The Marvel movie magic continued to blast on in 2014 with the release of another new entry into the fray with the film adaptation of Guardians of the Galaxy. With the massive success of movies like The Avengers, Marvel are adding the newer, lesser known comic book series to their big screen releases and while characters Peter Quill, Drax the Destroyer and Rocket Raccoon are pretty well known in the comic book world, they were’t necessarily household names. However, the success of the film has raised their profile significantly, paving the way for a planned sequel in 2017.
Release date
Guardians of the Galaxy was released in the UK on the 31st July 2015, with the US release trailing it by a day on the 1st August 2014. It was available to view in 2D, IMAX and 3D and with some of the most impressive special effects of 2014 it was definitely on to see in the latter.
It went on to be released in the UK on DVD, Blu-ray and digital download on the 24th November 2014, followed by the US release on the 9th December 2015. If we had to call the best format to to own the movie on, we’d have to say Blu-ray 3D edges it, just because of the spacial effects, so if you’ve got the kit it’s definitely worth a shout.
Story
The story is set in the recesses of outer-space as Peter Quill, played by Chris Pratt (The Lego Movie), grows up with a band of space pirates called the Ravengers who kidnap him as his mum dies on Earth. After 26 years in their company he manages to get himself mixed up in a whole galaxy worth of trouble after he’s sent on a mission to steal a valuable magical orb. As a result, he becomes the target of vicious interplanetary powerhouse, Ronan, and his pack of bad ass trackers, and Quill is forced to create an alliance with a team of guardians to keep the orb safe from the hunting party.
Cast
Ronan is played by Lee Pace, who was brilliant as the cold and calculating Thranduil in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, which gave us high expectations for his potential as the galactic super villain of the film. However, while we weren’t necessarily 100% convinced by Chris Pratt’s casting as Quill when we first heard about it, as he’s got a lot of history in the comedy series Parks And Recreation, he went on to do a pretty good job. The fear was that it could possibly have made Guardians of the Galaxy a little too silly overall, but having initially seen the trailer it looked like it could work out well, which went on to be the case when the film was released.
The cast is added to by Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook) as the CGI incarnation of the genetically evolved raccoon, Rocket, along with Zoe Saldana (Star Trek: Into Darkness) as the born-again goodie green space babe, Gamora. Vin Diesel (Pitch Black) plays the half-tree, half-man planet-hopping beast, Groot, and former wrestler Dave Bautista (SPECTRE) completes the Guardians side of the cast, being transformed into Drax the Destroyer.
John C. Reilly (Wreck It Ralph) takes on the role of Nova Corps general, Rhomman Dey, Karen Gillan (Doctor Who) as Nebula, Ronan’s ferocious lieutenant, Michael Rooker plays space pirate captain, Yondu Udonta, Djimon Hounsou as Korath, Glenn Close as Nova Prime commander Irani Rael and Benicio Del Toro returns as The Collector after his brief introduction in the credits of Thor: The Dark World, so it was a real mixed bag in terms of star appeal.
However, the surprise entry into the cast has got to be Peter Serafinowicz, who starred alongside John C. Reilly as Denarian Nova Corps officer, Garthan Saal. Check out the trailer below to see them all in action and if you haven’t seen the film yet, it’s definitely worth a watch, combining great comedy with high-octane action and stunning special effects.
Production
The film has been created by Marvel Studios and producer Kevin Faige, who’s been involved in everything from the very first X-Men movie to Captain America: Winter Soldier as the president of Marvel Studios. He’s backed up by the screenplay writing and directorial skills of James Gunn, who worked with Faige previously on Thor:The Dark World.
Review
Guardians of the Galaxy was one of the summer’s big blockbuster releases with some of the best comedy moments of the year, which is no mean feat for a sci-fi action adventure. It’s full on action and epic special effects were matched by a great story, style and delivery.
Though the story of the Guardians in comic book form is a relatively new one, having first appeared only 5 years ago, it’s gone on to perform well with the release of the film. The random mix of the cast somehow pulled it all together to make another amazing entry to the growing list of Marvel superhero films. The trailer didn’t necessarily give us a great deal to go on, but it was a good sign of what to expect from the movie and it doesn’t disappoint. Check out our full Guardians Of The Galaxy review for more details.
