Extended ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Footage Introduces the Universe’s Most Unlikely Team

We've already seen countless (Hundreds? Thousands?!) of trailers and TV spots for 'Guardians of the Galaxy,' but here's the thing: you can cut any awful movie into a decent trailer. The real test comes when the finished movie arrives ... or when extended footage from the movie makes its away online and gives you an actual taste of the film's tone and characters.

And if this clip is any indication, 'Guardians of the Galaxy' is going to be a pretty big treat.

The clip begins with the familiar "John C. Reilly examines everyone in a Nova Corps line-up" bit that we've seen since the first trailer, but it soon moves into fresh territory, giving us terrific introductions to Chris Pratt's Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana's Gamora, Vin Diesel's Groot and Bradley Cooper's Rocket Raccoon. The bulk of the clip follows this motley crew before they're a team: somehow, the four of them have ended up in prison at the same time and they bicker, throw accusations and generally act like jerks to each other. But there's a chemistry here and it's all very funny and very weird.

Most importantly, we get to see exactly how Blue Swede's "Hooked on a Feeling" actually plays into the movie and it's pretty terrific.

What's most exciting is how much the character bickering and grimy visuals feel like the work of director James Gunn. Sure, he's definitely adhering the Marvel Studios aesthetic, but like Joss Whedon and Shane Black before him, he's making his own unique voice be heard.

The only thing missing from this clip is a good look at Dave Bautista's Drax the Destroyer, but that will come soon ... because the movie opens in 10 days (that's August 1, 2014, for the mathematically-impaired). We're pretty sure we can wait that long. (?)