With overwhelmingly positive reviews already, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is all set to be everyone's favorite late summer blockbuster. The trailer revealed that Guardians is a fun, comedic take on the classic superhero movie - due partially to the cast of comic personalities like Chris Pratt and Bradley Cooper.

These guys are only two actors in a large, star-studded cast with impressive resumes. Get acquainted with the Guardians of the Galaxy before you see it this weekend by streaming some of their previous work. 

Chris Pratt as Peter Quill

Our hero, who was abducted as a child and is now responsible for an important galactic artifact, must assemble the team of Guardians.

Watch Chris Pratt in Parks and Recreation
Get to know Chris Pratt as the lovable Andy Dwyer, Mouserat frontman and department shoe-shiner. Pratt went on hiatus from the show to film Guardians, and you can watch Andy explain to Ben his abrupt weight loss. 

Seasons 1-5 of the show are available on Netflix, but I recommend starting with “April and Andy’s Fancy Party.” 

Zoe Saldana as Gamora

One of Thanos’s two adopted daughters, Gamora joins the Guardians to absolve her bloody past.

Watch Zoe Saldana in Center Stage
Avatar's Zoe Saldana is no stranger to putting on body paint and playing an alien, but you can see her be a regular old human in Center Stage as Eva, an ambitious ballet dancer.

Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer

The hotheaded, raging muscle man Drax wants revenge on Ronan after the villain killed his whole family.

Watch Dave Bautista in House of the Rising Sun
A prolific professional wrestler, Dave Bautista has tried his hand in mixed martial arts movies like House of the Rising Sun, in which he pursues a nightclub thief. 

Vin Diesel voices Groot

Groot is a walking tree who frequently works with Rocket, the talking raccoon.

Watch Vin Diesel in xXx
Vin Diesel’s filmography is outrageously lacking on streaming sites, but you can see him in xXx as the adrenaline-junkie-turned-spy sent to take down a Russian terrorist group. 

Bradley Cooper voices Rocket

Rocket is a raccoon with a record -  and a mercenary for hire.

Watch Bradley Cooper on SNL
In 2009, Bradley Cooper was on SNL to promote He's Just Not That Into You, hosting the episode that brought us The Lonely Island's "I'm on a Boat." The rest of the episode is pretty funny, too. 

Lee Pace as Ronan

The Guardians battle this villain (who reports to Thanos, chief bad guy) for possession of the important galactic artifact.

Watch Lee Pace in Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
Lee Pace is a debonair pianist vying for the attention of American actress Delysia Lafosse (Amy Adams) in Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. 

Michael Rooker as Yondu

Yondu, who kidnapped Peter Quill in his youth, is his blue-skinned father figure who also makes an attempt to claim the important galactic artifact.

Watch Michael Rooker in The Walking Dead
Michael Rooker, who got to keep his mohawk for his role as Yondu, is perhaps best known as the sexist, racist Merle on AMC's The Walking Dead.

Karen Gillan as Nebula

Nebula, of Ronan’s posse, was also raised by Thanos but doesn’t have the same ethical qualms as her sister, Gamora.

Watch Karen Gillan in Doctor Who
Karen Gillan famously pulled off her wig during the Guardians panel at last year's Comic Con to reveal her shaved head, necessary for her role as Nebula. This was particularly shocking for Doctor Who fans, who knew her as the perfect-haired Amy Pond. Observe Gillan’s impressive range in this episode from the British series when Amy gets trapped in another dimension.

Djimon Hounsou as Korath

A fierce soldier, Korath is the muscle on Ronan’s team.

Watch Djimon Housou in Amistad
Djimon Hounsou was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in Steven Spielberg’s Amistad as Sengbe Pieh, the Sierra Leonean who initiates a rebellion on a slave ship. 

Glenn Close as Nova Prime Irani Rael

Irani Rael leads the Nova Corps.

Watch Glenn Close in Albert Nobbs
In her Oscar-nominated role, Glenn Close is Albert Nobbs, a quiet butler who has been passing as a man to remain employed at a upscale Dublin hotel.

Benicio Del Toro as The Collector

The Collector is, understandably, a hoarder of intergalactic artifacts. In Director James Gunn’s words, “an outer-space Liberace.” 

Watch Benicio Del Toro in Che
Benicio Del Toro is Che Guevara in Soderbergh’s two-part biopic about the South American revolutionary. Del Toro won the Best Actor Award in 2008 for Che when it was screened at the Cannes Film Festival. 

Josh Brolin voices Thanos

It’s still unclear how visible Thanos’s presence will be in Guardians, but as an adoptive father for Gamora and Nebula - and the pressure behind Ronan’s hunt for the intergalactic artifact - it’s likely Josh Brolin’s voiceacting work will see some screentime.

Watch Josh Brolin in Oldboy
Spike Lee’s remake of Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy is not that bad, guys. Lee extends all the most excessive parts of the original - instead of taking out a hallway of goons armed with only a hammer, Lee’s protagonist takes out 3 floors of goons armed with only a hammer. Josh Brolin kills it in this role.