Everything That Happens in the 17 Minutes of Footage We Just Saw from 'Guardians of the Galaxy'
Along with a new extended trailer for the movie inside!
Marvel is seriously counting on word of mouth to sell the wonderful and weird Guardians of the Galaxy, which hits theaters August 1. Why else would they invite press and fans to see 17 minutes of footage from the movie almost a month before its release? At our IMAX 3D screening for those 17 awesome minutes, the audience was specifically asked to tweet about the footage as soon as they saw it.
Perhaps since Captain America and Iron Man can sell their own movies, the unfamiliar Guardians need a little extra push to convince skeptical fans they're worth investing in. Let's break down what we saw. SPOILERS AHEAD!
1. The Line-Up
The very first trailer for GotG found John C. Reilly introducing our heroes via a processing scene before they're sent off to a prison. In the footage we saw, that scene plays out in its entirety (we assume), as does the ensuing prison break. But since this isn't just the trailer, we get a few more details that further flesh out the characters.
2. The Thanos Family Tree
First in that line-up is Gamora, who Reilly says right off the bat is the daughter of Thanos, and sister to Nebula. For those keeping track, that's the first time any Marvel character has actually said "Thanos" onscreen. In the comics, Gamora is sort of Thanos' foster daughter, and Nebula is his granddaughter. That doesn't keep him from fighting with them all the time. In the footage, Gamora says she recently betrayed Ronan the Accuser (this movie's main bad guy, played by Lee Pace), who seems to be working with Thanos (who we now know will be played by Josh Brolin in motion capture) in some capacity. As we already knew, Guardians will find Gamora and Nebula squaring off in one of the movie's most anticipated fight scenes.
3. Rocket's Origin Is Partially Explained
Reilly explains that Rocket Raccoon is the unfortunate result of a series of genetic and cybernetic experiments, which could fit in with his comic origins as well. When Star-Lord sees Rocket with his shirt off, he has Matrix-like cybernetic implants/nodules in his back. Groot follows Rocket in the line-up as his "muscle."
4. Star-Lord and Yondu
Michael Rooker plays the blue-skinned and mohawked alien Yondu, and Reilly says Star-Lord, aka Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), previously worked with him and a team of "Ravagers." Director James Gunn had previously said Star-Lord was abducted from Earth at age 8 and brought up with a group thieves and smugglers called Ravagers, but we still don't know much about them.
5. The Prison Break
The footage revealed Monday centered on the Guardians breaking out of a high-tech space prison called "The Kyln." Everyone gets a part to play, but (good news Marvel toymakers!) Rocket and Groot really shine. These two appear to be the real brains and brawn behind the team. Groot makes a giant blue muscle-bound alien cry by sticking two fingers up his nose. Then he grows himself (he's a sentient tree remember) to grab a battery from an out-of-reach spot on a watchtower, thus throwing Rocket's escape plan, (which he's just then laying out to the team), into chaos. Chris Pratt ends up with a guy's prosthetic leg just because Rocket's messing with him, which speaks to the tone Gunn strikes with the movie, which is (interestingly enough considering August's release dates) actually reminiscent of the old school Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It's a mix of action, quippy dialogue, and slapstick that comes off as just being very, very cool.
6. Drax Is Very Literal
As the crew breaks out of the Kyln, we find out Drax comes from a race of aliens that's very literal. Rocket tells Star-Lord that metaphors will go "right over his head," to which Drax replies, "Nothing goes over my head. I'm too tall."
7. The New Extended Trailer
The footage ended with a new extended trailer that Marvel subsequently released online. Here it is, set to an augmented (with big industrial crashes) version of the Runaways' "Cherry Bomb."
Our Guardians Primer
For those who haven't seen it, here's our quick-reference graphic for Guardians of the Galaxy, but since we first posted it back at the beginning of May, some things have already been updated.
