Guardians of the Galaxy was always one of the weirdest comics in the Marvel canon—the Guardians aren’t men in tights constantly saving New York (or a city that closely resembles it), but a talking raccoon and his humanoid tree friend, a green lady nicknamed the “most dangerous woman in the universe,” a brute of an alien, and a regular Joe who calls himself Star-Lord, all of whom carry rap sheets and superpowers more commonly seen in super-villains. Its first trailer premiered on Jimmy Kimmel Live! last night.
Chris Pratt plays Star-Lord, and Bradley Cooper is the genetically engineered raccoon, Rocket, while John C. Reilly and Benecio del Toro are also featured in the super-eclectic cast. Pratt has been funny in everything he’s been in, and he delivers his lines here like a Han Solo forced to play lead. Which is pretty welcome: After ponderous stuff like Man of Steel and Captain America, it’s nice to see a superhero movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The movie comes out August 1.