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Posted February 26, 2014 by Timothy Monforton in Features
 
 

Trailer Trashin’: Marvel Goes Cosmic with Guardians of the Galaxy


It’s the last week of February, dear readers, and that means that, hopefully, spring will finally be on its way before long. And that also means we’re almost out of the cinematic dumping ground that is the beginning of the year, so people who want to see something good at the theater will have other options than merely seeing The Lego Movie again. But in the meantime, trailers are continuing to come in for the year’s big upcoming movies. Such is the case with this week’s installment of Trailer Trashin’, which examines our first look at the forthcoming summer release Guardians of the Galaxy.

Premise: In the far reaches of space, an American pilot named Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) finds himself the object of a manhunt after stealing an orb coveted by the villainous Ronan (Lee Pace). In order to evade Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a group of misfits including Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Rocket (voice of Bradley Cooper), Drax (Dave Bautista), and Groot (voice of Vin Diesel). But when Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must rally his ragtag gang together for a last, desperate stand – with the fate of the galaxy hanging in the balance.

Guardians of the GalaxyMy take: As I’ve said many times in this column, I love the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). I’ve enjoyed all the films in the MCU so far, but if I have one big complaint, it’s that I want to see more original films in addition to all the sequels. While we are getting Captain America: The Winter Soldier this summer, we’re also getting Guardians of the Galaxy, which is definitely the most obscure title that Marvel Studios has brought to the screen. This is the first trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy, and it’s completely sold me on the film.

Guardians of the Galaxy boasts one of the most awesomely eclectic casts of any Marvel film so far. In a very smart move, the trailer gets to introducing the five members of the eponymous team very quickly. Chris Pratt, best known as Andy Dwyer on Parks and Recreation and the voice of Emmet in The Lego Movie, plays Peter Quill/Star-Lord, the leader and sole human member of the Guardians. Pratt is a great comic actor, and I think he’s perfect for this lovable rogue character. Zoe Saldana, who seems to be the go-to actress for sci-fi franchises these days, plays the green-skinned alien Gamora, and it looks like she gets some cool fights here. Actor and pro wrestler Dave Bautista plays Drax the Destroyer, and even when he’s just standing in the lineup, he looks badass. We don’t hear any lines from either Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon or Vin Diesel as Groot, but the characters both look great, and I can’t wait to see more of them.

John C. Reilly is on hand as Rhomann Dey, a high-ranking member of the intergalactic military/police the Nova Corps, and I’m interested to know how big of a role he’ll have. There’s only a very brief glimpse of Lee Pace – recently seen as the Elven King Thranduil in The Hobbit – as Ronan the Accuser, our main villain, but given that he’s lifting Drax off the ground with only one hand, he’s clearly not someone to mess with. We get to see more of Karen Gillan as Nebula and Djimon Hounsou as Korath the Pursuer, the supporting villains, and they both look awesome. There’s a brief shot of Benicio del Toro as Taneleer Tivan/The Collector, an alien super villain who was introduced in the mid-credits scene of Thor: The Dark World. And if that Nova Corps officer standing behind John C. Reilly – the one who gets the “bunch of a-holes” line – looks familiar, that’s because it’s Peter Serafinowicz, best known as Pete in Shaun of the Dead (2004) and the voice of Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace (1999). Not appearing in this trailer are Michael Rooker as Yondru, an alien hunter and tracker who is an associate of Peter Quill, and Glenn Close as Nova Prime Rael, the leader of the Nova Corps.

The visuals and action on display here are also really impressive. It appears that they’re using a lot of practical effects and makeup to create the various aliens, which makes me very happy. There are so many quick shots that I love, but my favorite has to be the moment of Rocket and Groot in the middle of a prison riot, with Rocket standing on Groot’s shoulder and firing a machine gun. When it was first announced that those two characters would be in the movie, I was excited, but I also had the feeling in the back of my mind that, if they didn’t absolutely nail the CGI for both of them, they would stick out like sore thumbs. But it looks like I needn’t have worried, because they both look fantastic, and I absolutely buy them as part of this world.

Guardians of the Galaxy

Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana and Dave Bautista in
“Guardians of the Galaxy.” © 2013 – Marvel Studio.

I like that they’re being very upfront that this has a more comedic bent than some of the other entries in the MCU. While I’m sure the life-and-death stakes will be treated seriously, the focus here is definitely on the entertainment and fun to be had. So, to all you people – and I know you’re out there – who complain about the MCU films having “too much” humor, this is your clear sign to check out now. And the music used over the later part of the trailer – the famous 1974 Blue Swede cover of “Hooked on a Feeling” – fits the tone perfectly. On the extreme off-chance that anyone from the Disney/Marvel marketing department is reading this, please use more 1970s/1980s music in future trailers for this film. Personally, I think Queen’s “Princes of the Universe” would work great here.

As should be obvious, I am ridiculously jazzed for this movie. While the Marvel Cinematic Universe hasn’t completely hit it out of the park every time, none of the films have been bad, and I eagerly await whatever Marvel Studios has in the pipeline. Guardians of the Galaxy is definitely the biggest risk of any of their projects so far, but with this first trailer, they’ve assuaged virtually every doubt I had. This is one of my most anticipated films of summer 2014, along with Godzilla and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. When the beginning of August rolls around, I will definitely be checking out Guardians of the Galaxy at my local theater on opening weekend.

ANTICIPATION: I’m hooked on a feeling…that will this will be awesome.

Release Date: August 1st, 2014

Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, Peter Sefafinowicz, and Benicio del Toro
Director: James Gunn
Writers: Nicole Perlman and James Gunn, based on Guardians of the Galaxy by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning

P.S. Unfortunately, Monday brought us the sad news of the death of actor/writer/director Harold Ramis, who passed away at the age of 69 from complications of autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis. I knew him best as Dr. Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters (1984), but he did so much more than that. He also directed Caddyshack (1980), National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983), and Groundhog Day (1993), among other films. And his writing credits included all those films plus National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978), Meatballs (1979), Stripes (1981), and more. His work as an actor, as a writer, and as a director would be great accomplishments in and of themselves; the fact that one man did all of that made him nothing less than a legend in the world of comedy. My thoughts and prayers go out to Mr. Ramis’ family and friends.
Timothy Monforton

Timothy Monforton