guardians of the Galaxy have united with the Nova Corp and try to save a world from being obliterated.
I have to say that words cannot begin to describe how much I enjoyed this movie, so much so that watching it on DVD was my third viewing. I can tell you that it holds up to multiple viewings and is one that I’ll probably watch every few months, enjoying it each and every time. This movie offers the near perfect combination of action, humor, worlds of wonder and space opera unlike any seen before. Watching this movie brought back memories of the first time I saw STAR WARS. It is that good.
The driving force that brought this about was director James Gunn, a man who labored under some truly bad movies for Troma but who has grown into an accomplished director who knows how to do it right. Once you include some amazing performances by all around and in particular Pratt who brings Quill to life, you have a great flick. That is just added to by the eye popping special effects on scene here from the basic aliens done with make up to the state of the art CGI effects that bring Rocket and Groot to life.
While these things combine to make it look great, the story itself takes it over the top. This is a tale of misfits, a group of people who don’t quite fit in anywhere, who band together to form something good. In the process they begin to become friends and to care for one another. At times they frustrate one another and at others they’re willing to sacrifice themselves to save their group as well as the Universe. In so doing these criminals become the greatest of heroes.
This year I’ve seen more movies than usual not just on DVD but in theaters. I can say now without a doubt that this was by far my favorite film of the year. My guess is that due to its popularity and the fact it is comic book based it won’t be nominated for any major awards with the exception of effects. That’s too bad because for me this was the best movie of the year. Add it to your collection today.
Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2023
Really enjoyed this Marvel story line.
Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2023
Like it
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2023
As described.
Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2023
This movie stands out(definitely more than the 2nd one) but even more so than the 3rd. This movie created the hope and the family ideology that shines throughout.
The 3rd is also good, but this one just holds a higher standard than the sequels
The 3rd is also good, but this one just holds a higher standard than the sequels
Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2023
The movie was good .
Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2023
Funny
Top reviews from other countries
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY [2014] [3D Blu-ray + 2D Blu-ray]
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 12, 2016
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY [2014] [3D Blu-ray + 2D Blu-ray] From the Studio That Brought You the MARVEL Avengers Assemble!
From the MARVEL Studios that launched the epic franchise of ‘Iron Man,’ ‘Thor,’ ‘Captain America’ and ‘The Avengers,’ comes a new team – the Guardians of the Galaxy.
The MARVEL Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill steals a mysterious orb and becomes the object of a relentless bounty hunt. To evade his enemies, the ever-persistent Ronan, Peter Quill forges uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits with Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Peter Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals misfits for a last desperate stand — with the galaxy's fate in the balance. Featuring amazing new characters and exclusive bonus features, this must-own blockbuster will have you hooked on a feeling . . . of pure adrenaline!
MUSIC TRACK LISTING: “I’m Not in Love” [Performed by 10cc]; “Go All the Way” [Performed by Raspberries]; “Hooked on a Feeling” [Performed by Blue Swede]; “Moonage Daydream” [Performed by David Bowie]; “Cherry Bomb” [Performed by The Runaways]; “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” [Performed by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell]; Come and Get Your Love” [Performed by Redbone]; Mad Scene from “Lucia Di Lammermoor" [Performed by Bergamo Musica Festival Orchestra and Chorus]; “Escape” (The Piña Colada Song)” [Performed by Rupert Holmes]; “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” [Performed by Elvin Bishop]; “O-O-H Child” [Performed by The Five Stairsteps] and “I Want You Back” [Performed by Jackson 5].
Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, Benicio Del Toro, Laura Haddock, Sean Gunn, Peter Serafinowicz, Christopher Fairbank, Krystian Godlewski, Wyatt Oleff, Gregg Henry, Janis Ahern, Solomon Mousley, Lindsay Morton, Robert Firth, Melia Kreiling, Tom Proctor, Nick Holmes, Max Wrottesley, Stan Lee, Nicole Alexandra Shipley, Sharif Atkins, Brendan Fehr, Tomas Arana, Mikaela Hoover, Emmett J Scanlan, Dominic Grant, Spencer Wilding, Alison Lintott, Alexis Rodney, Nathan Fillion (voice), Keeley Forsyth, Frank Gilhooley, Alexis Denisof, Enzo Cilenti, Richard Katz, Enoch Frost, Ronan Summers, Ophelia Lovibond, Laura Ortiz, Marama Corlett, Rosie Jones, Abidemi Sobande, Alex Rose, Ekaterina Zalitko, Emily Redding, Fred (Cosmo the Space Dog), Stephen Blackehart, Jennifer Moylan-Taylor, Bruce Mackinnon, Ralph Ineson, Rob Zombie, Naomi Ryan, John Brotherton, Graham Shiels, James Gunn, Douglas Robson, Rachel Cullen, Isabella Poynton, Imogen Poynton, David Yarovesky, Miriam Lucia, Adrian Allan (uncredited), Freddie Andrews (uncredited), Habib Anibaba (uncredited), Jozef Aoki (uncredited), Helen Banks (uncredited), Tyler Bates (uncredited), Richard Blenkiron Alysson Da Silva (uncredited), Wayne Devlin (uncredited), Simara Dixon (uncredited), Barny DuPlessis (uncredited), Seth Green (Howard the Duck voice) (uncredited), Victoria Gugenheim (uncredited), Lee Edward Jones (uncredited), Jonathan Lipow (Sakaarans voice) (uncredited), Erica Melargo (uncredited), Serhat Metin (uncredited), Nigel Murfitt (uncredited), Louise Port (uncredited), Deborah Rosan (uncredited), Wesley Von Spears (Holographic Dog) (uncredited), Paul Warren (uncredited) and Tatiana Zarubova (uncredited)
Director: James Gunn
Producers: Alan Fine, David J. Grant, Jamie Christopher, Jeremy Latcham, Jonathan Schwartz, Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Nikolas Korda, Stan Lee and Victoria Alonso
Screenplay: James Gunn (screenplay), Nicole Perlman (screenplay), Andy Lanning (based on the Marvel comic book and Dan Abnett (based on the Marvel comic book)
Composer: Tyler Bates
Cinematography: Ben Davis
Video Resolution: 1080p [Technicolor]
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 [Anamorphic]
Audio: English: 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English: 2.0 Descriptive Audio, Spanish: 5.1 DTS Digital Surround and Hindi: 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, Portuguêse, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish
Running Time: 120 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 2
Studio: MARVEL Studios / Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ [2014] is a stunning awesome action packed film, that is filled with natural and artificial beauty that is a testament to modern filmmaking with seamless practical and equally stunning computer CGI visual effects that blend together to create a dazzling space adventure world. It’s the best MARVEL Studios Blu-ray, it is visually flawless. Every crack in Groot’s bark, each line in Drax’s tattooed body, and every hair on Rocket’s head stand out with perfection, totally blowing away any imitators, because ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ pristine transfer will blow it away. MARVEL Studios swaps gloomy superheroes for snappy, Saturday-cartoon fun. And it is a total gem.
‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ is based on one of Marvel Comics’ lesser known franchises, this is the tale of Peter Quill [Chris Pratt], an earthling abducted as a boy who, a quarter of a century later, is working as a Han Solo-style outlaw-for-hire under the self-ordained nickname “Star-Lord.” When his quest for a mysterious orb attracts the attention of some blue-skinned intergalactic troublemakers, Quill throws in with a team of fellow outsiders including green-skinned warrior princess Gamora [Zoe Saldana], genetically enhanced raccoon Rocket [voiced by Bradley Cooper], comically literal man-mountain Drax [Dave Bautista] and a self-regenerating, semi-sentient walking tree named Groot [Vin Diesel] being his usual muscle man agenda.
Basic scenario is that you have a good vs. evil plot in here somewhere, but it’s rendered largely impenetrable by a profusion of MARVEL-verse asides which will only make sense to those who have followed the mythology across the entire comic and film franchise. No matter of this space opera, the rest of us can just sit back and enjoy the ride, as the film ricochets from one dazzling, frazzling action set-piece to the next, pausing only to charm our socks off with another pithy retort, classic bubble-gum-pop hit or cutely random alien character.
‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ specialises in total adventure fun, served by the sugar-sprinkled ice-cream-scoop loaded in seeing this odd quintet bluster through space battles and alien brawls that would have defeated anyone smarter and better-equipped. Chris Pratt is a swaggering space adventurer, Peter Quill, and with the group’s self-appointed leader, sets Guardians of the Galaxy’s tone from the start. Abducted from Earth as a boy in 1988 and raised by intergalactic mercenaries, he is a cocky, charismatic outlaw in the Han Solo mould and gets in and out of scrapes by means of bluster and bravado rather than especially quick wits. Peter Quill’s most treasured possessions is a battered, outlandishly out-of-place Walkman and a mixtape that preserves the pop songs of his beloved mother’s youth, hence the presence of such cheesy, engagingly memorable numbers as ‘Hooked on a Feeling’ and ‘The Pina Colada Song’ on the soundtrack.
For reasons that is too complicated and confusing to go into here and believe me it doesn’t really matter, but Peter Quill winds up in a very run down space prison in the company of a bunch of bad-ass and wise-ass: green-skinned alien Gamora [Zoë Saldana] who is no stranger to playing weirdly pigmented extra-terrestrials, and there is tattooed, slow-on-the-uptake hulk Drax the Destroyer [Dave Bautista], and a sarcastic talking raccoon named Rocket [Bradley Cooper] and his sidekick Groot [Vin Diesel], a walking tree whose vocabulary is limited to the three words “I am Groot.”
But with this ragtag bunch of misfit’s oddball crew bands together to retrieve an all-powerful orb and stop it falling into the hands of genocidal bad guy Ronan the Accuser [Lee Pace]. But in the meantime Peter Quill says, “This orb has a real shiny blue suitcase, Ark of the Covenant, Maltese Falcon sort of vibe… what is it?” and where upon Peter Quill gives us the wink that the plot is just a marvellous excuse for fizzing CGI-boosted action and larky, tongue-in-cheek bantering.
Some may find the film’s self-satisfaction attitude a mite grating, but I loved the whole film, as it is one great rollercoaster action packed film from start to finish. Chris Pratt is a very likeable character, but to some people he will be compared his character to Harrison Ford, which of course he is not, however hard he tries and there are some real moments where the sheer brain-melting relentlessness becomes slightly over powering, but again I loved it for its sheer adrenaline action pack adventure film, especially viewing it in the awesome 3D. But overall this is giddy, ridiculous fun filled, witty, wacky and wonderfully generous sugary gift of a space adventure film that was a total blast, but also with the added bonus of a brilliant music soundtrack. MARVEL fans like me, will love it! Finally, I loved at the very end of the credits where it states, “No raccoons or tree creatures were harmed during the making of the film.” Also watch right to the end of the film for a very nice surprise. One thing that slightly confused me is in wanting to know where Peter Quill was able to get extra batteries to keep his Walkman tape machine to be played. Of course when the film comes to an end, I started to feel very sad, as it was such an exciting rollercoaster action packed Sci-Fi film, but of course there was no need to feel sad, as at the end of the film we get informed that a new ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2’ film is coming out in the very near future and so my fears have now subsided and I will be there ready when I can purchase the 3D Blu-ray disc when it is finally released.
3D Blu-ray Video Quality – With the combination of MARVEL Studios and Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment brings you ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ from a far off distant galaxy in a highly detailed and gorgeous 1080p ultimate encoded image and also with an equally impressive original theatrical 2.40:1 aspect ratio. This 3D Blu-ray presentation is Blu-ray high definition at its best. This Blu-ray also brings you a wide pallet of stunning colours and with lots of fantastic bright neon colours on everything from environments to starscapes to crazy alien skin tones and all of these are reproduced really wonderfully. The 3D film mixes a number of brightly lit exterior sequences with tons of shadowy space and interior worlds, rendering a visually engaging world in outer space that is never monotonous. Black levels are spot on too. Special Effects too are very highly detailed, with fully CGI characters that come to life in an almost photographic realistic way. ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ is one long ultimate show-stopper on this 3D Blu-ray disc that is totally perfect for the ultimate demonstrating to people who say they hate 3D Blu-ray discs.
3D Blu-ray Audio Quality – Again with this MARVEL Studios and Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment brings you ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ in stunning 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. It also I can assure you that it definitely boasts very engaging ultimate reference quality audio surround experience. Dialogue is wonderfully clear, even in the kore chaotic action sequences in the film. Sound effects are aggressive in a brilliant way, especially with the laser blasts and space ships enveloping your home cinema surround sound environment that is deep and punching, accentuating thrusters and thudding explosions. Finally, for classic rock music fans are going to rejoice at how great and expansive all the music sounds that wrap around the listeners. If like me, you are also an audiophile with a high resolution audio system, you probably haven't heard this classic rock music songs sound this well before. Overall ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ is a fantastic 3D Blu-ray audio experience.
Blu-ray Special Features and Extras: As an added bonus, these special features can be viewed in 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio.
Special Features: Featurettes: Here you get to view two separate features that are as follows:
01. Guide to the Galaxy with James Gunn [2014] [1080p] [1.78:1] [20:56] This particular feature starts off in a very confusing way, in making think you are about to start a video game, especially as it is titled “GALACTIC ADVENTURER” Featuring James Gunn. But despite this, here you get to view a decent string of behind-the-scenes vignettes that cover world building, makeup, and the Kiln prison sequence, including the sheer size of the set. They are strung together with a series of side-scrolling 8-bit video game segments, during which time Star-Lord [James Gunn] encounters animated avatars into several scenes from the film as he introduces himself to the characters. Contributors include James Gunn [Co-Writer/Director], Richard Roberts [Set Decorator], Chris Pratt [Peter Quill/Star-Lord], David White [Special Make-Up Effects Designer], Zoe Saldana [Gamora], Dave Bautista [Drax], Michael Rooker [Yondu], Charles Wood B.S.C. [Production Designer], Benicio Del Toro [The Collector], Victoria Alonso [Executive Producer], Lee Pace [Ronan] and Vin Diesel [Groot].
02. The Intergalactic Visual Effects for ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ [2014] [1080p] [1.78:1] [7:11] Here with this feature we get an extra look behind-the-scenes of actors doing their voices for the characters in the film, plus the other actors talking about their part in the fil, as well as seeing how the CGI effects were done, especially focusing on bringing the digital characters to life, one gets a sense of how much work went on behind-the-scenes. Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel shared their thoughts about their respective characters and the massive amount of work it took to bring those characters alive onscreen, courtesy of the visual effects team. The spot even mentions Oreo, the real raccoon that was used to help the team create Rocket’s movements and behaviour. Contributors included Vin Diesel [Groot], Chris Pratt [Peter Quill/Star-Lord], Victoria Alonso [Executive Producer] and James Gunn [Co-Writer/Director].
Special Feature: Exclusive Look at MARVEL's ‘AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON’ [2014] [1080p] [1.78:1] [2:16] This is a short promotional film looking at behind-the-scenes at the making of the next Avengers adventure film. The film was shot in New York, Italy, South Africa, and South Korea to give the story a much more global epic feel. Screenwriter and director Joss Whedon talks about the new characters coming to the MARVEL cinema universe near you. Not much more here than what we already know, but it is okay and definitely aimed at the MARVEL nerdy fans who will drool over it. Contributors include Kevin Feige p.g.a. [Producer], Joss Whedon [Screenwriter/Director], Jeremy Latcham [Executive Producer] and Elizabeth Olsen [Scarlet Witch].
Special Feature: Deleted and Extended Scenes [2014] [1080p] [1.78:1] [4:22] Here you have a selection of six different scenes, which are as follows: The Kyln will have to Do; Sisterly Love; No, I'm the Stupid One; Fake Laugh and Dancing Guard. These include a wonderful scene between Gamora and Nebula, and a prison guard dancing to Pilot’s 1974 song “Magic.” You have the option of playing all what you view with an audio commentary by James Gunn or without. Scenes work best when you have the audio commentary turned on.
Special Feature: Gag Reel [2014] [1080p] [1.78:1] [3:54] They say you will Experience Cosmic Shenanigans and Celestial Goofs with this so called hilarious Gag Reel, but overall it is just the usual in-joke bloopers they like to think MARVEL fans will be eager to watch. But I have to admit the last but one where the cast do this “Dance Off,” which to me is the funniest blooper scene of the lot I have seen in a very long time.
Audio Commentary with Director James Gunn: Here James Gunn introduces himself while watching ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY.’ James Gunn gets really enthusiastic and engaging at times, and also delivers a very candid, and extensive scene-by-scene rundown of the entire film, delving into the script, style and tone, the process of casting the characters and the subsequent actors' performances, designing and realizing the worlds, technology and aliens on display, striking a balance between action, drama and comedy, integrating practical and computer-generated effects, and more. At the start of the film James talks about when we first introduced to the young Peter Quill and when doing the screenplay he wanted to focus on the SONY Walkman, as he felt it was a pivotal part of the plot of the film, and especially Peter Quill’s great attachment to his Mother, whose character reflects to the music on the mixed tape. When you see Peter Quill 26 year later, landing on the MORAG planet searching for the Orb with using the special hand unit we get a holographic image, and the dog we see is James’s pet dog, which he named it “Doctor Wesley Von Spears” and why this name we never find out. But originally the dog was found roaming the streets of Carson City, California, and was taken in by the local dog shelter there when he was just a few months old. He was later on adopted by James Gunn. “Doctor Wesley Von Spears” is a mixed breed with large parts of Cocker Spaniel and Siberian Husky with a little bit of Greyhound thrown in. James Gunn talks very glowing about the British actor Christopher Fairbank who plays “The Broker” and really praises this actor and says that Christopher was very easy to work with, and felt he put in an amazing performance and wants to use Christopher in future Guardian films. When we see the Guardian group in the tower in the prison trying to escape, well James informs us that this huge set was built in the Pinewood Studio and consisted of 150,000 lbs of steel and after they finished shooting, they melted all the steel down and sold it off to get their money back and praises Charles Wood [Production Designer] who built the set with help from the Production Design Team. One thing I noticed throughout the audio commentary, that James Gunn keeps saying, “this is my favourite moment in the film,” which I do not really think he realises he says it and I surprised the people with his in the viewing room did not point this out. When you get near to the end of the film you see Drax and the Baby Groot, when you see it dancing, that is in fact James Gunn dancing and was captured via computer motion reference CGI and comments that is how he does his sweet dance floor moves and also his unique dance style, so watch out John Travolta, James has got you covered. Anyway, more importantly, James Gunn addresses the more curious choices he made in the making of the film, and fills in a few blanks, and answers questions posed by the fan community, and generally enriches the experience with extra layers of detail and backstory. All in all it is a totally enjoyable, engaging brilliant director’s audio commentary that never ever gets boring. Definitely gets a 5 star rating from me.
Blu-ray and Digital HD Trailer [2014] [1080p] [2.40:1] [1:30] Here you get to view the Original Trailer for ‘CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER.’ This is slightly different from the Original Theatrical Trailer.
Finally, ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ in 3D is an absolute blast and comes as a breath of fresh air for this type of Sci-Fi film that blends space opera action with the 1970s and 1980s Americana pop culture, making the whole thing feel fresh and proving once again, MARVEL is not yet done defining the Super Hero Genre. As for this Blu-ray, ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ boasts a reference quality 3D presentation that is definitely on the short list as one of the best 3D visual experience ever, as well as the equally high quality 2D Blu-ray disc presentation, plus of course it has the fantastic 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio surround audio experience, and a nice collection of bonus materials, which rounds off this nice little Blu-ray package. But of course if you love 3D then this edition represents the best value in your 3D visual experience ever, which is totally enhanced with an amazing visual experience that is really exciting. But of course if you are not a great fan of 3D, then of course you have the choice of viewing the 2D Blu-ray disc for your visual enjoyment. Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
From the MARVEL Studios that launched the epic franchise of ‘Iron Man,’ ‘Thor,’ ‘Captain America’ and ‘The Avengers,’ comes a new team – the Guardians of the Galaxy.
The MARVEL Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill steals a mysterious orb and becomes the object of a relentless bounty hunt. To evade his enemies, the ever-persistent Ronan, Peter Quill forges uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits with Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Peter Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals misfits for a last desperate stand — with the galaxy's fate in the balance. Featuring amazing new characters and exclusive bonus features, this must-own blockbuster will have you hooked on a feeling . . . of pure adrenaline!
MUSIC TRACK LISTING: “I’m Not in Love” [Performed by 10cc]; “Go All the Way” [Performed by Raspberries]; “Hooked on a Feeling” [Performed by Blue Swede]; “Moonage Daydream” [Performed by David Bowie]; “Cherry Bomb” [Performed by The Runaways]; “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” [Performed by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell]; Come and Get Your Love” [Performed by Redbone]; Mad Scene from “Lucia Di Lammermoor" [Performed by Bergamo Musica Festival Orchestra and Chorus]; “Escape” (The Piña Colada Song)” [Performed by Rupert Holmes]; “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” [Performed by Elvin Bishop]; “O-O-H Child” [Performed by The Five Stairsteps] and “I Want You Back” [Performed by Jackson 5].
Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, Benicio Del Toro, Laura Haddock, Sean Gunn, Peter Serafinowicz, Christopher Fairbank, Krystian Godlewski, Wyatt Oleff, Gregg Henry, Janis Ahern, Solomon Mousley, Lindsay Morton, Robert Firth, Melia Kreiling, Tom Proctor, Nick Holmes, Max Wrottesley, Stan Lee, Nicole Alexandra Shipley, Sharif Atkins, Brendan Fehr, Tomas Arana, Mikaela Hoover, Emmett J Scanlan, Dominic Grant, Spencer Wilding, Alison Lintott, Alexis Rodney, Nathan Fillion (voice), Keeley Forsyth, Frank Gilhooley, Alexis Denisof, Enzo Cilenti, Richard Katz, Enoch Frost, Ronan Summers, Ophelia Lovibond, Laura Ortiz, Marama Corlett, Rosie Jones, Abidemi Sobande, Alex Rose, Ekaterina Zalitko, Emily Redding, Fred (Cosmo the Space Dog), Stephen Blackehart, Jennifer Moylan-Taylor, Bruce Mackinnon, Ralph Ineson, Rob Zombie, Naomi Ryan, John Brotherton, Graham Shiels, James Gunn, Douglas Robson, Rachel Cullen, Isabella Poynton, Imogen Poynton, David Yarovesky, Miriam Lucia, Adrian Allan (uncredited), Freddie Andrews (uncredited), Habib Anibaba (uncredited), Jozef Aoki (uncredited), Helen Banks (uncredited), Tyler Bates (uncredited), Richard Blenkiron Alysson Da Silva (uncredited), Wayne Devlin (uncredited), Simara Dixon (uncredited), Barny DuPlessis (uncredited), Seth Green (Howard the Duck voice) (uncredited), Victoria Gugenheim (uncredited), Lee Edward Jones (uncredited), Jonathan Lipow (Sakaarans voice) (uncredited), Erica Melargo (uncredited), Serhat Metin (uncredited), Nigel Murfitt (uncredited), Louise Port (uncredited), Deborah Rosan (uncredited), Wesley Von Spears (Holographic Dog) (uncredited), Paul Warren (uncredited) and Tatiana Zarubova (uncredited)
Director: James Gunn
Producers: Alan Fine, David J. Grant, Jamie Christopher, Jeremy Latcham, Jonathan Schwartz, Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Nikolas Korda, Stan Lee and Victoria Alonso
Screenplay: James Gunn (screenplay), Nicole Perlman (screenplay), Andy Lanning (based on the Marvel comic book and Dan Abnett (based on the Marvel comic book)
Composer: Tyler Bates
Cinematography: Ben Davis
Video Resolution: 1080p [Technicolor]
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 [Anamorphic]
Audio: English: 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English: 2.0 Descriptive Audio, Spanish: 5.1 DTS Digital Surround and Hindi: 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, Portuguêse, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish
Running Time: 120 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 2
Studio: MARVEL Studios / Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ [2014] is a stunning awesome action packed film, that is filled with natural and artificial beauty that is a testament to modern filmmaking with seamless practical and equally stunning computer CGI visual effects that blend together to create a dazzling space adventure world. It’s the best MARVEL Studios Blu-ray, it is visually flawless. Every crack in Groot’s bark, each line in Drax’s tattooed body, and every hair on Rocket’s head stand out with perfection, totally blowing away any imitators, because ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ pristine transfer will blow it away. MARVEL Studios swaps gloomy superheroes for snappy, Saturday-cartoon fun. And it is a total gem.
‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ is based on one of Marvel Comics’ lesser known franchises, this is the tale of Peter Quill [Chris Pratt], an earthling abducted as a boy who, a quarter of a century later, is working as a Han Solo-style outlaw-for-hire under the self-ordained nickname “Star-Lord.” When his quest for a mysterious orb attracts the attention of some blue-skinned intergalactic troublemakers, Quill throws in with a team of fellow outsiders including green-skinned warrior princess Gamora [Zoe Saldana], genetically enhanced raccoon Rocket [voiced by Bradley Cooper], comically literal man-mountain Drax [Dave Bautista] and a self-regenerating, semi-sentient walking tree named Groot [Vin Diesel] being his usual muscle man agenda.
Basic scenario is that you have a good vs. evil plot in here somewhere, but it’s rendered largely impenetrable by a profusion of MARVEL-verse asides which will only make sense to those who have followed the mythology across the entire comic and film franchise. No matter of this space opera, the rest of us can just sit back and enjoy the ride, as the film ricochets from one dazzling, frazzling action set-piece to the next, pausing only to charm our socks off with another pithy retort, classic bubble-gum-pop hit or cutely random alien character.
‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ specialises in total adventure fun, served by the sugar-sprinkled ice-cream-scoop loaded in seeing this odd quintet bluster through space battles and alien brawls that would have defeated anyone smarter and better-equipped. Chris Pratt is a swaggering space adventurer, Peter Quill, and with the group’s self-appointed leader, sets Guardians of the Galaxy’s tone from the start. Abducted from Earth as a boy in 1988 and raised by intergalactic mercenaries, he is a cocky, charismatic outlaw in the Han Solo mould and gets in and out of scrapes by means of bluster and bravado rather than especially quick wits. Peter Quill’s most treasured possessions is a battered, outlandishly out-of-place Walkman and a mixtape that preserves the pop songs of his beloved mother’s youth, hence the presence of such cheesy, engagingly memorable numbers as ‘Hooked on a Feeling’ and ‘The Pina Colada Song’ on the soundtrack.
For reasons that is too complicated and confusing to go into here and believe me it doesn’t really matter, but Peter Quill winds up in a very run down space prison in the company of a bunch of bad-ass and wise-ass: green-skinned alien Gamora [Zoë Saldana] who is no stranger to playing weirdly pigmented extra-terrestrials, and there is tattooed, slow-on-the-uptake hulk Drax the Destroyer [Dave Bautista], and a sarcastic talking raccoon named Rocket [Bradley Cooper] and his sidekick Groot [Vin Diesel], a walking tree whose vocabulary is limited to the three words “I am Groot.”
But with this ragtag bunch of misfit’s oddball crew bands together to retrieve an all-powerful orb and stop it falling into the hands of genocidal bad guy Ronan the Accuser [Lee Pace]. But in the meantime Peter Quill says, “This orb has a real shiny blue suitcase, Ark of the Covenant, Maltese Falcon sort of vibe… what is it?” and where upon Peter Quill gives us the wink that the plot is just a marvellous excuse for fizzing CGI-boosted action and larky, tongue-in-cheek bantering.
Some may find the film’s self-satisfaction attitude a mite grating, but I loved the whole film, as it is one great rollercoaster action packed film from start to finish. Chris Pratt is a very likeable character, but to some people he will be compared his character to Harrison Ford, which of course he is not, however hard he tries and there are some real moments where the sheer brain-melting relentlessness becomes slightly over powering, but again I loved it for its sheer adrenaline action pack adventure film, especially viewing it in the awesome 3D. But overall this is giddy, ridiculous fun filled, witty, wacky and wonderfully generous sugary gift of a space adventure film that was a total blast, but also with the added bonus of a brilliant music soundtrack. MARVEL fans like me, will love it! Finally, I loved at the very end of the credits where it states, “No raccoons or tree creatures were harmed during the making of the film.” Also watch right to the end of the film for a very nice surprise. One thing that slightly confused me is in wanting to know where Peter Quill was able to get extra batteries to keep his Walkman tape machine to be played. Of course when the film comes to an end, I started to feel very sad, as it was such an exciting rollercoaster action packed Sci-Fi film, but of course there was no need to feel sad, as at the end of the film we get informed that a new ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2’ film is coming out in the very near future and so my fears have now subsided and I will be there ready when I can purchase the 3D Blu-ray disc when it is finally released.
3D Blu-ray Video Quality – With the combination of MARVEL Studios and Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment brings you ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ from a far off distant galaxy in a highly detailed and gorgeous 1080p ultimate encoded image and also with an equally impressive original theatrical 2.40:1 aspect ratio. This 3D Blu-ray presentation is Blu-ray high definition at its best. This Blu-ray also brings you a wide pallet of stunning colours and with lots of fantastic bright neon colours on everything from environments to starscapes to crazy alien skin tones and all of these are reproduced really wonderfully. The 3D film mixes a number of brightly lit exterior sequences with tons of shadowy space and interior worlds, rendering a visually engaging world in outer space that is never monotonous. Black levels are spot on too. Special Effects too are very highly detailed, with fully CGI characters that come to life in an almost photographic realistic way. ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ is one long ultimate show-stopper on this 3D Blu-ray disc that is totally perfect for the ultimate demonstrating to people who say they hate 3D Blu-ray discs.
3D Blu-ray Audio Quality – Again with this MARVEL Studios and Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment brings you ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ in stunning 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. It also I can assure you that it definitely boasts very engaging ultimate reference quality audio surround experience. Dialogue is wonderfully clear, even in the kore chaotic action sequences in the film. Sound effects are aggressive in a brilliant way, especially with the laser blasts and space ships enveloping your home cinema surround sound environment that is deep and punching, accentuating thrusters and thudding explosions. Finally, for classic rock music fans are going to rejoice at how great and expansive all the music sounds that wrap around the listeners. If like me, you are also an audiophile with a high resolution audio system, you probably haven't heard this classic rock music songs sound this well before. Overall ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ is a fantastic 3D Blu-ray audio experience.
Blu-ray Special Features and Extras: As an added bonus, these special features can be viewed in 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio.
Special Features: Featurettes: Here you get to view two separate features that are as follows:
01. Guide to the Galaxy with James Gunn [2014] [1080p] [1.78:1] [20:56] This particular feature starts off in a very confusing way, in making think you are about to start a video game, especially as it is titled “GALACTIC ADVENTURER” Featuring James Gunn. But despite this, here you get to view a decent string of behind-the-scenes vignettes that cover world building, makeup, and the Kiln prison sequence, including the sheer size of the set. They are strung together with a series of side-scrolling 8-bit video game segments, during which time Star-Lord [James Gunn] encounters animated avatars into several scenes from the film as he introduces himself to the characters. Contributors include James Gunn [Co-Writer/Director], Richard Roberts [Set Decorator], Chris Pratt [Peter Quill/Star-Lord], David White [Special Make-Up Effects Designer], Zoe Saldana [Gamora], Dave Bautista [Drax], Michael Rooker [Yondu], Charles Wood B.S.C. [Production Designer], Benicio Del Toro [The Collector], Victoria Alonso [Executive Producer], Lee Pace [Ronan] and Vin Diesel [Groot].
02. The Intergalactic Visual Effects for ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ [2014] [1080p] [1.78:1] [7:11] Here with this feature we get an extra look behind-the-scenes of actors doing their voices for the characters in the film, plus the other actors talking about their part in the fil, as well as seeing how the CGI effects were done, especially focusing on bringing the digital characters to life, one gets a sense of how much work went on behind-the-scenes. Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel shared their thoughts about their respective characters and the massive amount of work it took to bring those characters alive onscreen, courtesy of the visual effects team. The spot even mentions Oreo, the real raccoon that was used to help the team create Rocket’s movements and behaviour. Contributors included Vin Diesel [Groot], Chris Pratt [Peter Quill/Star-Lord], Victoria Alonso [Executive Producer] and James Gunn [Co-Writer/Director].
Special Feature: Exclusive Look at MARVEL's ‘AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON’ [2014] [1080p] [1.78:1] [2:16] This is a short promotional film looking at behind-the-scenes at the making of the next Avengers adventure film. The film was shot in New York, Italy, South Africa, and South Korea to give the story a much more global epic feel. Screenwriter and director Joss Whedon talks about the new characters coming to the MARVEL cinema universe near you. Not much more here than what we already know, but it is okay and definitely aimed at the MARVEL nerdy fans who will drool over it. Contributors include Kevin Feige p.g.a. [Producer], Joss Whedon [Screenwriter/Director], Jeremy Latcham [Executive Producer] and Elizabeth Olsen [Scarlet Witch].
Special Feature: Deleted and Extended Scenes [2014] [1080p] [1.78:1] [4:22] Here you have a selection of six different scenes, which are as follows: The Kyln will have to Do; Sisterly Love; No, I'm the Stupid One; Fake Laugh and Dancing Guard. These include a wonderful scene between Gamora and Nebula, and a prison guard dancing to Pilot’s 1974 song “Magic.” You have the option of playing all what you view with an audio commentary by James Gunn or without. Scenes work best when you have the audio commentary turned on.
Special Feature: Gag Reel [2014] [1080p] [1.78:1] [3:54] They say you will Experience Cosmic Shenanigans and Celestial Goofs with this so called hilarious Gag Reel, but overall it is just the usual in-joke bloopers they like to think MARVEL fans will be eager to watch. But I have to admit the last but one where the cast do this “Dance Off,” which to me is the funniest blooper scene of the lot I have seen in a very long time.
Audio Commentary with Director James Gunn: Here James Gunn introduces himself while watching ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY.’ James Gunn gets really enthusiastic and engaging at times, and also delivers a very candid, and extensive scene-by-scene rundown of the entire film, delving into the script, style and tone, the process of casting the characters and the subsequent actors' performances, designing and realizing the worlds, technology and aliens on display, striking a balance between action, drama and comedy, integrating practical and computer-generated effects, and more. At the start of the film James talks about when we first introduced to the young Peter Quill and when doing the screenplay he wanted to focus on the SONY Walkman, as he felt it was a pivotal part of the plot of the film, and especially Peter Quill’s great attachment to his Mother, whose character reflects to the music on the mixed tape. When you see Peter Quill 26 year later, landing on the MORAG planet searching for the Orb with using the special hand unit we get a holographic image, and the dog we see is James’s pet dog, which he named it “Doctor Wesley Von Spears” and why this name we never find out. But originally the dog was found roaming the streets of Carson City, California, and was taken in by the local dog shelter there when he was just a few months old. He was later on adopted by James Gunn. “Doctor Wesley Von Spears” is a mixed breed with large parts of Cocker Spaniel and Siberian Husky with a little bit of Greyhound thrown in. James Gunn talks very glowing about the British actor Christopher Fairbank who plays “The Broker” and really praises this actor and says that Christopher was very easy to work with, and felt he put in an amazing performance and wants to use Christopher in future Guardian films. When we see the Guardian group in the tower in the prison trying to escape, well James informs us that this huge set was built in the Pinewood Studio and consisted of 150,000 lbs of steel and after they finished shooting, they melted all the steel down and sold it off to get their money back and praises Charles Wood [Production Designer] who built the set with help from the Production Design Team. One thing I noticed throughout the audio commentary, that James Gunn keeps saying, “this is my favourite moment in the film,” which I do not really think he realises he says it and I surprised the people with his in the viewing room did not point this out. When you get near to the end of the film you see Drax and the Baby Groot, when you see it dancing, that is in fact James Gunn dancing and was captured via computer motion reference CGI and comments that is how he does his sweet dance floor moves and also his unique dance style, so watch out John Travolta, James has got you covered. Anyway, more importantly, James Gunn addresses the more curious choices he made in the making of the film, and fills in a few blanks, and answers questions posed by the fan community, and generally enriches the experience with extra layers of detail and backstory. All in all it is a totally enjoyable, engaging brilliant director’s audio commentary that never ever gets boring. Definitely gets a 5 star rating from me.
Blu-ray and Digital HD Trailer [2014] [1080p] [2.40:1] [1:30] Here you get to view the Original Trailer for ‘CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER.’ This is slightly different from the Original Theatrical Trailer.
Finally, ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ in 3D is an absolute blast and comes as a breath of fresh air for this type of Sci-Fi film that blends space opera action with the 1970s and 1980s Americana pop culture, making the whole thing feel fresh and proving once again, MARVEL is not yet done defining the Super Hero Genre. As for this Blu-ray, ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ boasts a reference quality 3D presentation that is definitely on the short list as one of the best 3D visual experience ever, as well as the equally high quality 2D Blu-ray disc presentation, plus of course it has the fantastic 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio surround audio experience, and a nice collection of bonus materials, which rounds off this nice little Blu-ray package. But of course if you love 3D then this edition represents the best value in your 3D visual experience ever, which is totally enhanced with an amazing visual experience that is really exciting. But of course if you are not a great fan of 3D, then of course you have the choice of viewing the 2D Blu-ray disc for your visual enjoyment. Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
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Joe Thomas
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best marvel film yet!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 22, 2015
What do you get when you team up a thief, two thugs, an assassin, and a maniac in one crazy superhero action summer blockbuster? You get Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, along with the voice talents of Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel. Is this movie one the best Marvel superhero flicks ever or is this just a dumb sci fi spectacle featuring a bunch of A-holes?
In 1988, a young Peter Quill sits in a hospital listening to his Sony Walkman headphones while he patiently waits to see his mother on her death bed. His grandfather brings Peter in for her to say her goodbyes. His mom passes away in a room filled with family members, but not without giving her son a small token to remember her by. As Peter runs out of the hospital crying, he stumbles in the grass and a blinding light from the sky lights up the darkness. Suddenly a beam envelopes him and lifts him into a large spacecraft which takes him to the far reaches of the galaxy.
Twenty-six years later, Peter has become a legendary intergalactic outlaw who goes by the name of Star-Lord and is always in search of artifacts to sell to the highest bider. He’s a member of a clan of space pirates who call themselves Ravagers. While investigating ruins on a deserted planet for a priceless orb, he runs into a soldier named Korath the Pursuer who also wants the orb so he can deliver it to hos boss, Ronan the Accuser, a fanatical zealot from the Kree Empire who wants to use the orb to destroy Xandar, the planet of his arch enemies. Peter escapes with the orb, but in doing so double crosses his treasure hunting partner, Yondu Udonta, the leader of the Ravagers. Yondu is not at all pleased so he puts a bounty on Peter’s head for 40,000 units.
While on Xandar trying to pawn the orb to a man called the Broker, Peter runs into a couple of bounty hunters named Rocket and Groot who want the 40,000 unit reward. Rocket is a genetically engineered raccoon who can talk and Groot is his walking tree companion. Unfortunately, who else is after Peter is an assassin named Gamora. She is the daughter of the titan Thanos who has loaned her skills to Ronan in order to ensure she get the orb for him. All are captured by Xandar’s military police known as the Nova Corp and for past crimes are sent to the Kyln, a maximum security prison that floats in space.
At the prison, they meet Drax who wants to kill Gamora as revenge for Ronan murdering his wife and daughter. Peter convinces Drax that Ronan is the bigger target and to use Gamora as bait. Because Gamora wants the orb, Peter wants the payment, Drax wants revenge, and Rocket and Groot want the bounty, they all decide to work together to escape the prison and get to a location called Knowhere to sell the orb to Taneleer Tivan who is better known as The Collector. Can this group of misfits get to Knowhere without being killed by Ronan and Yondo or will they change their minds when they find out what the mysterious object really is and why Thanos wants it so badly?
If you’ve read my past reviews, especially the ones on the superhero movies, I’m really starting to sound like a broken record. DC Comics and Warner Home Entertainment make the absolute best direct to DVD animated movies, but Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Pictures rule the box office with their live action extravaganzas. First it was the Phase I movies that lead up to The Avengers, one of the greatest superhero movies of all time. Now that Marvel is in Phase II preparing for The Avengers: Age of Ultron, the final standalone set up movie is the highly anticipated Guardians of the Galaxy. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed with last year’s Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World, but my opinion quickly shifted when Captain America: The Winter Soldier was released earlier this year as it became my favorite standalone Marvel movie, even over the original Iron Man. And even though 20th Century Fox released X-Men: Days of Future Past and not Disney, my love of Marvel flicks got me all excited again to see my favorite heroes on the big screen. My child-like giddiness for Guardians of the Galaxy grew, but so did my apprehension, because I said to myself, “how in the world could a movie be better than The Winter Soldier and Days of Future Past?” Well Marvel has outdone themselves by gambling on a relatively obscure comic book series and letting the masterful James Gunn write and direct it. The result is one of the most action-packed, humorous, visually stunning, and epic sci fi fantasies I have ever watched. Simply put, Guardians of the Galaxy is the Star Wars of superhero movies. And I’m talking the original trilogy, not the Jar-Jar Binks prequels.
From the opening title sequence, the movie instantly kicks the humor in overdrive as Peter Quill aka Star-Lord dances like Michael Jackson to the tune of “Come and get Your Love” by Redbone in a temple extremely reminiscent to the one from the beginning scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark. From that point on, the movie never lets up. There were funny parts, in The Avengers especially with The Hulk punching Thor and slamming Loki, but nothing to the levels of intelligent humor in Guardians of the Galaxy. Now don’t be confused, this movie isn’t a comedy. it’s an action-adventure/sci fi space opera to the likes of the original Star Wars. Instead of a farmboy, two robots, a wizard, a princess, a pirate, and his furry co-pilot trying to stop an evil empire and their technological terror, you get a thief, two thugs, an assassin, and a maniac reluctantly team up when they realize the future of the galaxy is at stake.
Leading the cast of misfits is Chris Pratt who was the voice of Emmett in this year’s biggest surprise hit, The Lego Movie. I was introduced to Pratt as the goofy and pudgy Andy Dwyer from NBC’s Parks and Recreation. A lot of people were concerned how an actor who plays an air head who broke both of his legs falling into a pit could pull off being the next Marvel superhero. I can tell you that Pratt absolutely nails the role. Just like how Emmett in The Lego Movie goes from zero to hero, Pratt’s performance makes Star-Lord one of the most memorable characters in the Marvel Universe. He’s charming, funny, intelligent, and always has a plan, even if it’s only 12% of a plan. Imagine Peter Quill as a combination of Indiana Jones adventurer, Han Solo scoundrel, and Captain Kirk ladies’ man all while armed with James Bond’s gadgets. You could tell that Pratt took the role seriously as he shed weight and got ripped to look like his comic book counterpart. But it’s Pratt’s emotions and comedic timing that will make Peter Quill a fan favorite on par with Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark.
Pratt has some action scenes, but not as much as Zoe Saldana as Gamora and Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer have. Star-Lord relies on gadgets and his cunning to get out of situations. Gamora and Drax use their blades and hand to hand combat skills to. Saldana looked great as the green skinned assassin and adopted daughter of Thanos. She has a lot of battles throughout the movie like during the prison escape scene and her battle with her step-sister Nebula played by Karen Gillan. It was a crazy martial arts sword battle between a green chick and a robotic blue chick. Who I really have to hand it to is WWE professional wrestler Dave Bautista as Drax. I know a lot of people don’t give pro-wrestlers the benefit of the doubt when it comes to acting, but Bautista was more than some maniac wrecking machine. Bautista delivered some amazing dialogue with comedic flare I was not at all expecting. Of course he does kick some serious ass, but his literal interpretations of what Star-Lord and the other characters say to him is priceless. One example was when Rocket tells Peter not so say anything too complicated or it will go over Drax’s head. Drax replies, “My reflexes are to quick that nothing goes over my head, I would just catch it.”
But who really steals the show are Rocket Raccoon voiced by Bradley Cooper and Groot voiced by Vin Diesel. They guys are the complete heart and soul of the movie. Rocket is the MacGyver of the group. Give him some tin foil, a battery, and a rubber band and he’ll literally make a bomb out of it. He’s the sarcastic one of the bunch that isn’t afraid to say what is on his mind and that’s usually what ends up also being what the audience in the theater is also thinking. Groot is a walking tree with a heart of gold. He’s just like Chewbacca in that he’s loyal and kind, but if you piss him off, he’ll tear your arms off. Groot is a simple creature that has a childlike innocence quality to him. Groot only has the ability to say “I am Groot” but the inflection and tone changes of Vin Diesel’s performance allows you to still understand what he’s saying. It also helps that Rocket pretty much translates much in the same manner Han Solo did for Chewbacca. Both Rocket and Groot’s computer effects looked spectacular. They both looked amazing realistic. If you are still bewildered how a movie could have a talking raccoon and a walking tree as superheroes, I guarantee if you give them a chance, you’ll fall in love with them as I did.
The big bad villain of the movie is Ronan the Accuser played by Lee Pace. He’s the judge, jury, and executioner of the Kree Empire. He’s a radical zealot on a personal jihad against the people of Xandar that he blames for the death of his father and grandfather.. His world’s leaders signed a peace treaty with Xandar to stop a centuries old war, but Ronan acts on his own. Thanos wants the orb that Peter Quill has, so Ronan makes a deal to take the orb back in exchange for the obliteration of Xandar, thus the motivational plot point of the movie. Ronan is a complete bad ass. He’s super strong and carries a huge hammer of destruction. His character looked like a galactic Marilyn Manson and reminded me of Lord Marshal, the leader of the Necromongers in The Chronicles of Riddick. Ify ou don’t convert to his beliefs for the greater good of the Kree Empire, you’re civilization will be cleansed. My only complaint of the film was that Ronan was sort of a boring character. Maybe we’ve been just spoiled with the charisma and deadly charm of Loki, but Ronan was sort of dull. Now don’t get me wrong, he’s so super powerful that he can pick Drax up by the neck with one hand, but he’s got zero personality. The positive to that is that is it made the Guardians even more interesting.
In supporting roles are Michael Rooker as Vondu, Glenn Close as Nova Prime, John C. Rielly as Nova Corpsman Rhomann Dey, Djimon Hounsou as Korath the Pursuer, Benicio Del Toro as The Collector, and Karen Gillan as Nebula. Each one adds a specific characteristic and quality to the film, however most are barely on screen only to add to a plot point or enhance a particular scene. Example, Del Toro as The Collector is on screen as much as he was in the after credits scene of Thor: The Dark World. The Collector is there just to explain the mystery reason on why the Orb is so important. Michael Rooker was a blue skinned version of his Merle Dixon Character from AMC’s The Walking Dead TV show, minus the southern racism, but with a really cool weapon that he commands with a whistle. Hounsou was there to basically start the chase after Star-Lord. The supporting cast adds so much to the tension of the movie, but characters like John C. Reilly add so much to the comedy. Unfortunately a lot of the characters could have easily been eliminated and it really wouldn’t have changed the movie. However, their inclusion adds so much to the depth.
Guardians of the Galaxy has amazing visuals and probably one of the best movie soundtracks I’ve even heard in a long time. The 3D effects look stunning. This is a movie that just seeing on a 2D screening will not do the film justice. The space scenes look gorgeous as they are filled with colors in the aurora of space. The set pieces look great. This movie was just such a pleasure to watch. And don’t get me started on the song choices used in the movie. As a huge Quentin Tarantino fan, I’ve been spoiled by how amazing his hand-picked songs add to the feeling of scenes. Who doesn’t think of cutting someone’s ear off when their hear “Stuck in the Middle With You?” Guardians of the Galaxy has such a soundtrack. I still can’t get songs like “Come and Get Your Love” by Redbone, “Cherry Bomb” by the Runaways, “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)” by Rupert Holmes, and “Go All The Way” by The Raspberries.” Some songs add to the depth of the scene while other are actually used by Star-Lord in the movie as the songs are on his Walkman mix tape. This is one of those movie soundtracks that you should buy and jam to in your car or use when you want to steal a mysterious orb.
As a huge fan of his previous superhero movie Super, James Gunn does an amazing job with this movie. To be honest, “amazing” is an understatement. His final result with Guardians of the Galaxy is on par with Joss Whedon’s The Avengers… if not better. This is the funniest Marvel movies to date and just about the most entertaining. Maybe it’s the Star Wars fan in me (I prefer Star Wars over Star Trek), but this could easily be classified as this young generation’s Star Wars. Everything that made the original George Lucas space opera has elements in this movie. Awesome characters meeting strange creatures on distant exotic locations and have jaw dropping space and weapon combat. I am also in love with this movie because young Peter Quill was taken in 1988, the movie has a huge 80’s vibe that was reminiscent of my own childhood. Quill has ALF trading cards on the dashboard of his spacecraft, references all things from the 80’s, and if I may be so bold, probably fashioned his legendary outlaw status of Star-Lord after Han Solo, because he would have seen the Star Wars trilogy as a child.
As my most anticipated movie of the ENTIRE year, Guardians of the Galaxy doesn’t disappoint, not for one second. I’m still jamming to the soundtrack in my car and dancing like Chris Pratt. I had so much fun with this movie. I laughed the entire time and was just impressed with everything. And what’s great, the movie is for all audiences. Other than minor swearing, there is nothing really inappropriate for little kids. My three year old son loves Rocket and Groot and asks me to rewind the commercials when he see them on TV. If you’re a parent and are concerned with taking your kids, don’t be. If they’ve seen The Avengers or Star Wars, then they will love this movie. Guardians of the Galaxy is such a fun movie going experience that I could ramble on and on about everything. This is one of those genre defining flicks that took the standard of quality superhero films and raised the bar to the next level. Move over Avengers, there’s a new group of heroes out there and they call themselves the Guardians of the Galaxy.
This may be one of my boldest statements I’ll ever make, but Guardians of the Galaxy just may be Marvel’s best movie ever in their entire cinematic universe. The Avengers is such an amazing movie on par with The Dark Knight, but I left Guardians of the Galaxy being thoroughly entertained from beginning to end. It has great characters, dialogue, action, visuals, soundtrack, and most importantly, tons of humor. I cannot recommend Guardians of the Galaxy highly enough. It’s a must see in 3D, especially during the space and aerial combat scenes. It’s also a day one Bluray buy to add to your superhero movie library.
In 1988, a young Peter Quill sits in a hospital listening to his Sony Walkman headphones while he patiently waits to see his mother on her death bed. His grandfather brings Peter in for her to say her goodbyes. His mom passes away in a room filled with family members, but not without giving her son a small token to remember her by. As Peter runs out of the hospital crying, he stumbles in the grass and a blinding light from the sky lights up the darkness. Suddenly a beam envelopes him and lifts him into a large spacecraft which takes him to the far reaches of the galaxy.
Twenty-six years later, Peter has become a legendary intergalactic outlaw who goes by the name of Star-Lord and is always in search of artifacts to sell to the highest bider. He’s a member of a clan of space pirates who call themselves Ravagers. While investigating ruins on a deserted planet for a priceless orb, he runs into a soldier named Korath the Pursuer who also wants the orb so he can deliver it to hos boss, Ronan the Accuser, a fanatical zealot from the Kree Empire who wants to use the orb to destroy Xandar, the planet of his arch enemies. Peter escapes with the orb, but in doing so double crosses his treasure hunting partner, Yondu Udonta, the leader of the Ravagers. Yondu is not at all pleased so he puts a bounty on Peter’s head for 40,000 units.
While on Xandar trying to pawn the orb to a man called the Broker, Peter runs into a couple of bounty hunters named Rocket and Groot who want the 40,000 unit reward. Rocket is a genetically engineered raccoon who can talk and Groot is his walking tree companion. Unfortunately, who else is after Peter is an assassin named Gamora. She is the daughter of the titan Thanos who has loaned her skills to Ronan in order to ensure she get the orb for him. All are captured by Xandar’s military police known as the Nova Corp and for past crimes are sent to the Kyln, a maximum security prison that floats in space.
At the prison, they meet Drax who wants to kill Gamora as revenge for Ronan murdering his wife and daughter. Peter convinces Drax that Ronan is the bigger target and to use Gamora as bait. Because Gamora wants the orb, Peter wants the payment, Drax wants revenge, and Rocket and Groot want the bounty, they all decide to work together to escape the prison and get to a location called Knowhere to sell the orb to Taneleer Tivan who is better known as The Collector. Can this group of misfits get to Knowhere without being killed by Ronan and Yondo or will they change their minds when they find out what the mysterious object really is and why Thanos wants it so badly?
If you’ve read my past reviews, especially the ones on the superhero movies, I’m really starting to sound like a broken record. DC Comics and Warner Home Entertainment make the absolute best direct to DVD animated movies, but Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Pictures rule the box office with their live action extravaganzas. First it was the Phase I movies that lead up to The Avengers, one of the greatest superhero movies of all time. Now that Marvel is in Phase II preparing for The Avengers: Age of Ultron, the final standalone set up movie is the highly anticipated Guardians of the Galaxy. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed with last year’s Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World, but my opinion quickly shifted when Captain America: The Winter Soldier was released earlier this year as it became my favorite standalone Marvel movie, even over the original Iron Man. And even though 20th Century Fox released X-Men: Days of Future Past and not Disney, my love of Marvel flicks got me all excited again to see my favorite heroes on the big screen. My child-like giddiness for Guardians of the Galaxy grew, but so did my apprehension, because I said to myself, “how in the world could a movie be better than The Winter Soldier and Days of Future Past?” Well Marvel has outdone themselves by gambling on a relatively obscure comic book series and letting the masterful James Gunn write and direct it. The result is one of the most action-packed, humorous, visually stunning, and epic sci fi fantasies I have ever watched. Simply put, Guardians of the Galaxy is the Star Wars of superhero movies. And I’m talking the original trilogy, not the Jar-Jar Binks prequels.
From the opening title sequence, the movie instantly kicks the humor in overdrive as Peter Quill aka Star-Lord dances like Michael Jackson to the tune of “Come and get Your Love” by Redbone in a temple extremely reminiscent to the one from the beginning scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark. From that point on, the movie never lets up. There were funny parts, in The Avengers especially with The Hulk punching Thor and slamming Loki, but nothing to the levels of intelligent humor in Guardians of the Galaxy. Now don’t be confused, this movie isn’t a comedy. it’s an action-adventure/sci fi space opera to the likes of the original Star Wars. Instead of a farmboy, two robots, a wizard, a princess, a pirate, and his furry co-pilot trying to stop an evil empire and their technological terror, you get a thief, two thugs, an assassin, and a maniac reluctantly team up when they realize the future of the galaxy is at stake.
Leading the cast of misfits is Chris Pratt who was the voice of Emmett in this year’s biggest surprise hit, The Lego Movie. I was introduced to Pratt as the goofy and pudgy Andy Dwyer from NBC’s Parks and Recreation. A lot of people were concerned how an actor who plays an air head who broke both of his legs falling into a pit could pull off being the next Marvel superhero. I can tell you that Pratt absolutely nails the role. Just like how Emmett in The Lego Movie goes from zero to hero, Pratt’s performance makes Star-Lord one of the most memorable characters in the Marvel Universe. He’s charming, funny, intelligent, and always has a plan, even if it’s only 12% of a plan. Imagine Peter Quill as a combination of Indiana Jones adventurer, Han Solo scoundrel, and Captain Kirk ladies’ man all while armed with James Bond’s gadgets. You could tell that Pratt took the role seriously as he shed weight and got ripped to look like his comic book counterpart. But it’s Pratt’s emotions and comedic timing that will make Peter Quill a fan favorite on par with Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark.
Pratt has some action scenes, but not as much as Zoe Saldana as Gamora and Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer have. Star-Lord relies on gadgets and his cunning to get out of situations. Gamora and Drax use their blades and hand to hand combat skills to. Saldana looked great as the green skinned assassin and adopted daughter of Thanos. She has a lot of battles throughout the movie like during the prison escape scene and her battle with her step-sister Nebula played by Karen Gillan. It was a crazy martial arts sword battle between a green chick and a robotic blue chick. Who I really have to hand it to is WWE professional wrestler Dave Bautista as Drax. I know a lot of people don’t give pro-wrestlers the benefit of the doubt when it comes to acting, but Bautista was more than some maniac wrecking machine. Bautista delivered some amazing dialogue with comedic flare I was not at all expecting. Of course he does kick some serious ass, but his literal interpretations of what Star-Lord and the other characters say to him is priceless. One example was when Rocket tells Peter not so say anything too complicated or it will go over Drax’s head. Drax replies, “My reflexes are to quick that nothing goes over my head, I would just catch it.”
But who really steals the show are Rocket Raccoon voiced by Bradley Cooper and Groot voiced by Vin Diesel. They guys are the complete heart and soul of the movie. Rocket is the MacGyver of the group. Give him some tin foil, a battery, and a rubber band and he’ll literally make a bomb out of it. He’s the sarcastic one of the bunch that isn’t afraid to say what is on his mind and that’s usually what ends up also being what the audience in the theater is also thinking. Groot is a walking tree with a heart of gold. He’s just like Chewbacca in that he’s loyal and kind, but if you piss him off, he’ll tear your arms off. Groot is a simple creature that has a childlike innocence quality to him. Groot only has the ability to say “I am Groot” but the inflection and tone changes of Vin Diesel’s performance allows you to still understand what he’s saying. It also helps that Rocket pretty much translates much in the same manner Han Solo did for Chewbacca. Both Rocket and Groot’s computer effects looked spectacular. They both looked amazing realistic. If you are still bewildered how a movie could have a talking raccoon and a walking tree as superheroes, I guarantee if you give them a chance, you’ll fall in love with them as I did.
The big bad villain of the movie is Ronan the Accuser played by Lee Pace. He’s the judge, jury, and executioner of the Kree Empire. He’s a radical zealot on a personal jihad against the people of Xandar that he blames for the death of his father and grandfather.. His world’s leaders signed a peace treaty with Xandar to stop a centuries old war, but Ronan acts on his own. Thanos wants the orb that Peter Quill has, so Ronan makes a deal to take the orb back in exchange for the obliteration of Xandar, thus the motivational plot point of the movie. Ronan is a complete bad ass. He’s super strong and carries a huge hammer of destruction. His character looked like a galactic Marilyn Manson and reminded me of Lord Marshal, the leader of the Necromongers in The Chronicles of Riddick. Ify ou don’t convert to his beliefs for the greater good of the Kree Empire, you’re civilization will be cleansed. My only complaint of the film was that Ronan was sort of a boring character. Maybe we’ve been just spoiled with the charisma and deadly charm of Loki, but Ronan was sort of dull. Now don’t get me wrong, he’s so super powerful that he can pick Drax up by the neck with one hand, but he’s got zero personality. The positive to that is that is it made the Guardians even more interesting.
In supporting roles are Michael Rooker as Vondu, Glenn Close as Nova Prime, John C. Rielly as Nova Corpsman Rhomann Dey, Djimon Hounsou as Korath the Pursuer, Benicio Del Toro as The Collector, and Karen Gillan as Nebula. Each one adds a specific characteristic and quality to the film, however most are barely on screen only to add to a plot point or enhance a particular scene. Example, Del Toro as The Collector is on screen as much as he was in the after credits scene of Thor: The Dark World. The Collector is there just to explain the mystery reason on why the Orb is so important. Michael Rooker was a blue skinned version of his Merle Dixon Character from AMC’s The Walking Dead TV show, minus the southern racism, but with a really cool weapon that he commands with a whistle. Hounsou was there to basically start the chase after Star-Lord. The supporting cast adds so much to the tension of the movie, but characters like John C. Reilly add so much to the comedy. Unfortunately a lot of the characters could have easily been eliminated and it really wouldn’t have changed the movie. However, their inclusion adds so much to the depth.
Guardians of the Galaxy has amazing visuals and probably one of the best movie soundtracks I’ve even heard in a long time. The 3D effects look stunning. This is a movie that just seeing on a 2D screening will not do the film justice. The space scenes look gorgeous as they are filled with colors in the aurora of space. The set pieces look great. This movie was just such a pleasure to watch. And don’t get me started on the song choices used in the movie. As a huge Quentin Tarantino fan, I’ve been spoiled by how amazing his hand-picked songs add to the feeling of scenes. Who doesn’t think of cutting someone’s ear off when their hear “Stuck in the Middle With You?” Guardians of the Galaxy has such a soundtrack. I still can’t get songs like “Come and Get Your Love” by Redbone, “Cherry Bomb” by the Runaways, “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)” by Rupert Holmes, and “Go All The Way” by The Raspberries.” Some songs add to the depth of the scene while other are actually used by Star-Lord in the movie as the songs are on his Walkman mix tape. This is one of those movie soundtracks that you should buy and jam to in your car or use when you want to steal a mysterious orb.
As a huge fan of his previous superhero movie Super, James Gunn does an amazing job with this movie. To be honest, “amazing” is an understatement. His final result with Guardians of the Galaxy is on par with Joss Whedon’s The Avengers… if not better. This is the funniest Marvel movies to date and just about the most entertaining. Maybe it’s the Star Wars fan in me (I prefer Star Wars over Star Trek), but this could easily be classified as this young generation’s Star Wars. Everything that made the original George Lucas space opera has elements in this movie. Awesome characters meeting strange creatures on distant exotic locations and have jaw dropping space and weapon combat. I am also in love with this movie because young Peter Quill was taken in 1988, the movie has a huge 80’s vibe that was reminiscent of my own childhood. Quill has ALF trading cards on the dashboard of his spacecraft, references all things from the 80’s, and if I may be so bold, probably fashioned his legendary outlaw status of Star-Lord after Han Solo, because he would have seen the Star Wars trilogy as a child.
As my most anticipated movie of the ENTIRE year, Guardians of the Galaxy doesn’t disappoint, not for one second. I’m still jamming to the soundtrack in my car and dancing like Chris Pratt. I had so much fun with this movie. I laughed the entire time and was just impressed with everything. And what’s great, the movie is for all audiences. Other than minor swearing, there is nothing really inappropriate for little kids. My three year old son loves Rocket and Groot and asks me to rewind the commercials when he see them on TV. If you’re a parent and are concerned with taking your kids, don’t be. If they’ve seen The Avengers or Star Wars, then they will love this movie. Guardians of the Galaxy is such a fun movie going experience that I could ramble on and on about everything. This is one of those genre defining flicks that took the standard of quality superhero films and raised the bar to the next level. Move over Avengers, there’s a new group of heroes out there and they call themselves the Guardians of the Galaxy.
This may be one of my boldest statements I’ll ever make, but Guardians of the Galaxy just may be Marvel’s best movie ever in their entire cinematic universe. The Avengers is such an amazing movie on par with The Dark Knight, but I left Guardians of the Galaxy being thoroughly entertained from beginning to end. It has great characters, dialogue, action, visuals, soundtrack, and most importantly, tons of humor. I cannot recommend Guardians of the Galaxy highly enough. It’s a must see in 3D, especially during the space and aerial combat scenes. It’s also a day one Bluray buy to add to your superhero movie library.
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Malarchy
4.0 out of 5 stars
Intergalactic Marvel
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 18, 2015
Guardians of the Galaxy is a blockbuster Sci-Fi from Marvel set in outer space. Unlike all the other Marvel offerings so far, this is not a superhero film. It is a fun, almost family-friendly action adventure with plenty of laser shooting. Guardians has a run-time of two hours with the DVD somehow being a minute shorter than the theatrical release. There are no DVD extras with the only feature being a forward look to an Avengers film.
The hero of Guardians of the Galaxy is Peter Quill played by Chris Pratt. Quill is a roguish explorer on the hunt for treasure. His backstory is the opening segment, it is a powerful start to a film. Quill's mother is on her death bed, presumably dying of cancer. She doesn't make it but she does give him a collection of her favourite tunes to remember her by. It is an excellent concept and works so well because the soundtrack is awesome.
The soundtrack to Guardians of the Galaxy is at least the best Sci-Fi soundtrack of this century. Normally a US film with such a great soundtrack comes from the genious of Quentin Tarantino. There are a couple of over-played songs like Spirit in the Sky and Ain't No Mountain High Enough but generally it is great pop music that has not been too over-exposed recently. The use of Come and Get Your Love and Quill's reaction to hearing it are great. It really sets the tone for this film - fun, not too serious, yet still really cool. Of course the reminder of one of the great song intros of all time in Hooked on a Feeling is life-affirming. The soundtrack includes tracks by Bowie, 10cc, the Jackson Five and other well-known acts but also includes some who might not be immediately recognised by name. The tunes are mostly crackers though and help speed things through so well. It helps that this soundtrack is from the 70s because the pre-MTV era allows some American songs to be lesser known elsewhere in the world.
Chris Pratt is good as the lead, he is not quite the great screen presence that would have made Guardians one of the all-time greats. Pratt does not have the charisma of someone like Harrison Ford but he's plenty good enough to make this a fun feature. His interaction with the other characters is often a little lost in his own world but Quill does have some good lines of banter. Pratt is really good as Quill, he's fun and endearing. The emotional impact of the memory of his mother works. Quill's trouble-finding nature is entertaining. Unfortunately Pratt is heavy. His movements are heavy which means his dance moves look like they're supposed to be a joke at his own expense. The dance-off sequence seems to draw inspiration from fellow larger-jowled actor Jack Black in that it is all positive vibes and little real humour. Pratt is also heavy in his facial work. He does not have the range of expression the true greats possess.
That Pratt could even be talked about in the same conversation as Harrison Ford's performance is a reminder of how good this film is. He doesn't have the charisma of Ford, William Shatner, or even Tim Allen in the better scripted Galaxy Quest who all made for much more memorable appearances in the same character type so the casting may be an issue as the character design is tried and tested.
The most banterous character is genetically-engineered raccoon Rocket voiced by Bradley Cooper. Rocket is extremely violent both with his action and his words. He's not really all that witty, his humour is mostly pretty obvious but Cooper's delivery of a relatively average script is outstanding. Rocket is a fairly one-dimensional character but he is fun. The idea of the character is great, he's an expert in his fields, and comes up with great escape plans that do work. The abusive outer-shell hides a genious engineer underneath.
Rocket's sidekick Groot is a magnificent character, so unlike most of what screen can offer. Groot and Rocket are both animated but Groot has such a humanity about him. He is some kind of tree-based life form capable of extraordinary bravery and power. Groot is played by Vin Diesel and it might not be a stretch to say this could well be Vin Diesel's best ever performance. Groot mainly uses just the phrases "Groot" or "I am Groot" through the film. The delivery with various different inflections gets across meaning even when the words themselves are not there. Groot's moment of triumph is a spectacular destruction of a group of bad guys followed by a huge grin. It is one of the funniest moments of a pretty funny film. That grin is total awesomeness.
The two other Guardians are physical opposites. Super-skinny Zoe Saldana is perfectly fine as Gamora, the green alien whose allegiances are unclear. Gamora does not have a huge amount to do but through her the plot develops. A background hint of romance between Gamora and Quill alludes to sequels.
Perhaps the most interesting character is the one who could be dubbed the first autistic hero of cinema. Drax the Destroyer is a huge physical presence with a vocabulary that can only encompass the literal. Dave Bautista looks a slightly different shape to his WWE days, clearly benefiting from a different set of vitamins. He's really good as Drax, a character very different from his wrestling persona. Drax is loyal and single-minded. He is not really able to see the bigger picture at all but he has a great heart. It is a really endearing character for such a muscle-bound freak. Drax's concluding sentiment is awesome.
The main villain is not a subtle character. Ronan the Accuser is a genocidal maniac shrouded in a dark mantle and who has an overriding lust for power. Ronan is clearly just an antagonist, there's nothing of The Accuser's backstory in this tale. The most impressive parts of Ronan's screen time are his dismantling of physically larger opponents with no trouble at all. Ronan's tossing of Drax into yellow gloop looks great.
Much more entertaining is Yondo Udonta played by Michael Rooker. He's an interesting blue bandit leader with motives that are apparent but never spoken. Udonta's main motivation as an antagonist is the saving of face rather than securing glory. Maintaining his position as bandit leader comes with expectations of how he will deal with others. That he chooses not to kill at will is fascinating because when backed into a corner, his special weapon is utterly and hilariously deadly. Rooker's performance fizzes throughout. The Texas accent and a sense of humour behind his eyes add to all his scenes.
A couple of major Hollywood stars play minor roles in Guardians. Glenn Close as the leader of planet Nova Prime has relatively little to do so it is a surprise to see such a legend take on what is not much more than the role of an extra. Benicio del Toro plays The Collector, a very small role. Del Toro plays it minimalist. The Collector is involved in the only post-credits scene. It is a rubbish scene - the appearance of Howard the Duck is literally signposted as otherwise it is hard to know how an audience would be aware of that character. Much funnier is the unreferenced appearance of a dog resembling Laika, one of the unfortunate pioneers of space travel.
A good cameo from John C. Reilly works well, hopefully he'll return in a larger role for future Guardians activity. Reilly's delivery of his line about 100% is probably the best bit of comic timing on show. Amid a few too earnest performances, Reilly clearly gets it with his role helping to defuse the lead character's ego a little. There needs to be more of this guy next time.
Visually, Guardians is absolutely stunning. Almost every scene is awe-inspiring. The cinematic creation of alien worlds is now so intense that even without 3D it is hard to look at what is going on in the foreground when the background is so beautiful. The lighting, rendering, and depth on display is mesmerising. 90% of the film is computer generated and those machines did great work. Guardians is a visual feast right up there with anything so far produced.
The plot of Guardians is secondary to its people and its look. There is not much of a plot. The Guardians and a whole lot of other beings are after a MacGuffin of universe-altering power. Good fights evil after good realises that it is indeed good.
The action sequences in Guardians are top notch. Quill is a superb combatant because of his use of technology, the changes of direction he achieves creates drama in his fights against opponents he would be expected to be over-matched by.
There is one major action sequence in Guardians and it is outstanding. Two fleets take on the hulking ship of evil-doers in an excellent tactical exchange. Space combat works when it is well designed. The design here seems to owe a lot to Babylon 5 given the creation of a much better Line than B5 could display but along the same concept. It is beautiful when shown in such advanced graphics. That the battle ebbs and flows is excellent including changes of tactics as one side or the other grabs the advantage.
Guardians of the Galaxy is a spectacular action adventure. It has no real plot to speak of but is generally fun and good-humoured. It is not as funny as it could have been and lead Chris Pratt does not quite have the charisma to turn this from good to all-time great but with stunning visual backdrops and a fun team of likeable good guys to cheer for it is a positive and easily likeable couple of hours to enjoy.
The hero of Guardians of the Galaxy is Peter Quill played by Chris Pratt. Quill is a roguish explorer on the hunt for treasure. His backstory is the opening segment, it is a powerful start to a film. Quill's mother is on her death bed, presumably dying of cancer. She doesn't make it but she does give him a collection of her favourite tunes to remember her by. It is an excellent concept and works so well because the soundtrack is awesome.
The soundtrack to Guardians of the Galaxy is at least the best Sci-Fi soundtrack of this century. Normally a US film with such a great soundtrack comes from the genious of Quentin Tarantino. There are a couple of over-played songs like Spirit in the Sky and Ain't No Mountain High Enough but generally it is great pop music that has not been too over-exposed recently. The use of Come and Get Your Love and Quill's reaction to hearing it are great. It really sets the tone for this film - fun, not too serious, yet still really cool. Of course the reminder of one of the great song intros of all time in Hooked on a Feeling is life-affirming. The soundtrack includes tracks by Bowie, 10cc, the Jackson Five and other well-known acts but also includes some who might not be immediately recognised by name. The tunes are mostly crackers though and help speed things through so well. It helps that this soundtrack is from the 70s because the pre-MTV era allows some American songs to be lesser known elsewhere in the world.
Chris Pratt is good as the lead, he is not quite the great screen presence that would have made Guardians one of the all-time greats. Pratt does not have the charisma of someone like Harrison Ford but he's plenty good enough to make this a fun feature. His interaction with the other characters is often a little lost in his own world but Quill does have some good lines of banter. Pratt is really good as Quill, he's fun and endearing. The emotional impact of the memory of his mother works. Quill's trouble-finding nature is entertaining. Unfortunately Pratt is heavy. His movements are heavy which means his dance moves look like they're supposed to be a joke at his own expense. The dance-off sequence seems to draw inspiration from fellow larger-jowled actor Jack Black in that it is all positive vibes and little real humour. Pratt is also heavy in his facial work. He does not have the range of expression the true greats possess.
That Pratt could even be talked about in the same conversation as Harrison Ford's performance is a reminder of how good this film is. He doesn't have the charisma of Ford, William Shatner, or even Tim Allen in the better scripted Galaxy Quest who all made for much more memorable appearances in the same character type so the casting may be an issue as the character design is tried and tested.
The most banterous character is genetically-engineered raccoon Rocket voiced by Bradley Cooper. Rocket is extremely violent both with his action and his words. He's not really all that witty, his humour is mostly pretty obvious but Cooper's delivery of a relatively average script is outstanding. Rocket is a fairly one-dimensional character but he is fun. The idea of the character is great, he's an expert in his fields, and comes up with great escape plans that do work. The abusive outer-shell hides a genious engineer underneath.
Rocket's sidekick Groot is a magnificent character, so unlike most of what screen can offer. Groot and Rocket are both animated but Groot has such a humanity about him. He is some kind of tree-based life form capable of extraordinary bravery and power. Groot is played by Vin Diesel and it might not be a stretch to say this could well be Vin Diesel's best ever performance. Groot mainly uses just the phrases "Groot" or "I am Groot" through the film. The delivery with various different inflections gets across meaning even when the words themselves are not there. Groot's moment of triumph is a spectacular destruction of a group of bad guys followed by a huge grin. It is one of the funniest moments of a pretty funny film. That grin is total awesomeness.
The two other Guardians are physical opposites. Super-skinny Zoe Saldana is perfectly fine as Gamora, the green alien whose allegiances are unclear. Gamora does not have a huge amount to do but through her the plot develops. A background hint of romance between Gamora and Quill alludes to sequels.
Perhaps the most interesting character is the one who could be dubbed the first autistic hero of cinema. Drax the Destroyer is a huge physical presence with a vocabulary that can only encompass the literal. Dave Bautista looks a slightly different shape to his WWE days, clearly benefiting from a different set of vitamins. He's really good as Drax, a character very different from his wrestling persona. Drax is loyal and single-minded. He is not really able to see the bigger picture at all but he has a great heart. It is a really endearing character for such a muscle-bound freak. Drax's concluding sentiment is awesome.
The main villain is not a subtle character. Ronan the Accuser is a genocidal maniac shrouded in a dark mantle and who has an overriding lust for power. Ronan is clearly just an antagonist, there's nothing of The Accuser's backstory in this tale. The most impressive parts of Ronan's screen time are his dismantling of physically larger opponents with no trouble at all. Ronan's tossing of Drax into yellow gloop looks great.
Much more entertaining is Yondo Udonta played by Michael Rooker. He's an interesting blue bandit leader with motives that are apparent but never spoken. Udonta's main motivation as an antagonist is the saving of face rather than securing glory. Maintaining his position as bandit leader comes with expectations of how he will deal with others. That he chooses not to kill at will is fascinating because when backed into a corner, his special weapon is utterly and hilariously deadly. Rooker's performance fizzes throughout. The Texas accent and a sense of humour behind his eyes add to all his scenes.
A couple of major Hollywood stars play minor roles in Guardians. Glenn Close as the leader of planet Nova Prime has relatively little to do so it is a surprise to see such a legend take on what is not much more than the role of an extra. Benicio del Toro plays The Collector, a very small role. Del Toro plays it minimalist. The Collector is involved in the only post-credits scene. It is a rubbish scene - the appearance of Howard the Duck is literally signposted as otherwise it is hard to know how an audience would be aware of that character. Much funnier is the unreferenced appearance of a dog resembling Laika, one of the unfortunate pioneers of space travel.
A good cameo from John C. Reilly works well, hopefully he'll return in a larger role for future Guardians activity. Reilly's delivery of his line about 100% is probably the best bit of comic timing on show. Amid a few too earnest performances, Reilly clearly gets it with his role helping to defuse the lead character's ego a little. There needs to be more of this guy next time.
Visually, Guardians is absolutely stunning. Almost every scene is awe-inspiring. The cinematic creation of alien worlds is now so intense that even without 3D it is hard to look at what is going on in the foreground when the background is so beautiful. The lighting, rendering, and depth on display is mesmerising. 90% of the film is computer generated and those machines did great work. Guardians is a visual feast right up there with anything so far produced.
The plot of Guardians is secondary to its people and its look. There is not much of a plot. The Guardians and a whole lot of other beings are after a MacGuffin of universe-altering power. Good fights evil after good realises that it is indeed good.
The action sequences in Guardians are top notch. Quill is a superb combatant because of his use of technology, the changes of direction he achieves creates drama in his fights against opponents he would be expected to be over-matched by.
There is one major action sequence in Guardians and it is outstanding. Two fleets take on the hulking ship of evil-doers in an excellent tactical exchange. Space combat works when it is well designed. The design here seems to owe a lot to Babylon 5 given the creation of a much better Line than B5 could display but along the same concept. It is beautiful when shown in such advanced graphics. That the battle ebbs and flows is excellent including changes of tactics as one side or the other grabs the advantage.
Guardians of the Galaxy is a spectacular action adventure. It has no real plot to speak of but is generally fun and good-humoured. It is not as funny as it could have been and lead Chris Pratt does not quite have the charisma to turn this from good to all-time great but with stunning visual backdrops and a fun team of likeable good guys to cheer for it is a positive and easily likeable couple of hours to enjoy.
Kultstatus
4.0 out of 5 stars
Toller Film
Reviewed in Germany on October 28, 2023
Im Vergleich die DVD Version:
Mehr Basssubstanz, insgesamt sprechen 7.1 Anlagen auf die BD Fassung besser an. Anzumerken ist, dass bei 2.1 oder 5.1 kein essentieller Mehrklang vernommen oder gemessen wurde. Das rührt von weniger Ausgangspunkte her, daher ist klanglich nur eine BD Empfehlung auszusprechen, sofern man eine 7.1 oder hochwertiger nutzt.
Mehr Störbilder, aber nur bei Aufnahmen. Da der Film überwiegend vor digitalen Hintergründen und aus diesen Elementen besteht ist die Abtastrate hier ausreichend um stabile Bilder zu liefern. Hier kann die Qualität des Abspielgeräts und der Zustand des Datenträgers ausschlaggebend sein. Essentielle Bildstorungen und Verzerrungen sind aber bei Aufnahmen der Realbilder zu erkennen. Diese sind nicht auf der BD-Version registriert worden. Insbesondere in aufwendigen Szenen kommt es vermehrt zu Verzerrungen aufgrund der DVD-Bildabtastrate die der BD-Abtastrate unterliegt.
Wer den Film genießen möchte ohne große technische Neuanschaffungen darf die DVD Version genau so genießen, wie man die BD genießen darf. Für die DVD Version empfiehlt sich generell: Desto kleiner das Ausgabegerät (Bildschirm), um so weniger fallen Verzerrungen ins Gewicht, wobei das Abspielgerät eine wichtige Rolle spielt.
Mehr Basssubstanz, insgesamt sprechen 7.1 Anlagen auf die BD Fassung besser an. Anzumerken ist, dass bei 2.1 oder 5.1 kein essentieller Mehrklang vernommen oder gemessen wurde. Das rührt von weniger Ausgangspunkte her, daher ist klanglich nur eine BD Empfehlung auszusprechen, sofern man eine 7.1 oder hochwertiger nutzt.
Mehr Störbilder, aber nur bei Aufnahmen. Da der Film überwiegend vor digitalen Hintergründen und aus diesen Elementen besteht ist die Abtastrate hier ausreichend um stabile Bilder zu liefern. Hier kann die Qualität des Abspielgeräts und der Zustand des Datenträgers ausschlaggebend sein. Essentielle Bildstorungen und Verzerrungen sind aber bei Aufnahmen der Realbilder zu erkennen. Diese sind nicht auf der BD-Version registriert worden. Insbesondere in aufwendigen Szenen kommt es vermehrt zu Verzerrungen aufgrund der DVD-Bildabtastrate die der BD-Abtastrate unterliegt.
Wer den Film genießen möchte ohne große technische Neuanschaffungen darf die DVD Version genau so genießen, wie man die BD genießen darf. Für die DVD Version empfiehlt sich generell: Desto kleiner das Ausgabegerät (Bildschirm), um so weniger fallen Verzerrungen ins Gewicht, wobei das Abspielgerät eine wichtige Rolle spielt.
Sayan
5.0 out of 5 stars
👍
Reviewed in France on October 28, 2023
Colis bien reçu merci
