Story
Guardians of the Galaxy opens with the death of the young Peter Quill’s mother, followed by his abduction in an alien spacecraft.The movie then jumps forward 26 years. Peter (Chris Pratt) is now a soldier of fortune on the planet Morag, where he is searching for an ancient and mysterious object called the Orb. Quill finds the Orb and escapes after a shootout with aliens who also want it. When Quill tries to sell the Orb on a distant planet, he ends up being arrested along with a female humanoid alien called Gamora (Zoe Saldana), a talking raccoon named Rocket (voice of Bradley Cooper) and a creature called Groot (voice of Vin Diesel). These three aliens had intended to steal the Orb from Quill.In prison, Quill, Gamora, Rocket and Groot are befriended by a muscle-bound blue alien called Drax (Dave Bautista). Drax has a personal grudge against an intergalactic warlord named Ronan (Lee Pace), who is seeking the Orb for his own evil purposes. Drax hopes that Quill and his friends will lead him to Ronan.Quill and his companions escape from prison and head to a space station, where they plan to sell the Orb to an alien called the Collector. The Collector tells Quill and his companions that the Orb contains an Infinity Stone, an ancient and powerful weapon that can destroy entire worlds. Quill then decides that the stone is too dangerous to be sold to anyone. With his four companions, he decides to take the stone to Nova headquarters, where Ronan can’t get it. But this won’t be easy.
Themes
Loss of a parent; aliens; alien abduction; devices of mass destruction
Violence
Guardians of the Galaxy contains intense sequences of action violence and peril, including multiple deaths and mass destruction of property. There is minimal blood and gore, however. For example:
Sexual references
Guardians of the Galaxy has some sexual references. For example:
- A man suggests that a woman should trade sexual favours with prisoners to get what she and he need to escape from prison.
- Quill talks about being wounded by a jealous girlfriend for cheating on her.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
Guardians of the Galaxy shows some use of substances. For example:
- Men stand around a gambling table holding drinks. In the same scene Rocket drinks alcohol and acts drunkenly.
- Humanoid aliens drink alcohol and act in a mildly drunken way.
Nudity and sexual activity
Guardians of the Galaxy has some nudity and sexual activity. For example:
- Peter Quill tries to kiss Gamora, but she presses a knife to his throat.
- Female characters wear tight-fitting and brief clothing.
Product placement
There is no product placement of concern in Guardians of the Galaxy itself, but merchandise associated with the movie is being marketed to children.
Coarse language
Guardians of the Galaxy has some mild-medium coarse language and some name-calling throughout.
Ideas to discuss with your children
Guardians of the Galaxy is a Marvel Comics action adventure, targeting older teenagers and adult fans of science fiction movies. The movie is likely to entertain its target audience with action scenes, special effects, lots of humour and a soundtrack of 1970s classics.
The movie’s M rating is appropriate, however. It has many violent and disturbing scenes and scary characters, which makes it unsuitable for children under 13 years and some older children. We recommend parental guidance for younger teenagers who might want to see this movie.
These are the main messages from Guardians of the Galaxy:
- You can achieve great things by working with others rather than by yourself.
- Friends can become like family.