Anticipating The Guardians of the Galaxy

Confession time: I have not, to the best of my memory, ever read a superhero comic. So I have no previous knowledge about this superhero sci-fi action/adventure comedy called Guardians of the Galaxy, but it's as highly anticipated for me as a Marvel movie can be. (Marvel movies can be anticipated to a stronger degree than regular movies, don't cha know?) I may not be a comic reader, but I am certainly a Marvel fan, and I knew I would see this movie the moment I knew it existed. But I don't devote entire posts to the subject of anticipating something lightly. Here are 7 reasons why my excited anticipation is so extreme:

1. The cast of characters.

An assassin, a thief, a raccoon, a maniac, and a tree walk into a lineup....

The last time Marvel gave us a cast this unprecedented it was 2012, and it broke box-office records. Of course this is pretty different -- none of these characters have previous solo films. But they all look pretty fantastic in their own way.

Bradley Cooper is voicing Rocket, the raccoon with serious anger issues. (In the normal way, not in the turn-green-and-grow-huge-muscles way.) He appears to be the character that everyone will either adore or despise. I plan on adoring. And Vin Deisel is voicing Groot. The "tree." He says everything by saying, "I am Groot." Should be hilarious.

Dave Bautista is Drax. Very large, green and red patterned skin, no shirts required. I tried to figure out what their Avenger equivalent would be, and I got stuck with Rocket and Groot, (combined, they make up the Hulk) but Drax's would have to be Thor. The crazy muscles help of course, but mostly because Drax's way of speaking is very Shakespearean, and the intricacies of language escape him.

Zoe Saldana is a mysterious alien again as Gamora, but this time green. And the pink hair ends is a good touch. (Everyone knows the pink goes good with green, right?) She also gets some very dramatic cheekbones, and I would be surprised if she is given every ounce of dry wit this movie has to offer. Obviously, she's the Black Widow of the group, but even if she wasn't a girl, she'd probably still get the title. She looks to be the best at hand to hand combat, and is a loner, emotionless, and scary. Oh yeah, and pretty.

And Chris Pratt is the hero that no one has heard of, Star-Lord. Or just Peter Quill. Of Earth. The movie hasn't even released yet, but he's still already the latest go-to guy for a charming and handsome leading action/adventure man. You could attribute it to all the weight he lost for this role, but are people really that shallow? Uhm... Well, Director James Gunn isn't; he was ready to cast him and give him a CG six-pack. Fortunately that wasn't necessary. Star-Lord is the Iron Man (charming and cocky) Captain America (sincere leader) and Hawkeye (epitome of cool) of this group all at once, and is as good-looking as whichever one you choose. But the best comparison really is that he's like a space Indiana Jones. So, basically, he's Han Solo.

Look at this picture and then tell me honestly that it doesn't remind you of Indy. I can just see him rubbing his chin, and then pulling out a bag of sand...

And of course as a diligent Doctor Who fan, I must mention Karen Gillan as villainous lady Nebula. She shaved her head for this role, and looks awesome. I mean just absolutely fantastic. I have no idea what her character will be like, but do not doubt of its incredible-ness. And I fully expect an epic battle between her and Gamora.

This is what happens when you stop traveling with The Doctor, Amy...

Neither do I doubt the incredible-ness of Lee Pace (aka Thranduil of the Hobbit movies) as Ronan, (the ACCUSER!) who is the main villain of this film. Keep rocking those eyebrows, elf-king. I look forward to your evil monologues.

The rest of my points are all very closely connected. There is: 2. The trailer. Which features: 3. The soundtrack. Which helps give the movie: 4. The unique style.

Here's the original trailer which introduces the characters with some humor and gives out a taste of the snazzy action, all to the tune of Blue Swede's Hooked on a Feeling:



And the second trailer, which makes a valiant attempt to show us a serious and epic film, but can't help adding in a little comedy at the end.



And here's something fun -- a trailer for the original Star Wars trilogy, in the style of Guardians of the Galaxy! It makes me want to re-watch Star Wars almost as much as I want to see Guardians.



It's really the music that does it. Speaking of, below is the official GotG soundtrack cover.

Seriously. It doesn't get more awesome than this.

And here is the track list:

1. "Hooked on a Feeling" Performed by Blue Swede
2. "Go All the Way" Performed by Raspberries
3. "Spirit in the Sky" Performed by Norman Greenbaum
4. "Moonage Daydream" Performed by David Bowie
5. "Fooled Around and Fell in Love" Performed by Elvin Bishop
6. "I'm Not in Love" Performed by 10cc
7. "I Want You Back" Performed by Jackson 5
8. "Come and Get Your Love" Performed by Redbone
9. "Cherry Bomb" Performed by The Runaways
10. "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" Performed by Rupert Holmes
11. "O-O-H Child" Performed by The Five Stairsteps
12. "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" Performed by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell 

 Retro meets sci-fi is one of my most favoritest things. And clever use of music in film is another -- when the music actually becomes a part of the film, not just something to listen to while there's no dialogue. I could put some examples, but really that's another whole post on its own. One I'll wait to write until I've seen Guardians, just in case it goes as I predict and has some of the best examples itself.

As for the style, well, I've never seen a James Gunn film before, so I don't know exactly what his style is. I do know that he was hired so that he could lend his unique style and flair to the film. And if any of what we're seeing here is at all a clue... with the overall overwhelming boldness... the quirky characters... the dark, gritty tone... with a shiny, space finish...

And just look at that color palette! The dark earth-tones contrasted with bright neons. Every single one of these pictures is a work of art in itself. Just look at the textures, and the lighting and the contrast...

Okay I'm getting a little of-topic. Photos and trailers have been misleading before, but if they were any indication, we're in for a real treat with this movie, and making it in the style of James Gunn was the right decision.

6. I have one final point to make. It's very simple, and gives the film the most credibility, and can be summed up in one word: Marvel. I trust that they know what they're doing (because they really really do) and am staking a ton of hope on the success and awesomeness of their latest film. I usually think it is unwise to set expectations so high and risk disappointment, but this is much more fun right now.

7. Wait wait, I forgot one. And this is, like, all my points combined. Very important. Look:

Their tagline is "You're welcome." People. Their tagline is "YOU'RE WELCOME."

So, tell me: on a scale of 1 to "dying," how excited for this movie are you? What in particular is most exciting to you? (I'm assuming you are at least a little bit excited since you made it to the end of this post.) (Did you notice I skipped number 5? I did. Just now. And now I guess I'll leave it.) And isn't that the absolute best tagline ever?