Marvel Studio's Guardians Of The Galaxy [DVD] [2014]

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.

This is the most bonkers but biggest and best Marvel movie yet - something that on paper feels like it shouldn't work but in reality is class from start to finish.Chris Pratt is on stellar form as Starlord, the best space outlaw since Han Solo. We follow his journey as he hurtles between planets, ships and prisons, picking up various characters along the way - a talking raccoon, a walking tree, a green skinned lady and a (probably) ex WWE wrestler. The plot is fuelled by the search for something called The Orb, our merry band want it but so so some very bad people who intend to do some very bad things. It's largely a macguffin though which Starlord himself admits - comparing it to The Maltese Falcon and The Ark. It services the plot and gives reasons for the blur of top notch action that follows.There are some great, quieter character beats as well as we move along, giving us reasons to care about these eccentric characters. It's not just Pratt who excels - Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista and Bradley Cooper are all excellent and Vin Diesel makes the most of what is essentially just one line of dialogue. Each character has their chance to shine and their own demons to face. The big bad guy Thanos is lurking in the shadows but there's plenty of other ace villains to go around.It all looks great as you'd expect, the budget has been well spent and director James Gunn brings a fair amount to invention and imagination. The script is witty and funny, at times very funny, and the soundtrack is outstanding. Basically I feel that I can't talk this up enough - if you're a fan of The Avengers, Star Wars, Indy, Spaceballs, whatever then check this out. Stick with it right to the end of the credits as well, there's one last touch of class

Great Dvd Movie To Watch. Very Enjoyable.