RESEARCH: ANALYSING GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY TITLE SEQUENCE

Art of the Title (Guardians of the Galaxy)

Guardians of the Galaxy is an American superhero film created in 2014, directed by James Gunn. It’s based around a group of intergalactic criminals who are forced to work together to stop a fanatical warrior from taking control of the universe. Guardians of the Galaxy is well known for having a fantastic soundtrack, this is also conveyed in the title sequence. I decided to focus on the title sequence of this film because I felt the title sequence really put across to the audience what kind of character Peter Quill (the main character) is like.

 The title sequence quickly sets the scene, as the first shot is of a planet in space with subtext saying ‘25 years later’, telling us the boy has grown up and is now a man. Instantly we learn this film is an intergalactic style film. The text is then removed by a text like cursor which is followed by non-diegetic sound, much like a computer sounds, re-enforcing the theme of futuristic technology. The text is then followed by more saying ‘ MORAG, abandoned planet’.

 

Next we move onto the planet, where we see a wide shot of a decrepit landscape. Part of the mise-en-scene includes a rocky, rough terrain, as a layer of smoke lays above the ground creating a mysterious atmosphere. There is continuous torrential rainfall, followed by random burst of water from the ground, reminding us this is a supernatural environment. Then we go on to notice the arrival of a small space ship and the character Peter Quill enters the scene, played by the actor Chris Pratt. As he enters the actors begin to be presented on the screen in a bold yellow text. As he walks though the terrain we can hear a quiet piece of music that creates a serious and tense atmosphere. 

Soon after we go on to see a close up to Peters strange looking metal mask, with piercing red eyes, conveying him as a serious character. As he keeps walking, he goes on to take out an object which shows him the path he need to follow to reach his destination.

 

As soon as he reaches the entrance of the building he stops, proceeds to remove his mask and takes out his beloved tape recorder and places his head phones on his head. WE see a close up of his face, as his eyes search the scene. There is an instant change of atmosphere as the song ‘Come get your love’ by Redbone begins to play. He starts to dance along to his destination now, as opposed to before when he simply walked. I feel that the song reflects Peter’s true personality, which is playful and youthful. As soon as the song’s lyrics begin a bold yellow font reads ‘ GURDIANS OF THE GALAXY’,  filling the majority of the screen, however we are still able to watch Peter dancing to the music in the background. 

 

His childlike behavior continues as he kicks around rodent like creatures to the rhythm of the music. He picks up one of the creatures and uses it as a pretend microphone, re-enforcing his playful character. We see a few pan shots that move around the central character as he continues to dance to the music.