Release Date: August 1, 2014
Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Lee Pace, Djimon Honsou, Glenn Close, Michael Rooker, Benicio del Toro and the voices of Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper.
Directed: James Gunn (Super)
Plot: In the far reaches of space, an American pilot named Peter Quill (Pratt) finds himself the object of a manhunt after stealing an orb coveted by the villainous Ronan (Pace).
Pre-Trailer Thoughts: One of Marvel’s most obscure comic book titles is getting a feature film. I instantly went out and bought books featuring the misfit group and loved it. The movie may have a source but it’s different and brave for Marvel to go off to the sidelines. If the movie does well, the floodgates of more “out there” heroes will annihilate our screens. It’s a gamble for sure. –LJF
Pre-Trailer Thoughts: Before seeing the trailer, I had very limited knowledge of the series. But, hearing that Pratt was playing a Han Solo-esque character and Bradley Cooper was voicing an outlaw raccoon, I was interested. –BB
Rate the trailer (1-5): Five out of five. I don’t care, you can judge me. I smiled so wide when I laid eyes on this thing. Not only does it have a killer song in the background (Norman Greenbaum’s “Spirit in the Sky”) but the beats of said tune perfectly interlock with the action and Chris Pratt’s narration/exposition. The trailer also does what it is supposed to: introduce us to the team and not reveal much else. The effects look amazing (especially on Rocket Raccoon, whoa) and there is a touch of humor that apparently this flick is going to have plenty of. I’ve probably watched this trailer 20 times already in the past two days. –LJF
Rate the trailer (1-5): Five out of five. The first trailer really impressed me, but what I dug about this trailer was that it gave us more info about the team while also giving us some more glimpses into the Guardians of the Galaxy world. I love the fact they have these old school songs scoring the trailer and not some big bass bangarang EDM anthem. –BB
Theater, Rent, No Thanks, Undecided? Theater. I’ve come to the conclusion that the best way to explain Guardians of the Galaxy is to declare it as the offspring of Firefly/Serenity and Star Wars. The group aspect definitely has hints of Joss Whedon’s space adventure in it, with Pratt’s Peter Quill/Star Lord being both equal parts Captain Malcolm Reynolds and branching (no Groot pun intended) into Star Wars’ Han Solo. The alien aspect leans more towards the latter, especially with Zoe Saldana’s Gamora donning green skin (or maybe that’s more of a Star Trek thing?). I’m going off on a tangent here. However, the point I’m trying to make is that a LOT of people love Star Wars and a LOT of people love Firefly. The audience is out there so hopefully they give it a chance. The movie aims to be ballsy because these dudes aren’t your everyday superheroes that have taken over cinema as of late.They are just a bunch of criminals who want to save the galaxy. And for that original aspect alone, I could see this being the best movie of the summer, but I know people are still worried about it, because it is a risky move. I don’t care, really; all I know is I can’t wait for August 1st. Those bunch of space a-holes are going to end summer on a super high note. –LJF
Theater, Rent, No Thanks, Undecided? Theater. After two trailers, this has officially become my #1 must-see movie of the season. This looks like a big, fun, thrilling sci-fi popcorn epic that’s going to have some serious action, some good laughs, and I have a feeling there story is going to be a lot more in-depth and intense than the trailers suggest. –BB
