This weekend saw the debut of a movie 10 years in the making, an event which caused Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn to look back. He revealed a video on Instagram which showed the very first time Chris Pratt put on the Star-Lord mask. It's a behind the scenes moment where the crew is testing the mask to make sure it works and everything looks right. Check it out.
The best thing about this video may be the way half the crew appears to be laughing and having a good time while everybody else is serious and working hard. The video picks up as James Gunn is laughing about something that must have happened just prior to this footage, while in the background Chris Pratt is having his mask fitting. The woman putting it on him says something about there being a minor asymmetry to the mask, so the test isn't going perfectly, though, obviously, everything worked out eventually.
It's almost surprising that there's an actual physical mask that Chris Pratt even wears. Considering that the putting on and taking off the mask is done entirely via CGI effects, the fact that the bit in between is practical is a little funny.
It's remarkable to think about just how far things have come since this video was shot. At the time this was made, Chris Pratt was far from a surefire hit as the lead in a major action franchise. The Guardians of the Galaxy characters were also not sure bets when it came to their inclusion in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Even among comic book fans the space-based superhero team, and this particular makeup of it, were not the most popular.
Maybe it was the lack of expectation that let the Guardians of the Galaxy sneak in and steal the hearts of many MCU fans. Everything from a more comedic tone to the use of a 70s pop-rock soundtrack made the first Guardians of the Galaxy a truly unique experience. For many, they're the most purely entertaining part of the franchise, while also telling some truly heartfelt and emotional stories. Now, with the release of Avengers: Infinity War, the team gets to interact with the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the first time, making the new movie the biggest crossover event for the MCU so far.
Between the forthcoming Avengers 4 and the already announced Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, we know we'll get at least a couple more opportunities to see this version of the team together. After Guardians Vol. 3 we may see more movies with that title, but it will very likely see a brand new version of the team.
You can see the current Guardians of the Galaxy on the big screen right now in Avengers: Infinity War, and you should, possibly many times.
