Trailer Talk - Guardians of the Galaxy

Um, can you say 'AWESOME!'?  Because that's what the first trailer for this summer's Guardians of the Galaxy looks like.  Guardians appears to basically be Marvel's attempt at a true sci-fi/space opera (a la Star Wars) within their cinematic universe.  Based on the group of the same name from their comics, Marvel has positioned this rag-tag group of characters to be a comedic and entertaining expansion beyond the nine realms already seen and mentioned in Marvel's films (including Earth of course).

A co-worker asked me who the Guardians of the Galaxy were the other day, and the simplest answer I could give was that they are the Island of Misfit Toys equivalent of space-based comic book characters.  You have Star Lord (Peter Quill, an human/alien hybrid), Gamora (daughter of Thanos - yes, that Thanos), Drax the Destroyer (originally human, his spirit now inhabits a more powerful alien body), Rocket Raccoon (a bipedal raccoon-looking alien who isn't actually a raccoon, at least not in the comics), and Groot (a tree-like alien, think of the Ents from Lord of the Rings).  They don't necessarily start out as heroes, but find themselves filling the role as they try to take care of their own responsibilities.

This first footage looks great and appears to capture the qualities that make these characters so amusing. Chris Pratt looks to be a pretty good fit as Star Lord, as does Zoe Saldana as Gamora.  Who knows if Dave Bautista has any acting ability, but he certainly fits the bill physically as Drax.  The most interesting parts may be those of the voice overs for Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and Groot (Vin Diesel).  Neither voice has been heard yet, but those are pretty big names for a voice over job in a super hero film.  I'm especially intrigued as to whether they limit Groot's vocals in the film to 'I am Groot' like in the comics.  The inclusion of Benicio Del Toro, Karen Gillen, Lee Pace, Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reilly, Micheal Rooker, and Glenn Close (not all seen in the trailer) adds to the star power that Marvel has loaded this movie with.

Guardians of the Galaxy looks to be a fun romp through space, and it will be interesting to see how it fits in to the greater scheme of Marvel's Phase 2 of films and beyond.  Now we only have to wait for five more months.