100 Greatest Superhero Stories Ever
By Steve Lam
Image Courtesy of Marvel Studios
#22. Guardians of the Galaxy
Medium
Live-Action Feature Film
Release Dates
July 21, 2014 (Dolby Theatre)
August 1, 2014 (United States)
Credits
Director: James Gunn
Writers: James Gunn, Nicole Perlman
Cast: Chris Pratt as Peter Quill / Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, Vin Diesel as Groot, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, 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, Glenn Close as Irani Rael, Benicio del Toro as Taneleer Tivan / The Collector
The Reason It’s Great
When the first Guardians of the Galaxy teaser was released, the average moviegoer’s response was, “Huh?” Outside of comics fandom, the characters were almost unheard of. They were very different from established Marvel characters like Iron Man and Captain America.
After Peter Jason Quill’s mother dies from cancer, he’s abducted by an alien ship. Twenty-six years later, he goes by the name “Star-Lord” and makes a living stealing valuable artifacts and selling them on the galactic black market. When he steals an orb, he gets the attention of a Kree named Ronan.
Captured by the Nova Corps and placed in prison, he meets Gamora, Drax, Groot, and Rocket. The five escape and form a shaky alliance due to an intersection of their goals. They visit the Collector and discover that an Infinity Stone is embedded inside the orb. Soon, Ronan attacks and takes the stone. To save the galaxy, the team makes a pact to stop Ronan.
Guardians of the Galaxy became on of the highest grossing films for the summer of 2014. The film was lauded for its humor and its geniune emotion. Much of the credit was given to James Gunn’s adept script and the cast’s amazing chemistry.