Welcome to “Trailer Tuesday” where I talk about trailers for upcoming movies.

It’s been three months since we got our first, crazy look at Guardians of the Galaxy, and we finally got a second trailer yesterday (along with this new poster, which lacks the perfect “You’re Welcome” tagline from the previous poster).  The second trailer for a film like this is always the one that gives us the best look at the film.  By this time, more of the visual effects have been completed, more dialogue has been recorded, and the trailer takes a deeper look at the film’s story.  The first trailer’s goal was to establish the film’s unique tone and give us an intro to the characters, but this time around we got to see a lot more.  Take a look at the trailer below and read on for my thoughts and highlights:

This trailer actually opens with the same sequence we saw at the beginning of the previous trailer.  Peter Quill/Star-Lord is stealing some artifact but is cornered by Djimon Hounsou’s Korath, who has never heard of him.  We also get some new narration, giving us a bit of background on Quill, who says, “I come from Earth, a planet of outlaws.”  Quill was abducted from Earth as a child in the 80’s, and that era and its pop culture had an impact on his character, as well as making him somewhat lost in space.  We get a new look at Star-Lord’s iconic mask as it’s been redesigned for the film, and we see Quill escape from Korath using his jet boots.

The classic music kicks in again, only this time it’s Norman Greenbaum’s “Spirit in the Sky” from 1969, instead of Blue Swede’s version of “Hooked on a Feeling” (which will come later).  Quill gives us a rundown of the team members, but a little quicker than in the first trailer, and we get to see most of them in action, particularly Groot, Gamora and Drax.  He says, “So here we are.  A thief…

two thugs…

an assassin…

and a maniac.”

He goes on to add, “But we’re not gonna stand by as evil wipes out the galaxy.”  It’s here that we get our first shot of Lee Pace as the film’s main villain, Ronan the Accuser, who may be working for Thanos.

“I guess we’re stuck together,” Quill says.  “Partners.”  It’s here that we get a sense of the film’s story, of a group of galactic criminals who are thrown together and find themselves the galaxy’s last hope.  Not everyone is thrilled with this, including Glenn Close’s Nova Prime Irani Rael, the leader of the galaxy’s police force, the Nova Corps (which includes John C. Reilly).  “Are you telling me the fate of twelve billion people is in the hands of these criminals?” she asks.

“Oh yeah,” says Rocket, giving us our first clip of Bradley Cooper’s voice coming from a raccoon.  Of course, I doubt he’s answering her question, as he seems more excited about getting a hold of his gun, but still.

We get a nice montage of action shots and special effects, along with the text, “All heroes start somewhere.”  There’s also a quick shot of Gamora and Nebula facing off.

And then comes one of my favorite parts of the trailer.  Quill says to the team, “I look around, you know what I see?”  You think this is the start of some great inspirational speech, where he tells the team how great they are and that they can do anything.  But instead, he tells them that they’re, “Losers.  But life’s giving us a chance.”  “To do what?” Drax asks.  Quill answers, “Something good, something bad, a bit of both.”  When he says “something good” we get the cutest thing ever, as Groot hands a flower to a little girl.  I’d be willing to bet he grew that flower as a part of himself.  It’s such a tonal incongruity that it really helps show how different this film is from everything else.

In response to Quill’s speech, Rocket answers, “Oh, what the hell? I don’t got that long a lifespan anyway.”  Hah!

We then get a scene where Groot is checking out Quill’s old tape deck.  He pushes play on a mixtape and is surprised when it blares out “Hooked on a Feeling,” which has become something of the unofficial theme song of this film in my mind.

The main characters and their actors are introduced, each getting a nice hero shot.  Rocket tells us, “Ain’t no thing like me, except me.”  I’m especially fond of Groot’s, as he sprouts sharp-looking twigs from his shoulders in a menacing way.

We also finally get to hear Vin Diesel’s voice come from Groot, saying the only words Groot knows how to say: “I am Groot.”  He does it with a lot of emotion on his face, considering he’s a walking tree.

The trailer ends with John C. Reilly’s Nova Corps officer reminding us that “They call themselves the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy.'”  He goes on to observe, “This might not be the best idea.”

I, however, think it’s a great idea.  The first trailer roped me in with its brilliant tone, particularly with the choice of music.  This second trailer took what we’d seen and greatly expanded it, without losing what made that first glimpse so awesome.  “Spirit in the Sky” was an inspired choice, but more than that it’s great to get a better peak at the finished product.  Bradley Cooper’s offbeat casting as Rocket seemed a little weird to me when I first heard about it, but he’s bringing just the right balance of smartass and slightly crazy badass.  But I’m really falling in love with Groot.  I love his design, and I love the way they seem to be using him as a gentle giant sort of character, capable of kicking all kinds of butt while still giving a little girl a flower.  As a character who can’t verbally express himself in a way we understand, it’s important for the filmmakers to show us what’s going on inside.

In all, Guardians of the Galaxy has definitely become my most anticipated film, and August 1 can’t come soon enough.  A lot of the credit for my excitement has to go to director James Gunn, who has taken a largely unknown group of comic book characters and has made them interesting and colorful, while still feeling like there just might be a way to connect them to the rest of Marvel’s Universe.  If the film’s a success, I would expect to see the Guardians team up with the Avengers by the time Avengers 3 rolls around.

What do you think?  How does this new trailer stack up to the first one?  Am I the only one loving Groot?  Does the film feel like a self-aware and sarcastic version of Star Wars to you?  Is that a good thing?  What do you think of Cooper and Diesel as Rocket and Groot?  Do you want to see more of Lee Pace in the next trailer?  What’s up with Glenn Close’s crazy hair?  What classic song should they use in the next trailer?  Let me know in the comments!