Check out our review of this action-packed space adventure that expands the Marvel Cinematic universe into the cosmos as a group of space criminals must work together to stop the fanatical villain Ronan the Accuser from destroying the galaxy.
The Review at a Glance:
(max score: 5 )
Film:
Extras:
Audio/Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )
97
Details:
Studio and Year: Marvel - 2014
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Feature running time:
Genre:
Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC
Video Aspect:
Resolution: 1080p/24
Audio Format(s):
Subtitles:
Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Lee Pace, Bradley Cooper (voice), Vin Diesel (voice), Michael Rooker, Glenn Close, Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reilly, Benicio Del Toro, Karen Gillan,
Directed by: James Gunn
Music by: Tyler Bates
Written by: James Dunn & Nicole Perlman
Region Code: A,B,C
Blu-ray Disc release Date: December 9, 2014
"When things get bad, they’ll do their worst"
My Take:
An action-packed, epic space adventure, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits—Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when 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 for a last desperate stand—with the galaxy's fate in the balance.
Created by Arnold Drake and Gene Colan, the Guardians of the Galaxy were introduced in 1969 as a team of heroes in the 31st century—each member the last of his kind. The idea of creating a cinematic project from that concept had much going for it—not only a remarkable group of characters operating within an amazing universe, but also an opportunity to explore another side of the Marvel Universe, contemporaneous with The Avengers, maintaining the scope, action and humor, as well as a sense of the high stakes at its core, which made that film such a success.
As a kid I read Marvel Comics almost exclusively (a little DC too) but never really heard of Guardians of the Galaxy. Seeing the trailer was the first I’d heard or seen it. That made me chuckle aloud and definitely left me eager for more. The whole family when to see it opening weekend and the reaction across the board was a resounding thumbs up. Guardians of the Galaxy is a perfect blend of tongue-in-cheek humor, engaging action, endearing characters and inventive energy. The script expertly balances character development with thematic touchstones, clever dialogue, spot on pacing and a blend of period music that sets the mood.
As you might expect from a Marvel Studios film the production elements from the special effects to the costumes/make-up are top notch. The cast is the final and defining element that brings it all together. Chris Pratt was a perfect choice for Peter Quill and combines just the right amount of charisma with excellent comedic timing and rewarding chemistry with every other member of the ensemble. Speaking of which I found essentially every choice made to be the right one in support of the narrative’s various plot points and thematic tone. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Dave Bautista’s always literal “Drax”. Zoe Saldana always has it going on and Lee Pace nailed Ronan. I think that the combination of Bradley Cooper’s “Rocket” and Vin Diesel’s “I am Groot” (along with the superlative CG work to create them) probably made for some of the film’s best moments. Honorable mention has to go out to my man Michael Rooker as the scene stealing “Yondu”.
Guardians of the Galaxy is a success in that it has the right ingredients to appeal not only to genre fans but a broader audience base that can revel in its entertaining fusion. I enjoyed it even more this second time around and look forward to seeing what lies in store for the next installment.
Parental Guide:
The rating is for intense sequences of sci-fi action/violence and some language.
AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100/EXCELLENT = 83-91/GOOD = 74-82/AVERAGE = 65-73/BELOW AVERAGE = under 65
**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**
Audio: 100
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
- Dynamics:
- Low frequency effects:
- Surround Sound presentation:
- Clarity/Detail:
- Dialogue Reproduction:
- Low frequency extension * (non-rated element):
Video: 94
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
- Resolution/Clarity:
- Black Level/Shadow Detail:
- Color Reproduction:
- Fleshtones:
- Compression:
Guardians of the Galaxy comes to Blu-ray Disc from Disney Home Entertainment featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 30 Mbps and lossless DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 4.5 Mbps.
This film essentially utilizes two distinct visual styles to convey its thematic content. One makes use of darker/monochromatic color schemes while the other features starker contrast and vibrant colors emboldened by warm accents. Each provides the look that the filmmakers strove for to drive the narrative components. Close ups reveal crisp definition and perceptible detail that reveals the presence of pores, stubble, peach fuzzy hair and the minutia visible in the costumes and make-up worn by the members of the cast. The texture on the surfaces of objects is just as defining which give them visibly apparent structure and lifelike quality. Black levels are deep and contrast is spot on which delivers bright punchy whites and appreciable dimension when mixed light/dark elements are present onscreen. The video has a noticeably clean and pristine quality that appears devoid of video related anomalies and artifacts.
I had high expectations for this soundtrack on Blu-ray and this 7.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio presentation didn’t disappoint and bested what I heard in the theater. This lossless soundtrack is reference quality and is dynamically enriched which accents the active nature of the sound design. Dialogue has excellent presence with clear, defining vocal character and noteworthy room penetration. The mix makes involving use of the surround channels as multi-layered sound effects are appropriately placed within the soundfield so that they coincide with the events transpiring onscreen. The escape sequence at the Kiln and the assault on Zandor in the finale showcases the enveloping nature of the mix and are lots of fun as various objects swirl around the soundstage.
The active sound design utilizes the subwoofer to accentuate its already extended dynamic range. Again, the action based sequences referenced above sound great and there is a particularly nice low level rumble during an explosion inside the Collector’s lair in sequence that takes place in “Nowhere”. Essentially throughout the presentation the quality of the bass is first rate as it is fills the room with clean, hard hitting, and deep resonating low frequency detail. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute with this terrific soundtrack. Guardians of the Galaxy on Blu-ray is demonstrative worthy and makes for a great home theater experience.
Bonus Features:
- (HD) Guide to the Galaxy with James Gunn – 21 minute featurette
- (HD) The intergalactic visual effects of Guardians of the Galaxy – 7 minute featurette
- (HD) Exclusive look at Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron – 2 minutes
- (HD) 5 deleted scenes with optional director commentary
- (HD) Gag reel – 4 minutes
- Director Audio Commentary
Final Thoughts:
Guardians of the Galaxy is another successful comic to big screen adaptation from Marvel Studios and makes for an entertaining installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It comes to Blu-ray from Disney featuring top notch high definition audio/video mated with a fair supplemental package that looks behind the scenes and includes an exclusive look at the upcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron due out in the spring of 2015. I am a fan and can’t recommend Guardians of the Galaxy on Blu-ray enough. Enjoy!
Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS4910 3D Ready 1080p High Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Calman 5 & C6 Meter from Spectracal)
Stewart Filmscreen - Studiotek 130 G3 100” 16x9 Screen
Carada Masquerade Horizontal Masking System
Marantz AV8801 11.2 Channel Audio/Video Processor
Sherbourn Technologies - 7/200 Seven Channel Amplifier
B&K Reference 200.7 Series 2 Seven Channel Amplifier
Oppo BDP-103D Universal Disc/3D capable Blu-ray Player (With Darbee video processing)
Panasonic DMP-BDT310 3D capable Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
System Controller: Apple iPad/iRule Pro HD Universal Remote Control
Canton "Ergo" Series speakers
Axiom Audio QS8 Quadpolar speakers
SVS PB-13 Ultra (Rosenut finish)
SVS PC12-NSD
APC AV S15BLK Power Conditioner/Surge Protector
Wireworld, Better Cables (Silver Serpent) - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
Cool Components - CP-CP102 cooling package