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The first glimpse of “Guardians of the Galaxy” footage came in the form of one of the post-credits scene after “Thor: The Dark World,” and I don’t know about anyone else, but I got a huge WTF vibe from it. Benicio del Toro plays a character called The Collector, and I have no idea what he looks like in the comics, but the in the movie he’s going to look like some kind of steampunk version of Jack Frost, apparently. Check it out if you haven’t seen it yet. *The first section of this video is the other post-credits scene for “The Dark World,” so go to 1:03 to see the one I’m talking about. There are mild spoilers in that one as well.*
Cut to a few days ago, and the first full trailer for “Guardians of the Galaxy” was released. And sketchy Benicio del Toro makes a lot more sense now, because it’s very clear that there is going to be a whole lot of weird in this movie. It looks like it’s going to be a ton of fun to watch, and from the jokes and the music choice it’s obvious that it will have a more light-hearted feel than any of the other Marvel movies so far. I’m definitely on board, but there are so many things that I’m still confused about. I’m sure fans of the comics have a much better idea of what they’re looking at, but as someone who is still in the “burgeoning” stage of Marvel fandomhood, after watching this trailer there are still a lot of things I want to know. Such as:
Who’s that green lady?
I’m always a fan of kick-ass female characters, especially in movies like these, and Gamora looks like she certainly fits the bill. She’s wanted on twelve counts of murder, so I think it’s safe to say she’s not going to be taking crap from anybody. A quick look at the Marvel wiki tells me that Gamora’s foster father is Thanos, as in the weird purple alien that was revealed to be a super duper bad guy in the first post-credits scene of “The Avengers.” Is that going to be mentioned? Will that be the little piece of information that ties this movie to the others? Was Zoe Saldana cast because she did such a good job playing a blue alien in “Avatar” that they wanted her to play a green one in this movie?
Is that a raccoon?
And he talks. Seriously. A talking, gun-weilding raccoon voiced by Bradley Cooper is something that is going to be happening in this movie. They’re really going for it. And why not? It’s not that much of a stretch when you consider that audiences have easily accepted The Hulk and numerous other otherworldly beings in these movies. Our new furry friend Rocket even has a little outfit! Where did he even get it?! How did he become friends with the tree man, and are people going to ship them together? I think Rocket is already my favorite, and if they sell a stuffed animal version of him I’m totally getting one.
How You Doin’ Chris Pratt?
It’s apparent from the first few seconds of the trailer that Chris Pratt was cast to be his usual, hilarious self. He has that undefinable quality that makes him so enjoyable to watch. And that’s all well and good, but he’s also buffed out as all hell. Not bad, sir. Nobody seems to want to call him “Star Lord,” but they might come around when they see him without his shirt on.
How many villains are in this thing?
It looks like we have this blue alien/robot looking lady (played by Karen Gillan of “Dr. Who” fame),
Djimon Hounsou’s character,
and we’ve known since November that The Collector is up to no good.
Of course he needed these glasses, because his look wasn’t flamboyant enough. I also read the Lee Pace is going to play a villain called Ronan the Accuser, and I don’t think we even got a look at him. And possibly even an appearance by Thanos because of Gamora being his daughter. I don’t know how long this movie is going to be, but that seems like a lot of villains. Are they all working together? That would make more sense. Or are we going to find out that one of the villains isn’t what they seem a la Iron Man 3? That seems unlikely. I think the most important take away here is that Lee Pace is in this movie.
Is there a plot here?
There are lots of really intense action shots in the trailer, so we know something big is going to be happening, but what exactly that something is, we still don’t know. Is it a secret, or are they just saving it for another trailer? Apparently that little orb that Peter Quill is trying to steal in the beginning is important (he’s trying to steal it after all and others are trying to stop him from stealing it), but in what way? What kind of powers does it have that so many people want to get their hands on it? Is this orb going to end up being one of these Infinity Stones that have started to become important in the movies? What does it all mean?! I guess I have to watch the movie to find out. Well played Marvel, well played.
We can’t know everything about a movie just from one trailer, I know. And while there is going to be a ton of footage coming out before August that I’m sure will elaborate on what we’ve seen, I think a certain amount of curiosity is good for a movie. Otherwise why would anyone bother to go see it? On the surface, “Guardians of the Galaxy” might seem like a gamble for Marvel since it’s such a departure from their other fare, but I think it’s going to pay off. This team of characters may be “a bunch of a-holes,” (bonus points to any Parks & Rec fans who recognized the deliverer of that line as Andy’s friend Lord Covington from the “London” episode this season). But they’re a bunch of a-holes that I want to spend some time with at the movies this summer.
What do you think of the trailer? Are you on board with a crazed, talking raccoon? Can anyone tell me what’s up with Benicio del Toro? If anyone who reads the comics or follows this stuff more closely has any insight, let us know in the comments!
