Awesome Guardians of the Galaxy trailer breakdown from director James Gunn

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

So how many times have you watched the trailer for GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY? Probably more times than you'd like to admit, but it's kind of hard not to be excited for director James Gunn's new film. You might want to watch it just one more time though after checking out Gunn's excellent trailer breakdown he did for Total Film.

In his trailer breakdown James Gunn gives us a ton of information about GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, including one small plot detail, and when we might be able to see the next trailer. There's a lot, so let's get right to it.

James Gunn on which movie has influenced him the most:

"There is probably no film that influenced me more as a child – no film that excited me more or that I loved more – than Raiders Of The Lost Ark. It not only influences how I see Guardians, it influences how I live my life."

On why Bradley Cooper was picked to do the voice of Rocket:

"We've recorded most of Bradley’s dialogue already. I suppose you would expect me to tell you he’s fantastic and his characterization of Rocket will blow your mind – so don’t believe me and just wait to see (or hear) it for yourself. In all truth, we hired Bradley because he’s able to do both comedy and drama – it’s the thing I look for most in the actors on all my films – and to truly sell Rocket – for you to believe a Raccoon can talk (and blow up and shoot tons of stuff) we need a well-rounded actor."

On Groot not being a bastard, unlike the rest of the Guardians:

"I love Groot so much I get teary eyed when I think of him sometimes. Essentially, all the Guardians start out the movie as bastards – except Groot. He’s an innocent. He’s a hundred percent deadly and a hundred percent sweet. He’s caught up in Rocket’s life, really."

There's no intimidating Zoe Saldana says James Gunn:

"Zoe is about as un-intimidating as you can imagine! She gets in the zone the moment that cameras start filming – but before that she’s basically her loud, brash, completely lovable and goofball self. She got it easy with the makeup – it only took about four hours to put on, whereas it took Dave Bautista and Karen Gillan six hours or more. Zoe and Karen are the two most hardass characters in the movie – they’re our Clint Eastwoods. It should take more than a few people by surprise."

About the edgy humor in GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY:

"The movie has a lot of edgy humour, unusual for a comic book movie. But we were encouraged by Marvel to take risks, so we did. However, we never wanted the humor to get in the way of the fun or the emotional heart of the film – those things came first."

Star-Lord/Peter Quill's 80's walkman isn't suppose to be a joke:

"'Hooked On A Feeling' is used in the movie. That and a lot of other old songs are on Quill’s mixed tape in his Sony Walkman. It’s one of the few things he has from Earth. I don’t think of it as a joke, because it’s very dear to him. It’s the umbilical cord that connects him to earth and the home and family he lost."

The Guardians aren't the nicest people (or aliens/raccoons/etc.):

"The Guardians are criminals, essentially – a thief, two thugs, a murderer, and a maniac. They end up in prison together. When you have those personalities all in one place at one time, you can imagine a scrap or two starting pretty easily."

What was Star-Lord up to piloting that aircraft from the trailer?

"At that point in the film, Star-Lord and the gang are facing off with a fleet of Ronan’s Necrocraft. Someone’s about to go down."

James Gunn says he just had to have a shot of Nebula in the trailer:

"I knew I wanted to add some shots of Nebula, as she’s super badass."

On why we didn't see all of the characters who will appear in GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY:

"It’s important to add that we left out some of our coolest characters – Lee Pace’s Ronan the Accuser, Michael Rooker’s Yondu, and Glenn Close’s Nova Prime – because we want to save them for the full trailer in a couple months."

In a couple of months, you say? What comes out in April? Oh yeah: CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER!

On Rocket and Groot's relationship:

"There is no doubt that the cinematic pinnacle of my career is our cameras circling around a maniacal raccoon shooting a machine gun on the back of a living tree. And I say this with as much modesty as I can muster – because certainly it is not me, but the hand of God guiding us all as we make this film – but it just may be the pinnacle of cinema in general.When we shot it we were twirling around an empty space in a giant set. But I think all of us could see the raccoon and the tree in our minds. They were already starting to form. I can’t wait to share them with everyone in August."

I remember telling people about GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY when it was first announced, and they looked at me like…well, like a talking raccoon with a machine gun just walked into the room. The upcoming film looks like it's going to be all kinds of fun and ultra odd. James Gunn might be excited to share the Guardians, however most of us are definitely ready to check out Marvel's new movie.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY will be released on August 1st, 2014. Man, that's going to be a long wait.