Guardians of the Galaxy (film)

: "I look around at us and you know what I see? Losers. I mean, like, folks who have lost stuff. And we have. Man, we have. All of us. Our homes. Our families. Normal lives. And usually, life takes more than it gives. But not today."
: ―Star-Lord
Guardians of the Galaxy is a 2014 superhero film, based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name. It is the tenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the fourth installment of Phase Two. The film was released on July 31, 2014, internationally and on August 1, 2014, in the United States.
The film is written and directed by James Gunn and stars Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot, Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket Raccoon, Lee Pace as Ronan the Accuser, Michael Rooker as Yondu Udonta, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Djimon Hounsou as Korath, John C. Reilly as Rhomann Dey, with Glenn Close as Irani Rael, and Benicio del Toro as Taneleer Tivan/Collector.
A sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, was released on May 5, 2017, and a second sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, was released on May 5, 2023.
== Synopsis ==
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.
== Plot ==
In Missouri, 1988, a young boy named Peter Quill stands by his mother, Meredith, as she lays dying in a hospital bed. Close to death and delirious, Meredith laments on Peter's father, whom the boy has never met, describing him as an "angel". When Meredith finally passes on, a distraught Peter flees from the hospital. After distancing himself from the building, he enters a field where a spaceship suddenly appears, the occupants of which bring Peter aboard and depart into space.
26 years later, Quill is now an adult and a member of the Ravagers led by Yondu Udonta. The Ravagers are hired by the Broker to recover an Orb from the planet Morag. Quill, who has grown bitter towards the Ravagers for abducting him and ruining his childhood, travels to Morag alone and steals the Orb for himself, only to be intercepted by Korath who served under Ronan the Accuser. For the past several years, Ronan, despite a delicate peace treaty between his people and the Xandarians, has been systematically invading Xandarian controlled and allied worlds, killing hundreds of thousands in a mad quest for Kree purity. The Xandarians have tried to plead their case to the Kree hierarchy, but the Kree refuse to get involved.
Although Quill escapes with the artifact, Yondu discovers he has stolen the Ravager's prize and issues a bounty for his capture. Meanwhile, Ronan is revealed to be searching for the Orb as part of a deal with Thanos in exchange for the annihilation of Xandar. To aid in the hunt, Thanos has lent Ronan Gamora and Nebula. By tracking the Ravagers' brokers and past dealings, the villains learn of Yondu's deal with the Broker and send Gamora to Xandar to intercept Quill.
On Xandar, Quill attempts to sell the Orb to the Broker, but upon learning that Korath was working for Ronan, the Broker refuses to become involved with the Orb and turns Quill away. Suddenly, Quill is ambushed by Gamora, who takes the Orb and flees into the streets. A fight ensues, drawing in two bounty hunters, Rocket Raccoon and Groot, who both seek to collect Udonta's bounty. The Nova Corps, Xandar's prime military force, arrive and arrest the group, imprisoning them in the Kyln.
On the Kyln, the other prisoners, aware of Gamora's relationship with Thanos and Ronan, threaten her life. Drax the Destroyer even attempts to kill Gamora for the murder of his wife and daughter by Ronan, but Quill convinces him that he can get to Ronan through Gamora. Gamora reveals that she intended to betray Ronan and keep the Orb, having grown weary of Ronan's methodology, deeming him insane and a risk to galactic stability. Learning that Gamora has a buyer who is willing to pay a very hefty fee for the artifact, Rocket, Quill, Groot, and Gamora work together to escape the Kyln.
Learning of Gamora's betrayal, a furious Ronan meets with Thanos in person and angrily berates him for not taking Gamora's betrayal seriously. When the Other scolds Ronan for disrespecting the warlord, Ronan angrily breaks the Other's neck, killing him and forcing Thanos to speak to Ronan directly. Undaunted by Ronan's complaints, Thanos waves Ronan away, and while Gamora's betrayal is an issue, Thanos entrusts both Ronan and Nebula with fixing that problem. As Ronan departs, Thanos grimly warns him that if he returns empty-handed again, he will "bathe the stairways" in his blood.
Quill and his allies, accompanied by Drax, manage to escape the Kyln, where they distract the guards by disabling the station's artificial gravity. They flee in the Milano and travel to Knowhere where the fugitives spend time in the Boot of Jemiah, while Gamora was waiting for her contact. Drax and Rocket, both heavily intoxicated, get into a fight after Drax insults Rocket's appearance, after which a morose Rocket laments on his creation and the pain he was forced to endure.
While Drax furiously leaves the proceedings, the rest of the group are summoned by Carina to meet with Taneleer Tivan. Arriving at Tivan's museum, the group hand the Orb over to Tivan, who opens up the artifact to reveal an Infinity Stone, an item of immeasurable power that destroys all but the most powerful beings who wield it. Tivan explains that the stones were the remnants of six singularities that predate the universe, their power compacted into six "stones", and that their power was too great for all but the most powerful beings to wield; all others are inevitably destroyed.
Tivan prepares to give the outlaws their payment, but Carina, seeing this as a chance to free herself from servitude under Tivan, suddenly grabs the stone and taps into its power. A massive energy pulse is fired from the Orb, killing Carina and blowing up much of Tivan's collection. Quill, Gamora, Rocket, and Groot barely escape with their lives.
Gamora, finally understanding the full extent of the danger the Orb holds, attempts to convince the others to hand it over to the Nova Corps for protection, when Ronan and his forces suddenly arrive, having been summoned by a drunken Drax. While Drax battles Ronan, the others attempt to escape using the Mining Pods and are pursued by Ronan's Sakaaran minions, led by Nebula. Ronan easily defeats Drax, while Nebula destroys Gamora's Pod, leaving her floating in space.
Nebula takes the Orb and Ronan's forces depart. Despite Rocket's insistence that they flee, Quill finds himself unwilling to leave Gamora and summons Udonta before following her into space, giving her his helmet to survive; Yondu arrives and collects the pair before they succumb to the exposure. Quill manages to negotiate a truce with the Ravagers after convincing Yondu that they can recover the Orb from Ronan and sell it.
Groot convinces Rocket and Drax to rescue Quill and Gamora, and the three attempt an attack on Udonta's ship to recover their friends. Reunited, the group agrees that facing Ronan means certain death, but that they must stop him from using the Infinity Stone to lay waste to the galaxy. On the Dark Aster, Ronan contacts Thanos, who demands that the Kree deliver the Orb to him as promised. However, Ronan embeds the Power Stone in his hammer, taking its power for himself, promising that after the destruction of Xandar, he will come for Thanos. Hateful of her adopted father for all the suffering he wrought upon her throughout her life, Nebula agrees to aid Ronan. Quill sends a message to Rhomann Dey, warning the Nova Corps of Ronan's attack.
Allying with a Nova Corps fleet, Quill's group and the Ravagers arrive at Xandar, confronting the Dark Aster. While Rocket assists the Nova Corps fleet, the rest of Quill's team breach the Dark Aster and move towards Ronan. Gamora battles Nebula while Quill, Drax, and Groot battle and kill Korath and the Sakaaran soldiers. Defeating Nebula, Gamora tries to convince her sister to abandon Ronan and join her in freedom; deeming Gamora's new choice as insane, Nebula refuses her sister's offer and flees from the battle in a hijacked Ravager ship. As the battle proceeds, allies begin to fall as Necrocrafts start falling from the sky onto the city, killing many in the process including Horuz, while Rocket and other Ravagers were attempting to destroy the ships before they hit the ground.
Ronan uses his new power to destroy the Nova Corps fleet, including Garthan Saal and easily overmatches Quill's team. Before he can kill them, Rocket flies his ship into the Dark Aster and into Ronan, seemingly killing him. The extensive damage causes the Dark Aster to crash land on Xandar, with Groot apparently fatally sacrificing himself to shield the group.
Quill's team survives the crash, but their relief is short-lived when Ronan, unscathed by the crash, emerges from the wreck and prepares to destroy Xandar. Quill suddenly starts dancing, distracting Ronan long enough for Drax to destroy the Kree's hammer with the Hadron Enforcer. The Infinity Stone flies from the hammer, and Quill grabs it, but its power begins to destroy him until he joins hands with Gamora, Drax, and Rocket, who share its burden. The four then direct the stone's power towards Ronan, utterly destroying him.
Gamora immediately places the stone in a new orb, and Quill gives it to Yondu as part of their deal, although Quill warns that he should not open it since Yondu had seen what it was capable of doing. Yondu and the Ravagers then leave Xandar, commenting that they made a wise choice in not delivering Quill to his father like they had been hired to do all those years ago. Once they have left, Quill reveals that he had switched the containers- Yondu later opens the orb to find one of Quill's troll dolls. In the aftermath, Quill's group, now calling themselves the Guardians of the Galaxy after a mockery by Ronan, are praised by the Nova-Prime, Irani Rael, who expunges their criminal histories.
She also reveals to Quill that, based on medical reports, they have deciphered that he is only half-human and that his father belongs to an ancient alien race that they have not yet encountered. The Guardians then leave Xandar in the Milano, which was repaired by the Nova Corps, and venture out into the galaxy in search of adventure, accompanied by a recovered twig from Groot, which is already beginning to regrow.
Meanwhile, Tivan sits in his destroyed archive, where he is licked by Cosmo, and mocked by one of his collections: Howard the 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
* John C. Reilly as Denarian Rhomann Dey
* Glenn Close as Nova Prime Irani Rael
* Benicio del Toro as Taneleer Tivan/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 Jason Quill
* Janis Ahern as Peter Quill's Grandmother
* 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
* Rachel Cullen as Karman-Kan
* Isabella Poynton and Imogen Poynton as Duranna
* Max Wrottesley as Sacrifice Nova Corpsman
* Bruce Mackinnon as Vorker
* Mikaela Hoover as Nova Prime's Assistant
* Stephen Blackehart as Steemie Blueliver
* Laura Ortiz as Krylorian Attendant
* Seth Green as Howard the Duck (uncredited)
* Josh Brolin as Thanos (uncredited)
* Ricky Knight as Toothless (uncredited)
== Appearances ==
=== Locations ===
* Earth
** St. Charles, Missouri
*** St. Ambrose Hospital
** Dolores River (mentioned)
** J.D. Canoe Rental (mentioned)
* Morag
** Temple Vault
* Xandar
** Nova Corps Headquarters
** Broker's Shop
* Kyln
* Sanctuary
* Knowhere
** Exitar
*** Collector's Museum
*** Boot of Jemiah
*** Tivan Dispatch Center
* Kylos (mentioned)
** Forgotten Lakes (mentioned, deleted scene)
** Mount Kylos (mentioned, deleted scene)
* Hala (mentioned)
* Planet X (mentioned)
* Halfworld, Keystone Quadrant (mentioned)
* Zen-Whoberi (mentioned)
* Sakaar (mentioned)
* A'askavariia (mentioned)
=== Events ===
* Kidnapping of Peter Quill
* Quest for the Orb
** Battle of Morag
** Attack on Peter Quill
** Escape from the Kyln
** Massacre at the Kyln
** Skirmish on Knowhere
** Battle of Xandar
* Kree-Nova War (mentioned)
* Massacre of the Kylosians (mentioned)
* Massacre of the Zehoberei (mentioned)
* Big Bang (mentioned)
=== Items ===
* Infinity Stones
** Power Stone
*** Orb
** Space Stone (hologram)
*** Tesseract (hologram)
** Reality Stone (hologram)
** Mind Stone (hologram)
** Time Stone (hologram)
** Soul Stone (hologram)
* Star-Lord's Helmet
* Quad Blasters
* Star-Lord's Walkman
* Plasma Sphere
* Holo-Map Projector
* Lock Pick
* Gravity Mine
* Energy Bolas
* Jet Boot Attachments
* Yaka Arrow Controller
* Godslayer
* Drax the Destroyer's Knives
* Hadron Enforcer
* Laser Cannon
* Nova Machine Gun
* N20-75 Disrupter Rifle
* Universal Weapon
* Kree Armor
* Necroblaster
* Quarnyx Battery
* Yaka
** Yaka Arrow
* Electroshock Batons
* Birth Pods
* Chitauri Helmet
* Zodiac Key
* Space Throne
* Eson the Searcher's Staff
* Translator Implant
* Kyln Hoverbots
* Universal Neural Teleportation Network
* Troll Doll
* Thanos' Armor
=== Vehicles ===
* M-Ships
** Milano
* Star Blaster
* Necrocrafts
* Accuser Warships
** Dark Aster
* Mining Pods
* Eclector
* Ravager Constructions
=== Sentient Species ===
* Aakons
* Celestials
* Centaurians
* Chitauri
* Dark Elves
* Exolon
* Flora colossus
* Frost Giants
* Halfworlders
* Kree
* Humans
* Hurctarians
* Kallusians
* Korbinites
* Krylorians
* Kylosians
* Luphomoids
* Sakaarans
* Sneepers
* Titans
* Xandarians
* Xeronians
* Zehoberei
* A'askavariians (mentioned)
* Cosmic Entities (picture)
* Cotati (mentioned)
* Gramosians (mentioned)
* Guna (mentioned)
* Rajaks (mentioned)
=== Creatures ===
* Orloni
* F'saki
* Dogs
* Slugs
* R'sani (mentioned; deleted scene)
* Raccoons (mentioned)
* Maggots (mentioned)
=== Organizations ===
* Guardians of the Galaxy
* Ravagers
** Yondu Ravager Clan
* Nova Empire
** Nova Corps
* Tivan Group
* Exolon Monks
* Kree Empire
** Accusers (mentioned)
* NASA (logo)
* Black Order (mentioned)
=== Mentioned ===
* Death (picture)
* Entropy (picture)
* Infinity (picture)
* Eternity (picture)
* Ego
* Kree Emperor
* Ovette
* Kamaria
* Lylla
* Tibius Lark
* Ronan the Accuser's Father
* Ronan the Accuser's Grandfather
* Ronan the Accuser's Great-Grandfather
* Gamora's Father
* Gamora's Mother
* Kevin Bacon
* Jemiah the Analyzer
* High Evolutionary
* Billy the Kid
* Bonnie and Clyde
* John Stamos
* Ark of the Covenant
* Maltese Falcon
* Jackson Pollock
* Ranger Rick
* Ronald Reagan (photo)
* ALF (trading cards)
* Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
* Footloose
== Production ==
In June 2012, numerous sources claimed that Marvel Studios' mystery 2014 project was Guardians of the Galaxy and that a script had already been written by Nicole Perlman.
Filming began around July 6, 2013, under the working title of "Full Tilt", with pre-shoots starting on June 24, 2013.
On August 11, 2013, filming began at London's Millennium Bridge. On October 12, 2013, Gunn tweeted that filming had completed.
== Music ==
* Guardians of the Galaxy – Songs from the Motion Picture Original Score
* Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1
Song title 	Artist 	Location(s)
Love Is Not Enough 	Nine Inch Nails 	
* Official Trailer #1
Spirit In the Sky 	Norman Greenbaum 	
* Official Trailer #2
I'm Not In Love 	10cc 	
* 1988, young Peter Quill visits his dying mother.
Come And Get Your Love 	Redbone 	
* Opening Credits while Peter is dancing and stealing the Orb in Morag.
Go All The Way 	Raspberries 	
* Peter gets back to his ship after escaping from Korath with the Orb.
Mad Scene from 'Lucia di Lammermoor'	Bergamo Musica Festival Orchestra	
* Yondu and Kraglin asking the Broker about Orb.
Hooked On a Feeling 	Blue Swede 	
* Mean Guard listens to Peter's tape in Kyln.
* Official Trailer #1
Escape (The Piña Colada Song) 	Rupert Holmes 	
* Peter Quill flys to his ship after he got his tape and cassette back.
Moonage Daydream 	Daivid Bowie 	
* Approaching to Celestial's dead corpse head.
Fooled Around and Fell In Love 	Elvin Bishop 	
* Star-Lord's "pelvic sorcery".
Cherry Bomb 	The Runaways 	
* Guardians of the Galaxy warns Nova Empire about Ronan's plan to decimate Xandar and prepare to battle.
O-o-h Child 	The Five Stairsteps 	
* Peter sung (and danced) it to distract Ronan.
Ain't No Mountain High Enough 	Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell 	
* Star-Lord puts on the Awesome Mix Vol. 2 after he read the letter from his mother.
I Want You Back 	Jackson 5 	
* Pre Credits Scene; little Groot dancing.
Magic 	Pilot 	
* Deleted Scene: The Mean Guard dances around the Kyln as he listens to Peter Quill's walkman.
== Videos ==
== References ==
The Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki has a collection of images and media related to Guardians of the Galaxy (film).
# ↑ Disney and Marvel Studios release the first official image from 'Guardians Of The Galaxy'
# ↑ Sean Gunn Doing Mocap For Rocket In Endgame Is Funnier Than You’d Think
# ↑ SDCC '13: Marvel Reveals AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON, Guardians Cast, More
# ↑ GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Theory: What Does "Full Tilt" Mean and is the Production Company a Plot Clue?
== External Links ==
* Guardians of the Galaxy (film) on Marvel Database
* Guardians of the Galaxy (film) on Wikipedia
* Guardians of the Galaxy (film) on IMDb
* Guardians of the Galaxy (film) on 𝕏
* Guardians of the Galaxy (film) on Facebook
* Guardians of the Galaxy (film) on Disney+