Guardians of the Galaxy gets the 8-bit treatment in retro game-inspired remake

By Rick Marshall January 15, 2015

We got a hint of what Guardians of the Galaxy would look like as an 8-bit video game in the introduction to the special features on the DVD and Blu-ray of the film, but a new video takes the experiment a step further with a full-on retelling of the film in 8-bit form — complete with MIDI versions of the classic ’70s and ’80s songs heard in the film.

Created by David and Henry Dutton of 8-Bit Cinema for CineFix, the video clocks in at just over three minutes of nostalgia-inducing entertainment, with Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord jumping, shooting, and yes, dancing his way through the outer-space adventure along with digitized versions of Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Drax, and Gamora. The montage of scenes is accompanied by MIDI versions of Rupert Holmes’ “Escape (The Pina Colada Song),” Blue Swede’s “Hooked On A Feeling,” and various other songs that made Star-Lord’s “Awesome Mix, Vol. 1” one of the most popular movie soundtracks in recent memory.

If nothing else, the video — and the 8-bit intro from the Guardians of the Galaxy DVD and Blu-ray — offers a great argument for making a legitimate, playable game based on the movie, which is itself a love letter to the pop culture of the early ’80s.

It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first film to get the retro treatment by 8-Bit Cinema. Previous videos have featured 8-bit versions of The Life Aquatic, Silence of the Lambs, and The Matrix. You can watch them all via 8-Bit Cinema’s YouTube channel.

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