So yeah the next Guardians trailer is up, and…well, I have to say I am still waiting to see this movie, but this is so much safer than the first few scrappy ones we saw. The Disney/Marvel second unit/SFX factory has taken over, making it look like every OTHER Marvel/Disney movie. Which I know is a good thing to many but…this was going to have a different tone, but instead it’s a bunch of misfits saving the universe AGAIN. That has been the plot of every Marvel movie. And…dare I say it, Bradley Cooper as Rocket is just…I dunno, it doesn’t fit.

Meanwhile, as Scott Mendelson at Forbes points out this is stil win/win for Disney/Marvel — if it’s a hit well, they can sell ANYTHING, if it flops — WOW THEY ARE SO BRAVE THEY TRIED!

But with Disney comes a certain amount of security and cover. And with that security comes the freedom to experiment and (most importantly) the freedom to fail. It’s the perception of risk without as much explicit peril. Even if Guardians of the Galaxy “flops” (under $400m worldwide?), Marvel still gets the credit for “trying.” It’s possible (probable?) that Marvel will eventually have a financial disappointment over the next several years with one of their copious properties. If they are to underwhelm, better to do it with something comparatively outside their wheelhouse. Guardians of the Galaxy is not a superhero film, doesn’t feature an Avenger, and its biggest stars are voicing CGI characters.

 


All that said, make sure to follow director James Gunn on INstagram for some great behind the scene shots, like this one of Chris Pratt minus CGI.

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20 COMMENTS

  1. I disagree. The fact is this movie is not really going to be like the other Marvel films aside from the fact there’s going to be a battle of good vs evil, but pretty much every movie falls into that wide category. The difference here is that the “good” is subjective. Much like Firefly it’s a bunch of less than honest and pure folks see an unjustice that some how will affect their bottom line. They’re not saving the world because of altruism but self interest.

    I would say that Coopers Rocket Racoon fits in extremely well with his comic book counterpart. All of the characters feel like the ones that have been appearing in the comics for the past 40 years and isn’t that really the most important thing that they’re going to get these characters right?

  3. Wow, don’t agree with this take at all. The look is totally different from any other Marvel movie – dark, gritty, dangerous. They are most definitely in alien worlds, which is COMPLETELY different from every other Marvel movie so far. And if you’re going to deconstruct it so far is to say that the abstract “One or more misfits saving something” is a cliche, then you have to level that same complaint at just about every western and war movie ever made, for starters.

    Then we get to the second half of your complaint, which is that Marvel has a win/win situation on their hands here. So… what’s the problem with that? Your tone implies exasperation that they’d have the temerity to put themselves in that position – but why does this bother you, exactly? I fail to see the problem here.

  4. To me, this looks like a huge risk (that was everyone’s early perception, anyway) that is about to pay off big-time. Talk about offbeat – it doesn’t get any odder than this.

    You KNOW Rocket is going to be the most talked-about character this summer, right?

    It looks like a gorgeous film, and yet another hit for the MCU…

  5. I still can’t believe I live in a world where a Rocket Racoon movie exists. I’m really happy about it but afraid I’ll wake up any second….

  6. All Marvel movies are the same. Lots of explosions, lots of CGI, lots of blues and browns, pointless action-filled third acts.

  7. Wow, I disagree strongly here.

    None of the Marvel movies are similar to GoTG in approach. The Avengers was the best of the best saving the world and NOT a team of misfits saving the galaxy.

  8. So what if the concept sounds different? The trailers make it look pretty much the same as Avengers and the rest.

  9. I see other commenters have already said it, but “a bunch of misfits saving the universe,” really? Simplify it that far and you could be talking about any action or genre movie. I find this movie looking unique with plenty we haven’t seen before in Marvel movies. (Not to mention more faithful to the DnA book that made the Guardians a viable property than the current Bendis book.)

  10. I disagree with much of this as well. Bradley Cooper sounds GREAT as Rocket, IMO, for starters. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, of course, but for this fan it works just fine.
    Also, while the movie does look and feel like a Marvel movie, that’s not a bad thing. Marvel has found a successful recipe, so to deviate from it in their biggest gamble yet would be foolish. It’s also ultimately a movie based on a comic book about a bunch of misfits saving the universe. Why would the movie differ from that concept? Taking it a step further, isn’t that a common theme in a lot of good sci-fi? Star wars certainly fits that mold, as does star trek, Dr. Who, Battlestar Galactica, and more. Why is it wrong for Guardians to boil down to the concept?
    The one thing I do agree with is that this is indeed a win-win for Marvel and Disney, and I’m glad. I love their movies and hope they continue their success for years to come, so I can continue to enjoy them.

  11. I’m curious to see this film, but I do have to agree with some of this:

    “All Marvel movies are the same. Lots of explosions, lots of CGI, lots of blues and browns, pointless action-filled third acts.”

    The last half-hour of almost every Marvel movie I have seen has really been a let-down. The films do a solid job of initially creating some interesting character conflicts and often raise a thoughtful theme, but the last half-hour tends to lapse into bam bam bam. The last Wolverine movie is a prime example. It’s like eating a really nice New York Strip but then suddenly shoving a Big Mac down my throat on top of it, leaving me with that overstuffed yet undernourished sensation.

  12. Instead of saving the universe, I would like to see a superhero save a small town, a food truck, an uncle, a pet turtle, a woman’s honor. In other words, it doesn’t always HAVE to be the universe or the world, but Thor saved the universe twice, the Avengers saved the world, Cap saved the world, etc etc etc. Spiderman saved the city ot the country, I’m not sure which.

    I agree that the GotG are UNIQUELY qualified to save the universe since in the olden days the cosmic stuff was left to the cosmic heroes. And so saving the universe is right in their wheelhouse. But you see what I’m getting at.

    Don’t get me wrong, I’ll be lined up for this movie at 11:59, but I hope it really does have a different tone until the last reel when it will be all kicksplode. Also Bradley Cooper didn’t fit MY idea of Rocket but I’m sure it will be fine and the toys are going to be off the charts.

  13. All I can focus on is I saw the Knowhere Celestial head at the end of the universe at 1:16. They really are sticking close to the DNA run. I hope we get a cameo of Cosmo :)

  14. Looking at Pixar as an example, they’ve had one early flop (Bugs Life) which still did well.
    The biggest flop was Cars 2, which still was successful ($191/368/560M).
    Brave was not spectacular (and I was disappointed), but still gained goodwill and an BAF Oscar.
    Monsters University wasn’t great, but it performed well.

    For Marvel, the most anticipated film is Big Hero 6. If Disney/Pixar/Marvel can adapt a low-tier property to animation, possibly opening up the domestic “mature” animated feature market that already exists in Japan, then WDC would be ideally situated to make BILLIONS on the new genre. At the very least, they can adapt lesser properties for a cheaper budget. (Although it takes about $150-200 Million to produce an animated feature at Disney.)

    At the very least, they’ll make money in Japan. Frozen has been #1 there since it opened in March, making $180 Million so far. ($9 million more worldwide, and Frozen beats Iron Man 3.)

  15. One perception I got from the trailer is that when you’re white, you can play a human, while if you have a colour, you’ll be painted a different colour and have bits and bobs stuck to your head. There’s a sense of ‘othering’ about it, which I hope to be proven wrong about in the full movie…

  17. I agree that it feels, at its core, like it will very much be a “Marvel” movie. But as has been pointed out, they have a formula that has so far worked 100% of the time, and they are owned by a major studio, so it’s unrealistic to expect anything other than (maybe) slight deviations from said formula – as in slightly more/less humor, grittiness, or weirdness for example. Moreover, this is an expensive summer action picture that is expected to support an existing franchise, support a new one, and probably needs to take in half a billion dollars to turn a profit. So it is doubtful there will be any substantial risks taken with the climactic third act. Or the two before that.

    But I’m in the “who cares?” camp. I think it’s amazing this film even exists and it looks like it’ll be a blast.

  18. Totally agree with Heidi – Bradley Cooper’s voice doesn’t work for me at all.

    Likewise, why is everyone conflating box office success with artistic merit? Most Marvel movies are boring visually. Admit it, there’s almost nothing memorable about the cinematic Asgard, while Kirby’s & Simonson’s Asgard still sing in the imagination. (Just one of many examples.)

    They’re (mostly) using a formula that will work until it stops working. Enjoy the ride, but don’t pretend it’s something it’s not.

  20. Something Green Lantern really dropped the ball on was showing an alien world full of amazing creatures and doing nothing with them. Audiences want a new Star Wars, not the old Star Wars universe years later or prequels, they’re hungry to see a new group of heroes, monsters and aliens in space that makes them feel like Star Wars did. That this ties in with the Marvel films gives the whole thing a big leg up but the fun shootouts in space angle is what’ll make it a huge hit.

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