There are oh-so-many things I wish I could say about “Guardians Of The Galaxy” already, and pretty much none of them that I am at liberty to actually share.
That’s a little bit infuriating. One of the best friends that any film can have is word of mouth, and while I understand completely that Marvel doesn’t want to share certain information at the wrong time with people, and that they wisely want to focus more on the movies people can see now than on the movies that are almost a year away, it’s still hard not to share a certain informed enthusiasm when something warrants it, and I feel like “Guardians Of The Galaxy” does.
Or it could, anyway. Obviously anything can happen, and there have been countless films that have looked good on the set and that have had strong early footage and that simply haven’t come together properly. In this case, writer/director James Gunn is telling what I think it’s safe to call the single strangest Marvel movie so far, and he’s got to create this entire corner of the universe and make it all work in terms of tone.
He has taken on a huge challenge, and seems completely aware of just how tricky it is. He also seems to enjoy knowing how hard it’s going to be, and what the rewards are if he pulls it off. If he successfully brings Rocket Raccoon and Groot to life, it’s going to be wonderful, and if he opens up the cosmic end of the Marvel universe, it’s going to set the stage for a lot of storytelling by a lot of different people.
Sitting down with Chris Pratt over the weekend, I expressed to him how frustrated I am by having to keep the secrets right now, and I asked him if he’s having the same amount of difficulty in sitting on the surprise that they’ve got coming for audiences. I thought his answer perfectly expressed the anxiety and excitement that have to be part of the release of any creative endeavor. We’re going to see a whole lot of Pratt in the next year or so, and I have a feeling we’ll be speaking to him about all of those projects. In the meantime, enjoy this quick fix of pure unbridled Pratt enthusiasm.
“Guardians Of The Galaxy” makes its way to Earth on July 31, 2014.