Guardians of the Galaxy Blu-ray Review

Reviewed by Lynn Barker on Dec 08, 2014

Rating:

Kidzworld reviews the funny and action-loaded space adventure Blu-ray for Guardians of the Galaxy. Should it be on your holiday gifting/take home list?

By: Lynn Barker

Ever had your troubles snowball into a danger-packed adventure? Mercenary space adventurer Peter Quill has to team up with potential enemies Rocket, Groot, Gamora and Drax to stay alive, avoid capture by bounty hunters and protect a strange device that he realizes everybody in the galaxy wants!

Quill (Chris Pratt) and Gamora (Zoe Saldana) first meetCourtesy of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

Story Goes

It’s 1988 and young Peter Quill (played as an adult by Chris Pratt) has just lost his mom to cancer. He honors her by constantly playing a ‘70’s-‘80’s mixtape of tunes on his Walkman (a small, portable tape player that came before the iPod.) Peter is swept up by a giant spaceship piloted by Yondu (Michael Rooker) a mercenary bandit called a Ravager. Years later, space adventurer Peter, who calls himself “Star-Lord”, is working for Yondu and explores a weird cave while listening to the old tunes on the Walkman he still carries.

Quill at the controls of his shipCourtesy of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

Peter is searching for a levitating device just called “the Orb” so Yondu can sell it but Peter decides to sell it on his own. Baddie Ronan (Lee Pace) also wants the powerful orb. Ronan is supposed to give the orb to his boss Thanos in return for the warlord’s aid in getting revenge against planet Xandar.

Lee Pace as RonanCourtesy of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

Ronan’s henchwoman, a hot, green-skinned enhanced assassin named Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Thanos’ adopted daughter, is sent after Quill to get the orb. She finds him on Xandar where bounty hunter Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and his tree-like protector Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) are after Quill to get the reward Yondu has placed on his head.

The gang makes an escapeCourtesy of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

After lots of action and fighting over the orb, the whole group lands in prison where they have to reluctantly team up to escape. Fellow convict Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista) joins in and they get away in Quill’s spaceship. The five finally learn that the orb is all-powerful and could destroy the whole galaxy. Putting their differences aside, the gang bonds, becomes the Guardians of the Galaxy and, with the aid of Xandar’s elite police force the Nova Corps, prevent the baddies from using the orb’s power to destroy most of the universe.

DraxCourtesy of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

Special Features

Featurettes include “Guide to the Galaxy with James Gunn” – the writer/director talks about the colorful look of the film which he means to be a space epic above all. We hear from the set decorator and Chris Pratt comments. The choice of 1970’s pop songs is discussed. The intros to each featurette are in the form of a cute retro-videogame. Fun! The extensive make-up is discussed by the actors wearing it. On set we see the prison and the design is presented. We learn how little Rocket Raccoon was placed into scenes with computer while, on set, a couple of small actors in blue stood in for him so the actors would have something to relate to.

Little Rocket RaccoonCourtesy of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

We get a tour of The Collector (BenIcio del Toro)’s lair and the contents, many items familiar to Marvel fans. The final big battle is covered with actor Lee Pace (baddie Ronan) telling us how much he loves his giant ship! Chris Pratt practices his funny “dance off” scene and Vin Diesel relates his feelings about Groot’s sacrifice for the others. We see the Baby Groots at the end of the film.

GrootCourtesy of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

In The Intergalactic Visual Effects of Guardians of the Galaxy, we watch Bradley Cooper voice Rocket and see how his facial expressions were used. We see more of the little guys on set standing in for him and learn just how much director James Gunn loves raccoons. He carries one around with him. A very watchable featurette.

Deleted and Extended Scenes include extra funny ones and a good backstory scene between Gamora and her sister Nebula that explains a lot about their relationship.

Nebula and Gamora square off to fightCourtesy of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

Exclusive Look at Marvel Avengers: Age of Ultron film. This is a cool trailer for the upcoming film with some behind the scenes comments by Producer Kevin Feige and director Joss Whedon. Many locations were used and we see Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver in action. Neat!

Audio Commentary with director James Gunn is pretty amazing. He talks practically non-stop and you get spoilers; a hint as to who Quill’s dad is, backstory that wasn’t in the film, fun stuff about the actors, you name it. Very fun and informative to watch after you’ve seen the movie at least once!

Gag Reel – Hilarious. The entire cast and crew does a dance off, including baddie Ronan (Lee Pace). The animators even put in some boo-boos by Rocket and Groot and Glenn Close kicks up her heels. Well worth a watch.

Guardians in prisonCourtesy of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

Wrapping Up

Guardians of the Galaxy was the feel good film of the summer; action, romance, humor, great characters, impressive sets and effects and ‘70’s and ‘80’s music made it so. What’s not to like? The whole family can get into the film and it makes a great holiday gift. The Blu-ray looks and sounds crisp and sharp and the extras are very satisfying.

Gamora and Quill get romanticCourtesy of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

Sure, the basic plot is all comic-book and as old as storytelling: some weird-looking baddies want to control or destroy the universe and need some kind of amazing power source to do it and it’s up to a gang of rebels/outlaws etc. to stop them. But… you just don’t care. You are too busy enjoying the spectacle, the humor and bonding with the Guardians. I’m “hooked on the feeling”. The film on Blu-ray with extras rates 5 stars!