So I've been a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe pretty much since day one. Given how huge Iron Man was, I know that doesn't exactly put me in a small or unique group, but with each movie that has come out I have been consistently impressed with a single, brilliant stance that Marvel (and behind them, Disney) has taken: the decision to be gloriously unashamed of what they do.

Through a brilliant combination of casting, costuming, set design and special effects, the MCU effectively delivers a comic book world on the big screen better than anyone else. No winks to the camera, no 90's era comic angst, just glorious, and blessedly unironic portrayal of the subject matter. I've loved all of it, from the sci-fi techsavvy world of Iron Man, the fugitive with a secret world of the Hulk. I was unsure of how Thor would do, when it was coming out, and was amazed to see a Space Fantasy done right. Captain America being just a good guy with super powers, in our age of cynicism, might have been an even bigger surprise, but then to bring them all together in the Avengers and have it work? Brilliant. I was done doubting Marvel and Disney. They had decided to do it right and had been GREATLY rewarded for it, and I was eagerly anticipating what would come next.

Then Guardians of the Galaxy was announced. I had honestly never heard of the Guardians, and so I looked them up, and thought; "They're kidding... right?" I mean... a talking Space Raccoon? A leader named Star Lord? I took a deep breath and waited for more. Marvel had earned my trust, but I was very, very nervous.

Then this trailer came out. And I'm not anymore. I'm really, really excited.

Let's go bit by bit, shall we?

0:00-0:40- Classic, classic approach, hero walking into guarded tomb/crypt thing, caught by guards, then Chris Pratt and Djimon Hounsou take a moment to ham it up a bit. Hounsou is a natural for this kind of work... I'm kind of disappointed that the Black Panther thing didn't really work out. Pretty much any other studio goes for the classic "Hero's name, guards freak out" approach here.

0:40-0:59- Good time to flash up the Marvel Logo so people not in the know in theaters, enjoying the laugh from the previous scene, have some idea of what they're getting here. Then, roll the usual suspects line-up, narrated by John C. Reilly. It's a good way of giving the cliffs-notes version of heroes that are even less known that anyone Marvel has thrown up at us before, all while keeping us lighthearted. We KNOW Reilly is there for laughs. Neither Gamorra (Zoe Saldana running with her space theme) nor Drax (Dave Bautista in possibly the best role for a former WWE guy since Andre the Giant in the Princess Bride) really need a lot of explanation, fitting comfortably into Sci-Fi/Action tropes. Drax, avenging his family. Gamorra, the last of her people. And then...

1:00-1:12 Holy Crap, that's a Raccoon named Rocket. He even spits on the ground just around the time people are done asking each other if that's a Raccoon, just so you know that, while he probably is a talking animal (no lines from Bradley Cooper revealed yet) this definitely isn't Narnia. Groot, the "house plant/muscle" for Rocket is similarly unvoiced (though when he does start talking it will be Vin Diesel we hear, which I can already tell fits the character) for his introduction. I love the stoop to see through the window, as well. Neat little character beat for a guy who doesn't get a lot, like with Rocket's spitting.

1:12-1:46- AAaaand the glorious leader. Peter Quill/Star Lord, the human lost in space, clinging to a cheap walkman and wisecracking his way through life, fitting the aforementioned group about as well as Verbal Kint fit in with his. It's clear Chris Pratt was practically forged in heaven for this aspect of the role, but no real indications on whether he will be credible as a more serious leader. The coloring of his outfit brings Nathan Fillion's Mal Reynolds to mind, and I have to assume that was deliberate. Here's hoping Pratt can switch back and forth from comedy to gravitas as effectively as Fillion did. That's probably the last big question mark I have on this movie.

1:46-2:04- Never thought I'd hear "Hooked on a Feeling" used as part of a sci-fi badass montage, but damned if it doesn't work. Lots of exciting mini-clips here, from teased looks at angry Racoon and Plant, Zoe Saldana's green sideboob (because, you know, Zoe Saldana) glimpses of Karen Gillan Bald and Blue, Benicio del Toro reprising the Collector from the Thor 2 end teaser, bullets, explosions all rising to a crescendo of...

2:04-2:30- If you listen very closely, in the background you can hear a voice saying; "Because we're $%#%& Marvel, THAT'S why." This is the biggest gamble they've taken yet, and the whole trailer is them showing it for what it is in all of its glory. Sure, it's tough for us to take the name Guardians of the Galaxy seriously, but then we're told we're not really supposed to.

I expect a lot of Firefly beats in this one, a small group, generally disregarded as criminals, up against impossible odds. It's an interesting break from the "Earths Mightiest Heroes" approach MCU has taken so far and I am really looking forward to not only seeing if this works on its own merits, as all the other MCU entries have, but how they will then tie it in the next Avengers outing.

If nothing else, though, this looks like one HELL of a popcorn popper. Color me excited.