‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ trailer offers interstellar action, antics

The first trailer for Marvel’s upcoming cosmic adventure “Guardians of the Galaxy,” based on the comic book of the same name, has been released, and you might say it’s full of unusual suspects.

Amid clips of zooming spaceships, heavily armed humanoids and exotic alien worlds, the trailer introduces Chris Pratt as the antihero Star-Lord, né Peter Quill, who steals a mysterious orb and finds himself at odds with the intergalactic villain Ronan (Lee Pace). Quill then teams up with a motley crew of alien outlaws to survive and save the universe.

By way of an old-fashioned police lineup, the trailer gives the rundown on Quill and his cohorts: There’s Dave Bautista as the muscle-bound Drax the Destroyer, Zoe Saldana as the green-skinned assassin Gamora, Bradley Cooper voicing the furry vehicular thief Rocket Raccoon, and Vin Diesel voicing the anthropomorphic tree Groot. The film also stars Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, Benicio Del Toro and Glenn Close.

PHOTOS: Scenes from ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’
The trailer’s tone suggests that the film will maintain the comic’s offbeat sense of humor, with Pratt landing some of the best lines. In the opening scene of Quill stealing the orb, he is surrounded by gun-toting men and asked to identify himself. As the music swells, he dramatically announces that he is Star-Lord -- a name no one recognizes. “Star-Lord, man, the legendary outlaw?” he pleads. “Forget it.”

Other gags include John C. Reilly and Peter Serafinowicz snarking it up as a pair of interstellar cops and a musical cue involving the song “Hooked on a Feeling.”

Directed by James Gunn (“Super”), “Guardians of the Galaxy” opens Aug. 1 and continues Marvel’s onslaught of big-screen comic book adaptations, which also includes “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” opening April 4. “Guardians” could prove an interesting test for Marvel, because unlike the company’s previous superhero movies, this one is based on a relatively obscure property.

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You can watch the “Guardians of the Galaxy” trailer above.

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