MARVEL STUDIOS: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 3D [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 STUDIOS 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!
FILM FACT: Awards and Nominations: 2014 Awards Circuit Community Awards: Win: Best Makeup and Hairstyling. Nominated: Best Adapted Screenplay for James Gunn and Nicole Perlman. Nominated: Best Production Design for Charles Wood. Nominated: Best Costume Design for Alexandra Byrne. Nominated: Best Sound. Nominated: Best Visual Effects. 2014 Golden Schmoes Awards: Win: Favorite Movie of the Year. Win: Best Sci-Fi Movie of the Year. Win: Breakthrough Performance of the Year for Chris Pratt. Win: Coolest Character of the Year for 'Rocket Raccoon.' Win: Best Music in a Movie. Win: Favorite Movie Poster of the Year. Win: Best Trailer of the Year. Win: Best DVD/Blu-Ray of the Year. Win: Best Line of the Year for "I am Groot." Nominated: Most Overrated Movie of the Year. Nominated: Trippiest Movie of the Year. Nominated: Best Special Effects of the Year. Nominated: Biggest Surprise of the Year. Nominated: Coolest Character of the Year for “Star-Lord.” Nominated: Best Action Sequence of the Year for “Prison Break.” 2014 Hollywood Film Awards: Win: James Gunn. Nominated: Make-Up of the Year for David White and Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou. 2014 Hollywood Music In Media Awards: Win: Best Soundtrack Album. Nominated: Best Original Score in a Sci-Fi/Fantasy Film for Tyler Bates. Nominated: Outstanding Music Supervision in a Film for Dave Jordan. 2014 Hollywood Post Alliance: Nominated: Outstanding Editing in a Feature Film for Craig Wood, Fred Raskin and Hughes Winborne. 2014 Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards: Win: Rondo Statuette Award for Best Film for James Gunn (director) and MARVEL STUDIOS. 2014 Young Hollywood Awards: Nominated: Super Superhero for Chris Pratt. 2015 Academy Awards®: Nominated: Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling for David White and Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou. Nominated: Best Achievement in Visual Effects for Jonathan Fawkner, Nicolas Aithadi, Paul Corbould and Stephane Ceretti. 2015 BAFTA Film Awards: Nominated: Best Makeup and Hairstyling for David White and Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou. Nominated: Best Special Visual Effects for Jonathan Fawkner, Nicolas Aithadi, Paul Corbould and Stephane Ceretti. 2015 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA: Win: Saturn Award for Best Actor for Chris Pratt. Win: Saturn Award for Best Director for James Gunn. Win: Saturn Award for Best Make-Up for David White and Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou. Win: Saturn Award for Best Comic-to-Film Motion Picture. Nominated: Saturn Award for Best Production Design for Charles Wood. Nominated: Saturn Award for Best Writing for James Gunn and Nicole Perlman. Nominated: Saturn Award for Best Editing for Craig Wood, Fred Raskin and Hughes Winborne. Nominated: Saturn Award for Best Costumes for Alexandra Byrne. Nominated: Saturn Award for Best Special Effects for Jonathan Fawkner, Nicolas Aithadi, Paul Corbould and Stephane Ceretti. 2015 American Cinema Editors: Nominated: Eddie Award for Best Edited Feature Film in a Comedy or Musical for Craig Wood, Fred Raskin and Hughes Winborne. 2015 Annie Awards: Nominated: Outstanding Achievement in Character Animation in a Live Action Production for Brad Silby, Christopher Mullins, Dale Newton, Kevin Spruce and Sidney Kombo. 2015 Art Directors Guild: Win: Excellence in Production Design Award for Fantasy Film for Charles Wood (production designer), Ray Chan (supervising art director), Mike Stallion (art director), Mark Swain (art director), Thomas Brown (art director), Jordan Crockett (art director), Romek Delmata (art director), Phil Sims (3D/visual effects art director), Oliver Goodier (assistant art director), Jim Barr (assistant art director), Stephen Swain (assistant art director), Peter Dorme (assistant art director), Peter James (standby art director main unit), Oli van der Vijver (standby art director second unit), Alex Smith (draughtsperson), Rhys Ifan (draughtsperson), Bethan Jones (draughtsperson), Tara Ilsley (draughtsperson), Luke Whitelock (draughtsperson), Patrick Harris (draughtsperson), Matthew Robinson (daily senior draughtsperson), Dean Clegg (daily senior draughtsperson), Andrea Borland (daily senior draughtsperson), Dominique Law (junior draughtsperson), Alex Bowens (junior draughtsperson), Emma Goodwin (junior draughtsperson), Oliver Carroll (set designer), Julian Ashby (digital set designer), Denise Ball (daily digital set designer), Mark Harris (daily digital set designer), Gregory Fangeaux (3D set designer), Matt Sims (3D set designer), Robert Hochstoeger (daily 3D set designer), Charles Szczech (daily 3D set designer), Steven Lawrence (daily 3D set designer), Joel Chang (illustrator), Rob Jose (lead model maker), Richard Usher (assistant model maker), Diego de Lajonquiere (assistant model maker), Kathryn Prince (art sculptor), Bob Cheshire (concept artist), Paul Catling (concept artist), Dan Walker (concept artist), Ivan Weightman (concept artist), Roberto Fernández Castro (daily concept artist), Pete Thompson (concept artist), Tim Hill (concept artist), Kevin Jenkins (concept artist), Richard Anderson (concept artist), Olivier Pron (concept artist), Kevin Chen (concept artist), Matt Codd (concept artist), Stephan Martinière (concept artist), Iain McCaig (concept artist), Chris Rosewarne (conceptual artist), Clive Ward (scenic artist), Anthony Francisco (sketch artist) and Richard Roberts (set decorator). 2015 Behind the Voice Actors Awards: Win: BTVA People's Choice Voice Acting Award for Best Male Lead Vocal Performance in a Feature Film for Bradley Cooper as the voice of "Rocket Raccoon." Nominated: BTVA Feature Film Voice Acting Award for Best Male Lead Vocal Performance in a Feature Film for Bradley Cooper as the voice of "Rocket Raccoon." 2015 Black Reel Awards: Nominated: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for Zoe Saldana. Nominated: Outstanding Voice Performance for Vin Diesel for voice of "Groot." 2015 Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards: Win: Critics Choice Award for Best Hair and Makeup. Win: Critics Choice Award for Best Action Movie. Nominated: Critics Choice Award for Best Visual Effects. Nominated: Critics Choice Award for Best Actor in an Action Movie for Chris Pratt. Nominated: Critics Choice Award for Best Actress in an Action Movie for Zoe Saldana. 2015 Casting Society of America: Nominated: Artios Award for Outstanding Achievement in Casting - Big Budget Feature in a Comedy for Reg Poerscout-Edgerton, Sarah Finn and Tamara Hunter (associate). 2015 Cinema Audio Society, USA. Nominated: Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Motion Pictures in a Live Action for Chris Manning (foley mixer), Christopher Boyes (re-recording mixer), Doc Kane (ADR mixer), Gustavo Borner (scoring mixer), Lora Hirschberg (re-recording mixer) and Simon Hayes (production mixer). 2015 Costume Designers Guild Awards: Nominated: Excellence in Fantasy Film for Alexandra Byrne. 2015 Gold Derby Awards: Win: Makeup and Hairstyling for David White and Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou. Nominated: Motion Picture for Kevin Feige. Nominated: Adapted Screenplay for James Gunn and Nicole Perlman. Nominated: Costume Design for Alexandra Byrne. Nominated: Visual Effects for Jonathan Fawkner, Nicolas Aithadi, Paul Corbould and Stephane Ceretti. 2015 Grammy Awards: Nominated: Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media for James Gunn (compilation producer). 2015 Guild of Music Supervisors Awards: Win: Best Music Supervision for Films Budgeted Over 25 Million Dollars for Dave Jordan. 2015 Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Awards: Win: Artisan Award for Best Contemporary Makeup in a Feature Films for Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou. Win: Artisan Award for Best Special Makeup Effects in a Feature Films for David White. Nominated: Artisan Award for Best Contemporary Hair Styling in a Feature Films for Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou. 2015 Hugo Awards: Win: Best Dramatic Presentation in Long Form for James Gunn (writer/director) and Nicole Perlman (writer). 2015 International 3D & Advanced Imaging Society's Creative Arts Awards: Win: Creative Arts Award for 3D Feature in a Live Action for Evan Jacobs (stereoscopic supervisor), Michael C. May (stereoscopic producer) and MARVEL STUDIOS (producer). Nominated: Creative Arts Award for 3D Feature in a Live Action. Nominated: Creative Arts Award for Outstanding Use of 2D to 3D Conversion. 2015 Jupiter Award: Win: Best International Actor for Chris Pratt. 2015 Kids' Choice Awards, USA: Nominated: Blimp Award for Favorite Villain for Lee Pace. Nominated: Blimp Award for Favorite Movie for MARVEL STUDIOS. Nominated: Blimp Award for Favorite Female Action Star for Zoe Saldana. Nominated: Blimp Award for Favorite Male Action Star for Chris Pratt. 2015 Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA: Nominated: Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing - Music in a Feature Film for Darrell Hall (music editor), Steve Durkee (supervising music editor) and Will Kaplan (music editor). Nominated: Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing - Sound Effects and Foley in an English Language Feature for Matthew Wood (supervising sound editor), Christopher Boyes (supervising sound editor, sound designer), David Acord (sound designer, sound effects editor), Kevin Sellers (supervising foley editor), Dennie Thorpe (foley artist), Jana Vance (foley artist), Kyrsten Mate (sound effects editor), David Chrastka (sound effects editor), Cheryl Nardi (dialogue editor, adr editor), Brad Semenoff (dialogue editor, adr editor), Dee Selby (foley editor) and Luke Dunn Gielmuda (foley editor). 2015 MTV Movie + TV Awards: Nominated: MTV Movie Award for Movie of the Year. Nominated: MTV Movie Award for Best Male Performance for Chris Pratt. Nominated: MTV Movie Award for Best Shirtless Performance for Chris Pratt. Nominated: MTV Movie Award for Best Duo for Bradley Cooper smf Vin Diesel. Nominated: MTV Movie Award for Best Musical Moment for Chris Pratt. Nominated: MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance for Chris Pratt. Nominated: MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Transformation for Zoe Saldana. Nominated: MTV Movie Award for Best Hero for Chris Pratt as “Star-Lord.” 2015 Publicists Guild of America: Nominated: Maxwell Weinberg Award for Motion Picture for MARVEL STUIDOS and Walt Disney Studios. 2015 Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America: Win: Bradbury Award for James Gunn and Nicole Perlman. 2015 Visual Effects Society Awards: Nominated: Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Photoreal/Live Action Feature Motion Picture for Jonathan Fawkner, Nicolas Aithadi, Paul Corbould, Stephane Ceretti and Susan Pickett. Nominated: Outstanding Performance of an Animated Character in a Photoreal/Live Action Feature Motion Picture for Kevin Spruce, Mark Wilson, Laurie Brugger and Rachel Williams for “Rocket Racoon.” 2015 Writers Guild of America: Nominated: WGA Award (Screen) for Best Adapted Screenplay for James Gunn (written by) and Nicole Perlman (written by).
Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel (Voice of Groot), Bradley Cooper (Voice of Rocket Racoon), Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, Benicio Del Toro, Laura Haddock, Sean Gunn (Kraglin / On Set Rocket), 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 (Xandarian Ladies' Man), Nicole Alexandra Shipley, Sharif Atkins, Brendan Fehr, Tomas Arana, Mikaela Hoover, Emmett J Scanlan, Dominic Grant, Spencer Wilding, Alison Lintott, Alexis Rodney, Nathan Fillion (Monstrous Inmate 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 (written), 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 (Director of Photography)
Image 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 Audio
Hindi: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, Português, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish
Running Time: 120 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 2
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment / MARVEL STUDIOS
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ 3D [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’ 3D 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 STUDIOS-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’ 3D 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 STUDIOS 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.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY MUSIC TRACK LIST
I’M NOT IN LOVE (Written by Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman) [Performed by 10CC]
COME AND GET YOUR LOVE (Written by Lolly Vegas) [Performed by Redbone]
GO ALL THE WAY (Written by Eric Carmen) [Performed by The Raspberries]
Mad Scene from 'Lucia di Lammermoor' (Written by Gaetano Donizetti) [Performed by Bergamo Musica Festival Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Antonino Fogliani]
HOOKED ON A FEELING (Written by Francis Zambon) [Performed by Björn Skifs]
ESCAPE (The Piña Colada Song) (Written by Rupert Holmes) [Performed by Rupert Holmes]
MOONAGE DAYDREAM (Written by David Bowie) [Performed by David Bowie]
FOOLED AROUND AND FELL IN LOVE (Written by Elvin Bishop) [Performed by Elvin Bishop]
CHERRY BOMB (Written by Kim Fowley and Joan Jett) [Performed by The Runaways]
OOH CHILD (Written by Stan Vincent) [Performed by The Five Stairsteps] [Also performed by Chris Pratt] (uncredited)
AIN’T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH (Written by Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson) [Performed by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell]
I WANT YOU BACK (Written by Freddie Perren, Fonce Mizell, Berry Gordy and Deke Richards) [Performed by Jackson 5]
3D Blu-ray Image 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’ 3D 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.
2D Blu-ray Special Features and Extras: As an added bonus, these special features can be viewed in 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio.
Special Feature: 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).
Special Feature:The Intergalactic Visual Effects for ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ [2014] [1080p] [1.78:1] [7:11] Here with this special 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’ 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 STUDIOS 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
