Guardians of the Galaxy (retroactively referred to as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1) is a 2014 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the tenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by James Gunn, who wrote the screenplay with Nicole Perlman, and features an ensemble cast including Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, and Bradley Cooper as the titular Guardians, along with Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, and Benicio del Toro. In Guardians of the Galaxy, Peter Quill forms an uneasy alliance with a group of extraterrestrial criminals who are fleeing after stealing a powerful artefact.
Plot[]
In 1988, following his mother's death, a young Peter Quill is abducted from Earth by the Ravagers, a group of space pirates led by Yondu Udonta. Twenty-six years later on the planet Morag, Quill steals a mysterious orb but is attacked by Korath, a subordinate to the fanatical Kree, Ronan. Although Quill escapes with the orb, Yondu discovers his theft and issues a bounty for his capture, while Ronan sends the assassin Gamora after the orb.
When Quill attempts to sell the orb on Xandar, capital of the Nova Empire, Gamora ambushes him and steals it. A fight ensues, drawing in a pair of bounty hunters: the genetically and cybernetically modified raccoon Rocket, and the tree-like humanoid Groot. Nova Corps officers capture the four, detaining them in the Kyln prison. A powerful inmate there, Drax, attempts to kill Gamora due to her association with Ronan and Thanos, who killed his family. Quill convinces Drax that Gamora can bring Ronan to him, though Gamora reveals that she has betrayed Ronan, unwilling to let him use the orb's power. Learning that Gamora has a buyer for the orb, Quill, Rocket, Groot, and Drax work with her to escape the Kyln in Quill's ship, the Milano.
Ronan meets with Gamora's adoptive father, Thanos, to discuss her betrayal. Quill's group flee to Knowhere, a remote criminal outpost in space built in the giant severed head of a Celestial. A drunken Drax summons Ronan while the rest of the group meet Gamora's contact, the collector Taneleer Tivan. Tivan opens the orb, revealing an Infinity Stone, an item of immeasurable power that destroys all but the most powerful beings who wield it. Not fully understanding everything he said about the stone Tivan's slave Carina grabs the Stone, triggering an explosion that engulfs Tivan's archive.
Ronan arrives and easily defeats Drax, while the others flee by ship, pursued by Ronan's followers and Gamora's adoptive sister Nebula. Nebula destroys Gamora's ship, leaving her floating in space, and Ronan's fighters capture the orb. Quill contacts Yondu before following Gamora into space, giving her his helmet to survive; Yondu arrives and retrieves the pair. Rocket, Drax, and Groot threaten to attack Yondu's ship to rescue them, but Quill negotiates a truce, promising the orb to Yondu. Quill's group agrees that facing Ronan means certain death, but that they cannot let him use the Infinity Stone to destroy the galaxy. On Ronan's flagship, the Dark Aster, Ronan embeds the Stone in his warhammer, taking its power for himself. He contacts Thanos, threatening to kill him after first destroying Xandar; hateful of her adoptive father, Nebula allies with Ronan.
The Ravagers and Quill's group join with the Nova Corps to confront the Dark Aster at Xandar, with Quill's group breaching the Dark Aster with the Milano. Ronan uses his empowered warhammer to destroy the Nova Corps fleet. Drax and Gamora defeat Korath and Nebula, the latter escaping, but the group find themselves outmatched by Ronan's power until Rocket crashes a Ravager ship through the Dark Aster. The damaged Dark Aster crash-lands on Xandar, with Groot sacrificing himself to shield the group. Ronan emerges from the wreck and prepares to destroy Xandar, but Quill distracts him, allowing Drax and Rocket to destroy Ronan's warhammer. Quill grabs the freed Stone, and with Gamora, Drax, and Rocket sharing its burden, they use it to destroy Ronan.
In the aftermath, Quill tricks Yondu into taking a container supposedly containing the Stone, and gives the real Stone to the Nova Corps. As the Ravagers leave Xandar, Yondu remarks that it turned out well that they did not deliver Quill to his father per their contract. Quill's group, now known as the Guardians of the Galaxy, have their criminal records expunged, and Quill learns that he is only half-human, his father being part of an ancient, unknown species. Quill finally opens the last present he received from his mother: a cassette tape filled with her favorite songs. The Guardians leave in the rebuilt Milano along with a sapling cut from Groot.
In a post-credits scene, Tivan sits in his destroyed archive with two of his living exhibits: a canine cosmonaut and an anthropomorphic duck.
Cast[]
- Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord
- Wyatt Oleff as Young Peter Quill
- Zoe Saldana as Gamora
- Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer
- Vin Diesel as Groot
- Krystian Godlewski as Groot (on set)
- Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon (voice)
- Lee Pace as Ronan the Accuser
- Michael Rooker as Yondu Udonta
- Karen Gillan as Nebula
- Djimon Hounsou as Korath the Pursuer
- John C. Reilly as Denarian Rhomann Dey
- Glenn Close as Nova Prime Irani Rael
- Benicio del Toro as Taneleer Tivan/The Collector
- Laura Haddock as Meredith Quill
- Sean Gunn as Kraglin Obfonteri / Rocket Raccoon (motion capture) /Thanos (motion capture)
- Peter Serafinowicz as Denarian Garthan Saal
- Christopher Fairbank as Broker
- Gregg Henry as Peter Quill's Grandfather
- Robert Firth as Doctor Fitzgibbon
- Melia Kreiling as Bereet
- Tom Proctor as Horuz
- Stan Lee as Xandarian Ladies' Man
- Tomas Arana as Kree Ambassador
- Alexis Rodney as Moloka Dar
- Nathan Fillion as Monstrous Inmate (voice)
- Alexis Denisof as The Other
- Ophelia Lovibond as Carina
- Fred the Dog as Cosmo
- James Gunn as a Maskless Sakaaran (cameo)
- Rachel Cullen as Rhomann Dey's Wife
- Isabella Poynton as Rhomann Dey's Daughter
- Imogen Poynton as Rhomann Dey's Daughter
- Bruce Mackinnon as Vorker
- Mikaela Hoover as Nova Prime's Assistant
- Stephen Blackehart as Knowhere Dispatcher
- Laura Ortiz as Krylorian Attendant
- Seth Green as Howard the Duck (uncredited)
- Josh Brolin as Thanos (uncredited)
- Simara Dixon as Ti Asha (deleted scenes; uncredited)
- Unknown Actor as Eson the Searcher (uncredited)
Sequels[]
Guardians of the Galaxy was followed two sequels: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023).
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- This is the tenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
- This is the first film in the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy.
- This is the third highest grossing film of 2014.
- This is the first live action film centering on Guardians of the Galaxy.
- When Dave Bautista found out he got the role of Drax the Destroyer, he broke down in tears, overjoyed at getting a "Marvel" comic book role. He prepared for the role with an acting coach.
- Vin Diesel recorded all his lines in several different languages, including Russian, Mandarin, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and French, so that they could use his real voice in the film around the world.
- Chris Pratt apparently stole his Star-Lord costume from the set, for the sole purpose of having it available so he could show up in costume to visit sick children in the hospital, who might want to meet Star-Lord.
- The soundtrack album "Awesome Mix, Vol. 1" reached number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, the first film soundtrack ever to do so without any original music. It was also nominated for the 2015 Grammy Award for Best Soundtrack.
- Bradley Cooper told Howard Stern that he was paid more for voicing Rocket in this movie than for starring in Silver Linings Playbook (2012) and The Hangover (2009) combined.
- In the comics, Drax is green. However, for the film, his color was changed to a muddier grey, partly because the movie already had a bright-green character (Gamora), but mostly to distinguish his appearance from the Hulk.
- James Gunn didn't want to see Chris Pratt auditioning. He was convinced later, by his assistant, at the end of the auditions. After Pratt read for thirty seconds, Gunn stated that he knew Pratt was perfect for the role.
- James Gunn has confirmed, via Twitter, that Peter Quill's ship in the film is named The Milano after Alyssa Milano, Peter Quill's childhood crush.
- Vin Diesel loved his character, Groot, so much, he would go to promotions and premieres wearing the stilts he wore for the movie and a shirt proclaiming "I Am Groot".
- Zoe Saldana wanted to portray Gamora through make-up, rather than computer graphics imagery, or performance capture.
- Iron Man was planned to have a cameo role in this film (in an homage to his being the Guardians' latest member in the comics around 2013), but this was scrapped when Robert Downey Jr. said he may not reprise his role as Tony Stark in the future. Downey had since signed a contract to reprise the role for two "Avengers" sequels.
- Benicio Del Toro's uncredited cameo as The Collector in Thor: The Dark World (2013) was written to set the stage for this film.
- Josh Brolin is uncredited, and in fact was the last person to be cast. He was offered the role while filming Everest (2015). He based the characterization of Thanos primarily on Marlon Brando's role of Colonel Walter E. Kurtz in Apocalypse Now (1979).
- Thanos almost got cut from the movie, but James Gunn decided to keep him for a connection to Avengers Assemble (2012).
- Bradley Cooper cited Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci's character in Goodfellas (1990)) as an influence on Rocket Racoon's voice.
- When Vin Diesel started recording his lines for Groot, he was pleasantly surprised to find himself working with an old friend, Doc Kane, the sound technician he'd worked with on The Iron Giant (1999).
- Yondu's primary weapon is a sentient arrow. In the comics, Yondu was an archer.
- Primarily based on the 2008 comic team (Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot), but features Yondu, a member of the original 1969 comic team, as an ally.
- Rocket Raccoon was modelled on a raccoon named Oreo living in the UK.
- In the movie, Yondu is portrayed as a villainous mercenary. However, in the comics, Yondu is of a tribal warrior race.
- Vin Diesel recorded his lines wearing stilts, so he could get a sense of how large Groot actually is.
- Alexandra Byrne was flustered when measuring Djimon Hounsou for his outfit. She stated that he was so perfectly built, she could put a beanbag on him and he'd make it look good.
- To prepare for the role of Nebula, Karen Gillan shaved her head.
- Nicole Perlman is the first woman to be credited for writing a Marvel screenplay.
- James Gunn has stated several times that Rocket was a big, if not the main, reason he wanted to make this movie. In fact, when it was confirmed that the film was a hit, Gunn put a heartfelt thank you letter online, specifically thanking everyone for letting a Raccoon make them a little more human.
- Avengers Assemble (2012) director Joss Whedon, who signed a deal to creatively consult on all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, was enthusiastic about the selection of James Gunn to direct.
- James Gunn compared the Avengers and the Guardians to music bands: "The Avengers are like The Beatles, but the Guardians are like The Rolling Stones!"
- James Gunn cites Iron Man (2008) as an influence on the film: "We are starting Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This is Marvel Cosmic, and we're doing exactly what they did with the first Iron Man film."
- James Gunn's favorite song is Jackson 5's "I Want You Back", and he was delighted to get a chance to feature it in the film.
- Nebula is Thanos' daughter in the film, but his granddaughter in the comics.
- According to the mid-credit scene of Thor: The Dark World (2013), the Collector is already in possession of the Reality Infinity Stone and wants to own all of them.
- Yondu was originally meant to be killed off in the end of the movie.
- Joel Edgerton, Eddie Redmayne, Jensen Ackles, Lee Pace, Wes Bentley, Jack Huston, Cam Gigandet, Sullivan Stapleton, Logan Marshall-Green, Garrett Hedlund, Chris Lowell, James Marsden, Jim Sturgess, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Aaron Paul, Michael Rosenbaum, Glenn Howerton, and John Krasinski auditioned and screentested for the role of Peter Quill (Star-Lord).
- The film was nominated for two Academy Awards at the 87th Academy Awards, Best Make-up Achievement and Achievement in Visual Effects, but lost out to The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) and Interstellar (2014).
- Adam Sandler, David Tennant, Sharlto Copley, Jim Carrey, and H. Jon Benjamin were considered to voice Rocket Raccoon.
- The film sets up the third phase in the "Marvel Cinematic Universe," particularly "Avengers: Infinity War (2018)" and "Avengers: Endgame (2019)."
- The first non-Avengers Marvel property developed by Walt Disney Pictures.
- Bradley Cooper (Rocket) and Zoe Saldana (Gamora) starred as a couple in the romance film The Words (2012), and were in an off-screen relationship until shortly before production of this film started.
- Before being cast as Yondu, Michael Rooker expressed interest in playing Rocket Raccoon, and there was a large fan petition trying to make it happen.
- Almost all of the voices of the Sakaarans were done by James Gunn and assistant director Simon Hatt.
- Olivia Wilde turned down the role of Gamora, while Gina Carano, Rachel Nichols, and Adrianne Palicki auditioned.
- Peyton Reed was considered to direct this film. He was later chosen to direct Ant-Man (2015) another Marvel Cinematic Universe film.
- Thanos' cameo in the end credits of Avengers Assemble (2012) and The Collector's cameo in Thor: The Dark World (2013) set the stage for this movie.
- Dave Bautista left WWE to promote the film.
- Vin Diesel and Dave Bautista appeared in Riddick (2013).
- The first Marvel Cinematic Universe film not featuring Iron Man to cross $300 million in the U.S.
- Hugh Laurie, Alan Rickman, and Ken Watanabe were considered for roles.
- Isaiah Mustafa, Brian Patrick Wade, and Jason Momoa were considered for the role of Drax the Destroyer.
- Glenn Howerton was James Gunn's second choice to play Peter Quill.
- Thandie Newton was considered for the role of Gamora.
- Drax never wears a shirt for the entirety of the film.
Guardians of the Galaxy |
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Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) |
Phase Two |
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Iron Man 3 (2013), Thor: The Dark World (2013), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Ant-Man (2015) |