May 5 is a day to celebrate on the calendar this year, and I'm not just talking about Cinco de Mayo. That's the day when Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2 premieres, ending the excruciating 1008-day wait (what, like you weren't counting) that began when the first Guardians movie premiered back on Aug. 1, 2014. And since it has been so long since the first film made its debut, it has likely been a while since you've seen it. So if you're looking to get caught up, you'll want to know where to watch Guardians of the Galaxy before the sequel hits theaters.
Unfortunately, you won't be able to catch the original Guardians on any of your subscription-based streaming services. While Netflix famously has a deal with Disney that includes Marvel movies, it only applies to films released in 2016 or later, which is why the only one the site is currently streaming is Captain America: Civil War. Hulu and Amazon Prime are both streaming Iron Man at the moment, which dates to 2008 and was distributed by Paramount, so it's not clear what deals they have in place. What is clear, though, is that neither of them is streaming Guardians of the Galaxy. Your next move may be to check Starz, since the premium network had a big Disney distribution deal before Netflix took over. But Starz's deal ended in 2015, and the only Marvel films remaining on the channel are the two releases from that year: Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man. So where in the galaxy are you supposed you watch Guardians?
You'll have to either rent it or outright buy it. Services like Google Play, YouTube, and Playstation will all let you rent the film starting at $4.99 — which is admittedly pretty pricy. Amazon, iTunes, Vudu, and Microsoft are all a little easier on the wallet with $2.99 rentals, but the best bang for your buck lies with Fandango Now, which offers a standard definition rental for $1.99. That's a small price to pay to see Star-Lord, Gamora, and Groot in all their glory.
So get out your credit card and start streaming Guardians of the Galaxy before May 5 rolls around, that way you'll be able to catch every tiny reference and callback to the original while watching the sure-to-be glorious sequel.
